History of Inventio

Although Inventio is now an established presence at Catholic University, there was a time when this journal and its vibrantly colored covers could not be found around campus. Now, heading into its sixth year of publication, we look back to see how Inventio, the Undergraduate Research Journal of the Catholic University of America, came to be.

Dr. Taryn Okuma, Associate Professor of Practice in the English Department and Inventio Faculty Editor, was inspired to found Inventio in 2015, with the first edition of the journal being published by spring of 2016. Working as the Director of the Writing Center Undergraduate Tutor (WCUT) Program at Catholic U, Dr. Okuma had the unique experience of working with students who came from many different academic disciplines. A professor would typically only be interacting with and reading the work of students within their own areas of expertise. 

By directing the WCUT program, she got to experience firsthand the vast range and high caliber of undergraduate research being conducted at the university. But this knowledge only came from her specific position in the Writing Center; most faculty and students were not privy to the diverse range of research that was being done afresh every semester.

Dr. Okuma realized that the university could be doing more, giving students greater opportunities to display the research to which they dedicate themselves. 

The University agreed. As fate would have it, the idea for Inventio was born just as the Catholic University Research Day was starting up. The University as a whole was truly advocating for undergraduate research, so creating an undergraduate research journal was another venue in which to showcase students’ writing. 

Inventio was created to both build on a foundation of enthusiasm for research and fill a need. The university was already on the path to creating more opportunities to display the students’ research. But there were still not enough avenues to satisfy the desire undergraduates had to present the papers and projects into which they poured hours and hours. So Inventio filled that gap by establishing itself as a journal for the humanities and social sciences. The hard sciences already had venues for publication, but this was far less accessible for other areas of study, and so Inventio became the avenue for humanities-based research to be showcased.

The proposal for Inventio was then accepted with excitement, as the dream of an undergraduate research journal aligned with the University’s interests and had the support of then-Vice Provost Dr. Shoemaker.

With the go-ahead from the administration, the next step was the actual creation of the journal and its staff. Dr. Caroline Sherman and Dr. Jennifer Paxton of the History Department were brought on board as faculty editors. Sherman had a similar desire to highlight the undergraduate senior theses she was reading from majors in the History Department, and developed and oversaw the review process for submissions. Paxton shared enthusiasm for the project and had a wealth of experience on the editorial side of academic publication that allowed her to professionally train and mentor the student copy editing staff for Inventio with her invaluable skill.

The faculty founders envisioned the journal as being of real benefit to the students. For those who wanted to see their work published, there was now an outlet. By establishing the Student Editorial Board (SEB), Inventio also offered the opportunity for students to gain leadership experience in the academic world and in publishing. The journal elevated and gave prominence to students in both aspects of academic research, writing and publication.

Dr. Okuma’s ultimate dream in the founding year of the journal was simply “that it continue” and that students would take the lead in growing it. This dream has definitely been achieved as Inventio still thrives today, with 16 SEB members who continue to innovate and execute with creativity and efficiency. It is a publication for the students, by the students. 

Inventio means to find, to discover. It stands for what the heart of research truly is: seeking to discover truth and knowledge. A student can spend countless hours researching a paper for a class and no one would ever know what truth they found except the professor. But a key aspect of truth and knowledge is the sharing of that discovery. 

Inventio is the vehicle by which such knowledge, truth, and hard work are shared.