UCLA Students Launch New Environmental Narrative Journal
The student-led LENS journal provides a new peer-reviewed forum for undergraduate environmental research.
Updated on Oct. 28, 2026 in Environmental
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UCLA undergraduates have launched LENS, a new journal dedicated to environmental narratives. The first issue, featuring 15 creative and scholarly pieces, is now available in both print and online formats.
Why it matters
The publication provides a formal, peer-reviewed platform for undergraduates to share eco-creative research. It serves as a new student-led outlet for environmental discourse at the institutional level.
The inaugural issue contains 15 peer-reviewed works curated by an undergraduate team. This launch arrives as the Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies marks its 10-year anniversary.
The players
Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies
A research group at UCLA focused on the intersection of storytelling and ecology that marked its 10-year anniversary in 2026.
LENS
A new peer-reviewed journal created by UCLA undergraduates to publish scholarly and creative environmental narratives.
The details
The journal is published by the Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies, a research group that celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2026. Submissions include a mix of creative and scholarly work focused on environmental themes, which are vetted through a peer-review process conducted entirely by undergraduate students. The project is supported by a donor endowment.
Timeline
The Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies reached its 10-year milestone in 2026.
The LENS journal officially launched on October 26, 2026.
The Tech Race
This journal launch serves as the latest milestone for the Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies. It follows a decade of established research activity by the lab and formalizes a new student-led output stream.
The journal is currently accessible to the public in both print and online formats. It provides a new venue for students to submit and view peer-reviewed environmental research and creative writing.
The takeaway
The arrival of LENS marks a formal step in undergraduate environmental publishing at UCLA. Readers should look for the annual call for submissions to see how the peer-review standards evolve in future cycles.
What happens next
The journal plans to continue its operations with an annual publication schedule for future issues.
Further reading
Find more updates on local sustainability initiatives in the Environmental section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Daily Bruin.
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Should university students prioritize creative storytelling as a method for addressing complex environmental issues?
