Technical Abstract: This article is an introduction to a series of papers published on ground beetles as part of the Instant Symposium Feature of the American Entomologist. Here, I point out how ground beetle research has been changing in recent years, and highlight emerging areas that have helped us to understand the role of ground beetles in agricultural and natural habitats. Finally, I introduce some of the topics covered in the subsequent papers, and describe the Midwestern Carabidologist’s Working Group, which was one of the outcomes of the spotlighted symposium.