Longtime readers might have noticed an uptick in recent years of stories highlighting Penn State’s research expertise and impact. That’s intentional—we think these stories have value for the university and for our readers. The focus of that research is often well beyond my limited understanding, but with the help (and patience) of those researchers, we’re able to convey how the results of that work make our world healthier, safer, and more efficient.

All of that was top of mind earlier this fall when I sat down with Andrew Read, Penn State’s senior vice president for research. As a scientist first and foremost—an evolutionary biologist by training, he directed the efforts of university researchers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic—Read is always happy to explain why the work he and his peers do is essential. What’s changed in recent months is the need to explain how that work, from cancer research to crop production and so much in between, cannot happen without federal funding.

You can find an excerpt from our conversation beginning on page 24, and I hope you’ll read the full interview here. A big part of the takeaway—and where we come in—is the importance of storytelling around the country’s unmatched system of federal support, which drives university research and provides the foundation for private industry. As Read said more than once during our conversation, that system is the envy of the world—it’s why so many international researchers come to U.S. universities, and why the U.S. for decades has led innovation in science, technology, and public health.

Read made clear that without federal support—some of which has already been lost at Penn State and other top research institutions, and much more of which is at risk—many of those advances simply won’t happen. I’m proud that we’re in a position to help tell that story; if you’re reading this, I hope you see it as a story you’re compelled to share as well.

Ryan Jones ’95 Com | Editor
ryanjones@psu.edu