Letter from the Editor

What a year, huh? It seems like a lifetime ago that I signed on to head Elements, but really it was only June. Back then I had no idea that I would be spending my senior year in Zoom classes, running staff meetings over GoogleMeet, and relying so heavily on emails (so, so many emails…) to connect with writers and editors alike, but as this semester draws to a close I can say that we did it! We made the magazine! It was uncharted territory and it certainly wasn’t easy, but if that’s not 2020 I don’t know what is. Even with all the hiccups and frustrations, I’m so incredibly thankful for the staff team and for the writers and artists who gave this issue life. To create in the face of such national and global stress and grief speaks to the strength of the human spirit.

This year has demonstrated how vital and fragile the relationship between science and the public is. We have seen the truths found from medical research ignored, decried as fake propaganda, and framed as a means to strip away personal freedom. We have seen the disastrous consequences of our governments and our neighbors turning their backs on empirical evidence, and we have felt the weight of our uncertain future. While it’s easy to simmer in anger over those who deny the truth, I think it’s also important to remember that while science brings cures and the knowledge of how to safely live, science is also a social institution.

This year has reminded us that our institutions, both within and outside academia, do not represent and respect all people equally and equitably. While we like to think that as scientists we are skilled at being objective, denying that personal biases and discriminatory behaviors, intentional or not, have influenced who participates in and benefits from scientific pursuits would also be rejecting the facts. This reality and the necessity of trusting science in matters of public health have never been, are not, and will never be mutually exclusive, and we cannot forget that.

Much of this issue reminds me of the harshness of this year. We bring you pieces that consider how we treat our dead, how uncertainty and false information about GMOs influence how we buy food, and the immense sadness and dread of climate change and human degradation of the environment. That being said, this issue also illustrates how we cope in such trying times. Poetry, art, a walk with a friend, these are the things that are motivating us and getting us through it all. While we set out with no theme in mind, I love how this issue reflects both our anxiety and our hope, our trials and our loving creations. I hope this issue brings you a spot of joy and intrigue as our slog through this mess continues, and that maybe I can hand you the next issue in person.

Good health and rest to you,

Lexus Sullivan, Editor-in-Chief