Dear STLR Community,
In 1999, a small group of Columbia Law students decided to embark on an endeavor that they could not possibly have predicted would fundamentally shape the way those in the law, science, and technology community think twenty years later. This year, Columbia Science and Technology Law Review, affectionately known as STLR (pronounced “stellar”), celebrates the publication of its twentieth volume. We’re honored to mark the milestone with two fantastic issues and a celebration to bring together students, professors, practitioners, authors, and alumni in the law, science, and technology community.
In March, we celebrated our twentieth volume with a panel on how science and technology shaped the law and a reception. This reunion brought two of our founding members, Volume I Editor-in-Chief Darren Schmidt and Volume I Submissions Editor Karen Sandler, back to campus to speak with students. Additionally, Volume XI Managing Editor Makalika Naholowa’a and intellectual property litigator Peter Sandel joined the panel. We had the opportunity to reflect on the founding of the journal, to learn more about our panelists’ fascinating career paths, and to reconnect with alumni at the reception.
Looking back on the past twenty years, it is easy to see that STLR has always been a pioneer in utilizing technology to further its goals as a journal. STLR started as Columbia’s first online-only journal, avoiding the environmental impact and hefty costs associated with printing bound copies of the journal. Ten years later, STLR’s Volume X Editor-in-Chief, Luis Villa, led the switch to making STLR an Open Access journal (another Columbia Law School first). This year, our Volume XX Executive Editor for Submissions and Online Content, Sam Matthews, spearheaded the effort to create Columbia’s first journal podcast, STLR Conversations, which published its first full-length episode at the end of March. It is exciting to think about what changes technology can enable another decade from now, and I have faith that whatever possibilities then exist, STLR will embrace them.
A big thank-you to all the staffers, editorial board members, faculty members, authors, and administrators who have made STLR everything it is today. Cheers to twenty years!
