A new, comprehensive survey of the Galaxy in far-infrared and submillimeter-wave lines of astrophysically important atoms and molecules must be undertaken in order to answer fundamental questions concerning the Life Cycle of the ISM in the Milky Way, as well as distant galaxies. These questions include:

• How do molecular clouds form, evolve, and become disrupted?
• How and under what conditions do molecular clouds form stars?
• How do the energetic byproducts of stellar birth regulate further star formation in molecular clouds?
• How does the Galactic environment impact the formation of clouds and stars?

The Steward Observatory Radio Astronomy Laboratory (SORAL) is working toward addressing these questions through a series of projects that utilize state-of-the-art heterodyne receivers on a variety of platforms. On-going projects include the development of imaging cameras (SuperCAM) for the Heinrich Hertz Telescope and the design of the High Elevation Antarctic THz Telescope (HEAT) for Dome A. Proposed future projects include instrumentation for SOFIA and THz observatories on long duration balloons and space-based platforms. During the presentation I will introduce these projects and describe how they contribute to our understanding of the Life Cycle of the ISM.