This year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB). We decided that a fitting way to honor this occasion would be to look forward to the next 50 years of cell biology. To take on this daunting task, we invited a group of cell biology thought leaders to write essays on their perspectives on the future of cell biology for this special issue of *MBoC*. We gave the authors wide latitude to write about topics that they found interesting and important for the future of cell biology but suggested that they contemplate such questions as: Where is cell biology headed in the next 50 years?What are the big unanswered questions and challenges for cell biology?How can young scientists best prepare themselves to meet these challenges?

![Douglas R. Kellogg, Features Editor](zmk0221096780002){#FU1}

![David G. Drubin, Editor-in-Chief](zmk0221096780001){#FU2}

Cell biology is a melting pot for diverse disciplines and experimental philosophies, so we aimed for a diverse group of authors to provide a wide range of perspectives on the future of cell biology, although we knew it would not be possible to be comprehensive.

The extraordinary achievements in cell biology over the last 50 years are good cause to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ASCB. In 1960 modern cell biology was in its infancy. Former ASCB President George Palade was just beginning his groundbreaking work on membrane-bound organelles that would lay the foundation for a molecular understanding of the secretory pathway, while another former ASCB President, Joe Gall, was just embarking on his seminal studies of chromosome structure and function. Yet vast regions of cell biology lay unexplored, and cell biology terms that we take for granted today, such as tubulin, oncogene, and SNARE protein, did not yet exist. If in 1960 the founders of the ASCB had been asked to muse on the future of cell biology, they surely would not have imagined many of the astonishing discoveries that were to come: the dynamic nature of cytoskeletal polymers, the switch-like GTPases that control trafficking and signaling events, and the universal mechanism that controls cell division, to name only a few. It seems likely too that the founders would be pleased and surprised to see how others have built upon their seminal contributions, and how their pioneering efforts to explore the most fundamental workings of cells have led to deep and pervasive impacts on medicine.

While the authors of the essays collected here did not attempt to predict specific discoveries, their essays nevertheless provide an exciting glimpse into the future of cell biology. Together, these essays offer a thoughtful and expansive consideration of interesting unsolved questions and technical hurdles, approaches that are likely to lead to important discoveries, and challenges that we all face in such areas as educating future generations, supporting young scientists, and advancing diversity. Importantly, the essays make it clear that the next 50 years will be every bit as exciting and challenging as the last 50 years.

Also included in this special issue of *MBoC* is a collection of essays written by the recipients of the annual ASCB awards. Each year, ASCB award recipients are asked to write essays that provide historical, educational, or philosophical reflections relevant to their awards. These essays complement the ASCB 50th Anniversary Essays and offer a look at the personal stories behind discovery and careers in cell biology.

We thank the many authors who took time from their very busy schedules to contribute to this volume. Their willingness to contribute is powerful evidence of their belief in an exciting future for cell biology, as well as the respect that they and many others hold for the ASCB. We also thank Sandra Schmid, the ASCB\'s President-Elect, for playing an integral role in planning and editing this issue, and for raising funds so a printed text could be distributed at this year\'s meeting. Mark Leader, the ASCB Publications Director, and Eric Baker, the Journal Production Manager for *MBoC*, provided guidance in planning the collection of essays, and they have coordinated submission, editing, and production of the many essays. Their tireless and skilled efforts make possible this special issue, as well as all issues of *MBoC*. Finally, we thank Janet Iwasa for creating the beautiful cover image for this essay collection.
