Changes, Challenges, and Choices

Although it was filled with surprises and great uncertainty at times, 2009 was a compelling and often exciting year. From the upheaval that shook the world's economy to the inauguration of the first African-American president of the United States, we all experienced that change about which science fiction author Frank Herbert so eloquently spoke: “Without change, something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken.”

Change brings challenges and choices. As the field of laboratory automation continues to evolve and change, we welcome even more creative multidisciplinary collaborators to our ranks. They come from labs in academia, government, and commercial organizations, and their unique perspectives promise to inspire an expanded perspective and to invigorate new energy to the core disciplines we have practiced for years.

This year, JALA published 43 peer-reviewed scientific papers by 214 different authors, which were thoughtfully evaluated and re-evaluated by 146 different scientific manuscript reviewers. Two special issues, in particular, marked milestones and demonstrated ALA's growing sphere of influence throughout an increasingly diverse catalog of industries. In June, JALA Guest Editor David Pechter of Schering-Plough Research Institute coordinated a collection of papers that addressed issues of biosecurity and biosafety. In August, JALA Guest Editor W. Jeffrey Hurst of the Hershey Company shared illustrative examples of how familiar lab automation technology is used inventively to further research achievements in food and agricultural labs. The new boundaries of innovation that have been forged by these issues complement the groundbreaking work in diagnostics, drug discovery, and advanced automation that has consistently served as the foundation of JALA.

The hands-on experience that JALA authors document offers JALA readers a wealth of new ideas and inspiration—meaningful technological breakthroughs that can spark significant change and achievement at many levels and in any number of arenas. More than ever before, ALA and JALA have become the intersection at which the vitality of like minds not only connects, but combusts and creates.

Here's to 2009, and best wishes for 2010!

Sincerely,

Dean Ho, Ph.D.