Our History

Officially founded in October 2004, The Triple Helix has soared to unprecedented heights as the first and only national undergraduate print journal of its kind in the country. Due to an incredible volume of student interest at universities from coast to coast in just the past 8 months, The Triple Helix has expanded to include chapters at Cornell, University of Pennsylvania, and University of California at Berkeley with chapters being built by students at MIT, Columbia, Stanford, Brown, and Georgetown. What began as a regular local journal has transformed into a national, student-run, interdisciplinary publication that examines some of the most pressing legal and social issues in science as well as an organization and network of some of the most capable undergraduate students nationwide with a reach that extends deep and wide into our university campuses.

As with many pioneering ideas, The Triple Helix began as a conceptual solution to a larger thematic problem. Kevin Hwang, founder of The Triple Helix, saw a growing need and desire for an organization that could provide an outlet for the increasing number of students with interdisciplinary interests. As someone who was and still is interested in science and law, Hwang could not understand the lack of a student journal, or any organization for that matter, at Cornell which addressed such issues simultaneously. While many students had begun to embrace the connection of seemingly disconnected fields, many more still refused to even experience a course in what they considered “unrelated” to their own field.

As the 21^st century unfolds, science and technology and political, social, and legal institutions will continue to influence and depend on each other in ways that have never been seen before. In an era where scientists must understand the societal and legal implications of their work before proceeding and where lawmakers are consistently challenged by rapid advancements in technology that change their understanding of the world, it has become necessary to bridge the divide between science, society, and law. Recognizing and embracing the interdisciplinary nature of the near future, The Triple Helix was founded as both a reaction and a catalyst.

With a conceptual framework and vision in mind, Hwang set out to establish such a journal at Cornell University in September 2004. Upon recruiting Haoming Qiu, another like-minded student at Cornell, momentum began to build for the new local journal as many other student leaders jumped on the opportunity to get involved.

After countless hours of preparatory work by the executive board, endless brainstorming sessions, and multiple meetings each week at all hours of the day, The Triple Helix was ready for its first general body meeting for the public. On November 6, 2004, The Triple Helix saw a student turnout at its meeting that far surpassed even the most popular existing journals and student organizations on the Cornell campus. As weeks passed by during the writing and editing process, the level of student interest did not waver. Faced with nearly 3 times as many writers and 2 times as many editors as the journal could possibly accommodate, The Triple Helix was left to ponder why such a demand was not being met at universities nationwide.

By early December 2004, The Triple Helix had accrued a great deal of faculty and administrative support. Over winter break, the editing and layout process continued as Cornell students communicated across the country from their homes. As word spread about The Triple Helix and a possible national expansion, student leaders at Cornell met with several interested students during this time period from UC Berkeley, Stanford, and University of Pennsylvania to propose a truly unique, pioneering, and bold collaborative effort nationwide.

As January 2005 came to an end, a national The Triple Helix was born. With a business plan, flexible growth strategy, national management structure, and vision for the next several years in place, it was then time to execute and transition. As UC Berkeley and University of Pennsylvania began forming chapters and a national leadership began to be established, Cornell continued to plow ahead with its first issue.

Early March 2005 saw the release of 1000 copies of The Triple Helix to students and faculty at Cornell University. The positive response was overwhelming as comments and recognition poured in all over campus. The release of The Triple Helix had such an impact that it made the front page of the Cornell Daily Sun, which is quite an honor for any student organization. In addition, 4 new members were added to the Board of Directors, including Julia Gitis, Erwin Wang, Ilya Sukhar, and Michael Jin.

Two months passed by as student leaders at UC Berkeley and University of Pennsylvania experienced a success much like the one at Cornell. A high volume of student interest in becoming involved in The Triple Helix at both campuses provided further testimony to the potential the national journal had.

By early May 2005, work on the first national issue was well underway. As news continued to spread, students at MIT, Brown, Georgetown, and Columbia became interested in starting their own chapters to engage their student bodies in a growing national dialogue. In late May, Chapter presidents, both new and old, and the Board of Directors met in the Silicon Valley ( Palo Alto, California) to discuss and modify the future direction and growth strategy of the national organization. Due to geographical constraints during the school year, this forum provided an excellent opportunity to interact, network, and socialize with other passionate student leaders around the country.

As such a young but already recognized organization, The Triple Helix continues to move ahead into unexplored territory as one of the country’s most ambitious and pioneering undergraduate student organizations. We hope you will join us at some point as history unfolds…