I hope you were able to peruse the last issue, a special edition of The LINK magazine which provided an overview of our work in space exploration. Dedicating an entire issue to a single topic not only revealed the complexity of the topic, but allowed us a look at the depth and breadth of our work in the field.

As scientists and researchers, our work inherently builds on the foundations of those who have researched before us. In turn, the contributions we put forth become the foundation upon which future research and scientific development will rest. We understand this as a matter of course, part of the stock-in-trade of our work.

Historians, journalists and academic societies like to take the more cursory view and often try to point attention toward certain achievements as having more gravitas than others. While this has some merit, we in the scientific community always do well to respect those who have come before us, collaborated and competed with us, in an unending quest to understand. Yes, all ships rise together.

In the foundation and building of our school, the specific contributions of each person has been instrumental to our success and put SCS at the forefront of research and teaching. As with many of our efforts, it is a fool’s errand to try to single out “the most” foundational, instrumental or important. All influences can be felt in the ground on which we stand.

You may agree that individual perspective on the matter becomes paramount. When I first arrived at CMU, I found myself in awe of giants in the field to whom I had access. Herb Simon, Allen Newell, Red Whittaker, Mary Shaw, Raj Reddy and so many others. Their influence on my work and life cannot be overstated. In SCS, we have strived to continue to bring the best minds to campus to build each new foundational layer upon the last, in order to continue to offer world-class experiences for those in our community, for the betterment of all.

And so, you will find in this issue a handful of the stories centered on the idea of foundational work in SCS. Going forward we will continue telling the stories of our foundation — long standing and more recent — not only because they are important, but because they reveal the design of our mission to make the world a better place.