UCLA Students Launch Environmental Narrative Journal

The undergraduate-led publication serves as a new platform for creative and scholarly work on environmental topics.

Updated on Oct. 28, 2026 in Environmental

Bold vector editorial illustration showing a single stylized California poppy in a ceramic vase, symbolizing student-led environmental research. — UCLA students launched LENS, a new undergraduate-led journal featuring diverse research and creative work focused on environmental narratives and scholarly perspectives. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should university students prioritize creative storytelling as a method for addressing complex environmental issues?

UCLA students have officially launched LENS: The Journal of Environmental Narratives, featuring 15 diverse pieces in its debut issue. The new publication provides an undergraduate forum for showcasing creative and scholarly environmental work.

Why it matters

The journal fills a need for an official platform where students can present their eco-creative research and narratives to a broader audience. It represents the latest development from the Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies as it expands its academic footprint.

The inaugural issue features 15 pieces of student-authored creative and scholarly content. The journal is produced through the Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies and is supported by a donor endowment.

The players

Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies

This UCLA research center focuses on the intersection of storytelling and ecological research to address environmental challenges.

UCLA

The University of California, Los Angeles is a prominent public research university where the journal was founded and is currently based.

The details

Published by the Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies, the journal is entirely written, edited, and peer-reviewed by undergraduates. It is available in both print and online formats to support student submissions.

2026 marked the 10-year anniversary of the Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies.
The LENS journal officially launched on October 26, 2026.

The Big Picture

The launch of the journal extends the decade-long mission of the Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies by institutionalizing student contributions. This paradigm shift moves undergraduate work from private study to an official, peer-reviewed academic publication.

Students at the university now have an established outlet to gain experience in peer-reviewed academic publishing. Future issues may offer the public new insights into environmental challenges through the lens of student scholarship and creative storytelling.

The takeaway

The creation of this journal demonstrates how student-led initiatives can successfully institutionalize academic and creative output. Readers interested in ecological issues can follow the journal's future releases to track emerging themes in student-led environmental narrative research.