Dear Friends,

September 2019 marks the Advanced Science Research Center’s fifth anniversary. As we look back on the work and accomplishments of our faculty, staff and students, there is indeed much to celebrate—and much to look forward to as we continue and expand partnerships with our supporters and collaborators, especially those from CUNY and New York state!

Today, scientists are called to address a growing demand for technological advances and an accelerating list of threats to our planet and humanity. The solutions to these challenges will not be realized within siloed areas of research, but through the dynamic, innovative thought produced when scientists work across disciplines for the public good.

When the ASRC opened its doors, CUNY brought together newly hired researchers, staff, and faculty to catalyze just such interdisciplinary scientific research and discovery and to develop a CUNY–wide network that builds on the university’s strengths in five distinctive, but increasingly connected areas of research: environmental science, nanoscience, neuroscience, photonics and structural biology. The ASRC seeks every day to inspire and enable scientists, entrepreneurs, and trainees to advance creative, multidisciplinary solutions to the most pressing issues facing society.

In the short time since it launched, the ASRC has already begun to succeed in this ambitious mission. In just 60 months, the ASRC team has generated more than 400 scientific publications—many in partnership with researchers across CUNY; mentored more than 180 students and its first class of Ph.D. graduates; attracted over $50 million in funding; and awarded $600,000 in seed grants to CUNY faculty for the advancement of cutting-edge research. ASRC staff and faculty also have taken their knowledge beyond the walls of academia and into the community through volunteer work with the ASRC IlluminationSpace science center, which seeks to plant seeds of possibility in the young minds of future scientists.

The ASRC 5×5 Anniversary celebration is an opportunity to mark these successes. More importantly, through this yearlong endeavor we will bring together scientists from our community and beyond to explore and establish new research directions and collaborations that will amplify our efforts to catalyze interdisciplinary science at CUNY and across academia, nonprofit, government, and industry.

We invite you to be a part of the ASRC 5×5 Anniversary celebration, which will set the tone for our next five years of scientific innovation. Please check back here frequently to see what we have in store over the next several months. In the meantime, we look forward to celebrating with you!

Sincerely,

Josh Brumberg
Dean for the Sciences
The Graduate Center, CUNY

Annette Gray
Associate Dean for the Sciences and Executive Director
Advanced Science Research Center