Editor's note

Image caption: Greg Rienzi
Editor

I ran into a Hopkins professor recently who normally would have enthusiastically chronicled her latest interstellar science project.

Instead, she appeared sullen and at a loss for words. The uncertainty around the future of federal funding, related to not just her research but that of peers and colleagues, had left her in "What's next?" mode.

I share her sentiment. Months ago, we began work on this issue of the magazine, and the world and the higher education landscape have changed considerably since then. University President Ronald J. Daniels, in a letter to the Johns Hopkins community, spoke directly to the moment, describing "the fast and far-reaching cascade of executive orders and agency actions affecting higher education and federally sponsored research." The pace of change and prevailing specter of doubt have not abated—and seem to morph daily.

As such, a quarterly publication like ours cannot be as responsive to the news cycle as we'd like, and the university's broad range of work will continue and need to be documented. So, you'll find a mix of stories in this issue, but all wrapped in an alternate cover that we hope punctuates the Right Now. I also encourage you to visit JHU's Hub news site, where our colleagues promote the critical and lifesaving impact of our research through a series of essays, Q&As, and features.

JHU's research must continue. It's core to who we are, what we do. Thank you for reading, and your support.

Greg Rienzi
Editor