Last night, I visited the Alpheus Smith Nobel Laureate Lecture about Climate Change and C-14 emissions held in 100 Independence Hall. When I initially heard about this event, I was reluctant to go and sit through a whole two hours of just climate change but I just decided to go anyways. It actually turned out to be one of the most interesting lectures I’ve been to. I walked into that lecture, alone, expecting some boring statistics and some scientific journals being referenced throughout the presentation but Steven Chu’s data was original and his passion was genuine, showing me that Chu actually cared a lot about his work and through his lecture, I began to care more about his work and see the mechanisms inside the mind of a Nobel Laureate. I felt a bit out of place in that huge lecture because I was just dressed in a sweatshirt and shorts with my cap on and earphones in and everyone was elderly, dressed in suits and dresses. I felt nervous about coming in such an informal attire and felt like one of the only undergraduate students there but as I got comfortable in my seat and slowly became engrossed in the lecture, I didn’t care for what I wore then because I was like any other audience member, listening to Chu’s genius as he explains complicated chemistry, physics, and atmospheric sciences in layman’s terms. I didn’t really talk to anyone else in the lecture except for a couple of people next to me when we were just discussing how formulated this presentation was and how eloquent Steven Chu was during his explanation of carbon emissions eating away the ozone layer. This lecture didn’t necessarily pertain to my major or area of research that I’m particularly interested in but I was greatly interested in what Dr. Chu presented to us and how effortlessly he was able to explain such complicated concepts to the audience.

I believe there is great merit in being actively involved in the academic community. It allows for people to be more involved and more aware of all the academic opportunities that present themselves at multiple outputs like career fairs, internship representatives, various spokespeople for companies that deal with science that’s related to the event, etc. Being able to network effectively based on academic interests that other people have is the key to becoming successful in college and one’s career. Before I left for college, my brother told me that working hard in college and getting good grades is good and all but someone who can network effectively will always do better in the future than someone who’s just book smarts. Networking in academic activities allows for literally anyone to have a solid opportunity in scoring an internship, volunteering position, research position, etc. that could potentially change their lives. That’s why I strive to be more involved in academic activities like Alpheus Smith Lectures, career fairs, etc. and become a more successful person in the future.