Students are as important a part of university and academia as professors and researchers. Then why shouldn’t they have a platform to share their work and their interesting findings? There are plenty of mathematical journals and conferences where professional mathematicians can publish articles and make their research known to the broader academic community. The opportunities for bachelor and master students to do the same, however, are limited. This is in part based on the idea that, since students often do not do “original research,” they generally do not have much to share. 

We believe that it is worth giving students a platform to share their work in mathematics — be it original results or old ideas in new garment — for several reasons: 

First, because mathematics can be interesting, beautiful, and fun at all levels, not just at the frontier of research. Giving the monopoly of mathematical publication to professional academics and researchers creates the illusion that one can only write about mathematics from a certain point onwards: after graduation, or after obtaining a master’s degree, or after successfully defending a PhD thesis. We do not think this is necessarily the case: we believe that anyone with curiosity and drive can do and enjoy mathematics and write about them. Bachelor and master students work on and think about a lot of nice mathematics that is worth sharing, and we want to give them a space where they can do that. 

Second, we need to debunk the myth of the “mathematical genius” because it is outdated and problematic in many ways. The idea that only certain people, who look a certain way, who have a specific set of skills, can do mathematics, has no place in our society. Anyone with spirit of inquiry, motivation, and the willingness to put in the hard work, has an opportunity to relish and partake in mathematics. Debunking this myth also means getting rid of the assumption that mathematics can only be done in specific circles and under specific circumstances, and part of this process involves creating new environments in which a new mathematical culture can be fostered and encouraged. 

Third, by relegating the publishing of mathematics to certain stages of one’s career (usually at graduate level and then often in the context of doctoral research), we prevent students from going through the experience of thinking and writing mathematics with the aim of sharing it with a wider audience. The little writing (if any!) that most mathematics students get to do during their undergraduate and early graduate years tends to happen in the scope of a homework hand-in or their final thesis. And even in that case, there is no wider perspective or intention for that piece of mathematical writing to be read by anyone outside the little bubble of the specific course or project. By starting an online student mathematics journal, we open the doors to students at all stages of their university life to write mathematics for a non-initiated reader and to go through the experience of publishing a piece in a public platform. Even for students who do want to pursue a career in research, having the opportunity to think and write about their mathematical work at such an early stage can only be but beneficial, as it enriches them with the experience and allows them to gain confidence in their skills from the very beginning of their professional life. 

Furthermore, mathematics is an incredibly broad and rich field in which many topics are unfortunately underrepresented in popular science literature. It could be argued that some of the best ambassadors for mathematics are students, since they are closer to their peers and their eyes are not yet used to the twilight of a research niche. By allowing students to share their work and their interests, readership without an academic or technical background can get a better picture of the kind of problems and topics mathematics is concerned with. And not only readers outside academia can benefit from knowledge being shared this way: perhaps, by reading outreach pieces written by students, even research mathematicians will learn more about what is being done by a colleague across the corridor, beyond the borders of their own area of specialization. 

µ-OPEN is born from the desire to provide (partial) solution to the issues mentioned above. We want to give mathematics students the chance to share their passion and their work, as well as provide interested people outside academia (curious high school students, confused parents of budding mathematicians, intrigued folk who are unsure what university mathematics is about) with readable, challenging texts that meet them where they are at. You just want to read about some cool math to tell friends about? We have got it. You are looking for inspiration or are curious to know what mathematics looks like after high school? You came to the right place. 

Why µ-OPEN, then? Because we believe that everyone should be able to enjoy mathematics!

Editorial by Mireia Martínez i Sellarès, Palina Salanevich, and Ivan Kryven.

Header picture: “Tramp Steamer” by Edward Hopper (1908)