Harvey Jordan Award Acceptance Speech -- 2010 Awards Convocation

Nearly 450 years ago, a man was born who would later be named the father of modern science. He was the eldest of six children and the son of a famous Italian musician.  After receiving a formal education in mathematics, he went on to revolutionize the fields of both physics and astronomy. This man’s name was Galileo Galilei. 

Galileo’s scientific insight and contributions have proven to be so influential that he is mentioned within the same breath as Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. But it is the context in which Galileo developed his theories and came about his discoveries as well as his subsequent actions upon the spreading of his views that I find truly remarkable and believe can be used as a guideline for those of us considering our lives while in college and following graduation. 

One of Galileo’s most lauded achievements was the development of what is now considered the modern telescope. By improving upon what was, at that time, the recently discovered refracting telescope design, Galileo hand crafted a device capable of revealing the secrets of the heavens to a degree no one had yet considered possible.  Armed with just his telescope, he discovered the moons orbiting Jupiter, the phases of Venus, craters and mountains on the Moon, sunspots, the rings of Saturn, and the very nature of the Milky Way.

With these discoveries, Galileo began his public support of a heliocentric view of the solar system – a view in which the planets, including our own Earth, orbit about the sun. This heliocentric view flew in the face of the conventional thought of the day, which taught that all heavenly bodies should orbit about the earth itself, known as a geocentric view.  Despite receiving heavy amounts of opposition, Galileo stood by his discoveries and eventually found himself subject to house arrest, persecuted for his beliefs.  He died a prisoner in his own home. 

As young engineers, we can learn many lessons from the life of this great scientist. Just as Galileo received a state-of-the-art education in his day, we too have been privileged to attend one of the greatest engineering institutions in the nation, if not the world. Equipped with the knowledge we have received from countless outstanding professors and mentors, we have a responsibility to serve the rest of the world to the best of our ability, utilizing the many skill sets we have obtained. Just as Galileo stood against those opposing his support of a heliocentric solar system, we should be confident in our training and natural talents and use them to further mankind through technological and scientific innovation.

Just as Galileo fathered modern science armed only with his telescope, we too will spread throughout this world, armed only with our education, ingenuity, and will to succeed. I believe we are capable of achieving greatness and substantially impacting our world for the better.  Although we may never redefine the trajectory of the earth, as Galileo did, we do have the power to redirect the path of mankind and of ourselves. May time show that we meet this challenge and go down in history as a shining light in the story of humanity. 
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Writer:

Justin Galbraith (BS 2010, Mechanical Science and  Engineering). Speech text is posted with his permission.

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