This issue of Technology | Architecture + Design began in one world and will be published in another. Two major health and cultural phenomena have reshaped our understanding of ourselves, how we interact, and our work. On January 15, 2020, research papers for this issue were submitted. On January 20, the first case of COVID-19 was diagnosed in the U.S., and on January 24, I received an email from our university about precautions for a novel coronavirus. Writing in July 2020, the United States surpassed 2.75 million diagnosed cases of COVID-19 with the numbers trending alarmingly upwards. When we began this issue of TAD, researchers had access to their labs, which was particularly important for this issue’s theme of Matter and material investigations. Now we are isolated from our students, distant from our research partners, and our research modes are changing.
