To all the science nerds,

Thank you for reading and writing for the science section! After a long but lovely year, this is my last bit of writing for The Varsity. 

I first wrote for The Varsity when Barbenheimer happened. Newly married to the physics specialist program, that era sent me into an unreasonably deep dive into the specifics of the science and history of nuclear physics. The science editor, at the time, Salma, let me write a ridiculously long article detailing all my findings — sparing my friends and family from many an annoying rant. From then on, I was hooked and used the section as a ranting page for all my little physics obsessions. 

Now, in my last year, finishing up both my degree and my stint as science editor, I am very thankful to all the passionate nerds I have encountered through this paper. 

We are surrounded by so much amazing science at U of T, yet it can be very difficult to actually conceptualize the excitement of that fact without talking to someone, whether it be a professor or a student, who is annoyingly passionate about the subject. To me, that drive to speak about science is actually equally important to researching or studying it. 

As the behemoth of science research that U of T is, I think it is the duty of science researchers to make an active effort in communicating science in an accessible way to the public. No field in science should feel barricaded off or ‘too difficult to understand’ due to its language and a lack of effort in communication about it. Even people within the scientific discipline also rely on good science communication to both learn and appreciate what they are learning — we rely on enthusiastic nerds (let the sun never set on 3blue1brown).

I like to think that the science section of The Varsity is a ‘nerd safe space’ specifically for those who want to express their enthusiasm for the topics they’ve encountered, or even researched, in a way that accessibly communicates why that enthusiasm is warranted. 

To all my contributors and writers this year, thank you so much for sharing your enthusiasm for science. It is truly the closest thing to magic for me; people who are actually willing to talk about the specifics of it outside of abstract presentations are carrying that magic on their backs. Also, a PSA to all the people who sent me AI articles this year, stop ruining the magic of this nerd safe space. 

I want to also take this chance to thank my wonderful and brilliant associates, Lauren and Lucia, for all their work this semester. You guys carried so much, and it was really lovely getting to know you. I am very excited to see how the section grows next year. 

So, with that, thank you everyone, for creating this wonderful space where we can be nerds together and for forcing everyone to be excited about science. 

— Ridhi Balani, Science Editor, Volume CXLVI