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In the closing moments of Dante’s “Inferno,” as the pilgrim protagonist and his guide, the Roman poet Virgil, finally emerge from the dark depths of hell, their hope of reaching paradise is rekindled as they look up, “to see — once more — the stars.” As he makes his way through purgatory and eventually finds his way to heaven, it becomes clear that Dante’s solution for a troubled world lies in our common search for something greater than ourselves — a higher power, what Dante calls the “love that moves the sun and the other stars.” Perhaps one of the greatest lessons of Dante’s pilgrimage is that his success was not possible without the assistance of others. In the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, we rank collaboration and interdisciplinarity among our greatest strengths.

Join us then as we meet the pioneers of the Astraeus Institute: humanities scholars, scientists, and astronauts exploring new perspectives on our engagement with the stars and outer space (here). We will also meet some of the shining stars of CLAS: researchers unlocking the mysteries of human aging (here), students using AI to develop the next generation of interstellar communication (here), and a disabled veteran whose personal quest for a new life through higher education exemplifies the boundless strength of the human spirit (here). We also examine the work of the Gulf scholars who consider the role of resilience in finding solutions to complex challenges of our Gulf communities (here).

Through each of these stories, we are challenged to do more, to go further, and to see beyond the present. As we welcome this new year, I am hopeful that this issue will inspire you and finds you, in the words of Dante, “renewed and prepared to climb unto the stars.”

Sincerely,

Mary Watt
Interim Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences