A Home for Emerging Minds: Welcome to JEMUR's First Issue

This editorial welcomes readers to the first issue of the Journal of Emerging Minds in Undergraduate Research. We founded JEMUR as an international home where undergraduate and graduate students can make their work visible, receive serious feedback, and take an active place in the scientific community. That mission depends on careful publishing. Before external review, every manuscript in this issue underwent a citation and reference check. After editorial approval, two independent reviewers were assigned through a double-anonymous process. Two papers completed three review rounds and three completed two, giving the issue twelve external review rounds in total. Every paper also received at least two editorial evaluations. We introduce five studies that move across gender politics, visual culture, public-service training, cancer prevention, and targeted drug delivery. Together, they show how student research can speak to social, cultural, and health questions with care. We also consider what support should look like in the age of artificial intelligence. Clear guidance on responsible AI use, self-regulated learning, and opportunities beyond the classroom can help students become more thoughtful and independent researchers. For JEMUR, publication is part of education: a shared process of asking, checking, revising, and learning.