~The Flaming Lips ("fight test")
It has officially come to pass. The ninth planet of so many elementary and middle school lessons has officially been demoted to mere "rock status." It's actually called a "dwarf planet" now, along with two others, for completeness. Now, I'll admit, I've never been really attached to Pluto...my favorite has always been Saturn, which I can't really give any coherent reason for. But, it seems to me an abomination that you can just rescind planetdom!! Sure, I understand that scientists figured they needed to tighten up the criteria as more of the solar system is discovered and explored, but I mean THINK people....now the acronym MVEMJSUNP doesn't even work! What's this world coming to? It's almost like making a class harder because too many kids are getting A's!
I actually don't care as much as it sounds. Still, it is kind of weird and surreal that something I learned in school will now not be learned any longer by modern students. a) it makes me feel old, b) it makes me consider what else I have learned in the past 17 years that might be changed or omitted from curriculum in the future.
That, my friends, is the value of learning and research. This is why I'm a scientist! How exciting it is to be on the cutting edge of the ever-changing and growing body of knowledge! Sure, business classes help you deal with the economics of life, and someone's got to do your taxes, but, science is so much better. I don't think I fully realized how amazing it is to know, learn and discover how little I know until Junior year of college. I had always "liked" school, but I think that was more due to the fact that I was good at it, versus really enjoying having knowledge transferred to me.
Junior year was the age of modern physics and my enlightenment as the result of a required philosophy class. I struggled through specific relativity and the next quarter came to the harsh, challenging and exciting realization that I could indeed believe in evolution and STILL call myself a Christian. Those were some difficult months for me academically, spiritually and mentally. Kudos to school, my patient professors, and the opportunity to make one's head hurt from conflicting viewpoints and seemingly impossibly scientific theories. I have a very few friends with whom I share this love of science and learning. My friend Jason checked out several books on fractals (math stuff I don't get) last summer for, as he called it, "pleasure reading." My other friend Katie is a research psychologist, but respects, understands and is intrigued by the synergy of all science. I have had countless conversations with these two close friends about the beauty of science, the extreme privilege of all schooling, and the travesty of complaining and taking university for granted. Ever heard the following phrase? Professor, I just need to know what I need to know for the test. Pure sacrilege. What's worse is when you hear a prof tell you "you won't need to know this on a test, so you don't care." YES, I DO!
As I prepare to begin my last two graduate chemistry classes on Monday, I look back on the last four-plus years of education at SPU and can say the following: 1) I have learned a lot more than I thought I ever could, 2) I'm only at the tip of the iceberg, 3) I have broadened my horizons past chemistry and physics to psychology, biochemistry, biology, and interests in many other subjects as well, 4) I think I've had the best professors anyone could ask for, 5) I forget relativity.
I wish I didn't, especially because I was so intrigued by it. But, truth is, Schrodinger and statistical mechanics overpowered my grey matter that year, and I badly want to relearn it. I hope that, as I transition from hard-core academia to industry and someday teaching, that I will always take the time to review what I have learned and find new things to read and ask questions about in all areas. To me, that is what this life is about: learning the beauty and intricacies of this world, realizing how little we still know after hundreds of years of research, understanding explanations for everyday processes we take for granted, and most of all sharing this knowledge with others. The more I learn, the more in awe I am of God and his awesome creation. What a blessing it is to learn, know and discuss. May we never cease.
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