ARL Family,

Traditionally, December marks a time of reflection and gratitude. We pause to celebrate our accomplishments and to welcome the new year with its promise of hope. At the end of this most extraordinary year, I find myself profoundly moved by the strength, resilience and dedication shown by every person at the Applied Research Laboratory.

Adequately expressing the magnitude of what you have accomplished and my gratitude for your efforts over the past 12 months would pose a challenge for even the most seasoned writer, so I will say, simply, “thank you.”

Thank you for your sacrifices, for continuing to work in our offices and laboratories and trusting that we would keep you safe, and for juggling the enormous demands of caring for your family while working from home. Thank you for your compassion, for sewing and distributing face masks for your coworkers and community, for your generosity towards those financially affected by the pandemic, and for listening to each other with open hearts when the day-to-day specter of unpredictability became overwhelming. Thank you for remaining focused on our mission, for maintaining the trust our sponsors have instilled in us, and for continuing to deliver excellence.

Thank you for your commitment to innovation, to creativity, to showing up on those days when even getting out of bed felt challenging. You’ve continued to perform at the highest caliber under unprecedented circumstances, and you’ve done so with the spirit of community so characteristic of Penn State

It has been my unique honor to lead this team through a year so plagued with darkness. I am proud to be part of the Penn State community, proud to be part of ARL, and most importantly, proud of each and every one of you and all that we have accomplished this year.

Now, more than ever, We Are Penn State.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

With utmost sincerity,
Allan G. Sonsteby, executive director of Applied Research Laboratory