The line between research dollars invested and startups created is often an indirect one. While industry research is frequently conducted with the final product already in mind, the exploratory and sometimes open-ended nature of university research leads to discoveries not yet imagined. The success of SCS startups and spinoffs, and their outsized impact on the U.S. economy, is the result of long-term investments in uncertain outcomes — resulting in surprising breakthroughs that go on to change the course of industry. And isn’t that the story of entrepreneurship?

What we do in the School of Computer Science may start in our classrooms and research labs, but the impact we have goes well beyond. I hope you’ll read this issue carefully and share what you learn with others. We’re proud of the influence we’ve had in the world, and look forward to seeing what the next few decades of scientific discovery will bring.