It is only fitting in this anniversary year to look back and acknowledge some of the groups and individuals who helped JRIP to reach forward and beyond its inception.

In addition to members of the initial FPLC, all of whom were STEM faculty, staff and administrators who have long been advocates for undergraduate research at HCC, much of the funding that made the first four volumes of the journal possible was provided by The Kahlert Foundation. Thanks in part to the infrastructure established through their financial support, JRIP is able to publish its fifth volume independently for the first time this year.

Former Deans of the Science, Engineering, and Technology and Mathematics Divisions, Patti Turner and Mike Long, inexorably championed for JRIP, making sure to provision for its continuation by apportioning time, resources, and manpower in whatever ways were possible. While both have moved on from their positions at HCC, they leave behind a legacy of incomparable advocacy. Former Editorial Team Chair and Physics faculty member, Alex Barr, led the charge with calm, competence, and an analytical eye until the end of theSpring 2021 semester when an out-of-state move necessitated his departure from both the college and the journal. And such folks as Math faculty, Adrian Kuhlman, Loretta Tokoly, and Carol Howald, provided steadfast support by expertly attending to such things as final formatting and event and peer review coordination, all with efficacy and care.

You’ll likely notice the striking and thought-provoking artwork in this volume which has become a hallmark of JRIP. This would not have been possible without the organizing done by a number of Art faculty and staff over the years to engage students in the process of collaboration between artists and researchers. Much gratitude and appreciation to Fahimeh Vahdat, Jeremy Bomberg, and especially Steve Silberg for his commitment in the last year to connecting student artists and researchers in creative and innovative ways.