Chandra Breanne Curry, coordinator of the LaserNetUS consortium, offers insights into high-intensity laser systems, supported applications, and an update on fusion science. The 10-system consortium supports research across disciplines, from biomedical science to plasma physics. Miriam Vitiello, director of research at the National Research Council of Italy, professor of condensed matter physics at the Scuola Normale Superiore, and co-author of "The 2017 Terahertz Science and Technology Roadmap," picks up our running conversation on the terahertz band, quantum cascade lasers, and forthcoming developments.