On October 23, I attended a seminar presented by the 1997 co-winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics and former Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu. This year, the 57th Annual Alpheus W. Smith Lecture was about “Climate Change and Innovative Paths to a Sustainable Future”. The seminar was about how the world has transformed due to the agricultural and industrial revolutions and the unintended result of those changes on the climate. The main takeaway of the seminar is how the smartest minds of the world expect when the point of no return is
When coming to the presentation, I walked alone an hour before it started to make sure I could find a seat to my liking. This being the case, as I watched people file into the large auditorium, I realized that I was probably one of the few undergraduate students that attended. This did make me feel out of place, however, I could tell that everyone there was there to listen to the lecture at hand rather then ask, “why is an undergraduate student here?” I felt as though everyone had an unspoken understanding that they were all here to learn rather than make judgments.
I understood most of the information that was given at the lecture. The only question I had was “why was the co-winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics presenting on climate change?” This got me thinking. Maybe research in your respective field isn’t as black and white as I once thought it was. I realized that people from different backgrounds and with different degrees must work together on common causes because of how many different ideas are needed for the cause.
Though some may disagree, I do believe that being active in the academic community as an undergraduate student has merit. I believe that even if you have no clue what is being talked about during the lecture or seminar, it allows you to get an understanding how well versed the presenter is about their research. I also think that it can be an excellent way to network and show your interest in the topic to people who might be interested in taking someone under their wing on some of their projects and future research. When one is in the room with a researcher that does research in the field that they are interested in and possibly surrounded by even more researchers with similar interests, it is a fantastic idea to network. I don’t think that going to research seminars and lectures is a waste of time. In fact, I think it is one of the best ideas for someone who would like to pull back the curtain on what it is like to conduct research in their respective fields.
Overall, this was a great experience for me. It showed me how research lectures are structured and showed me that I shouldn’t be scared to attend. It will allow me to network and build bonds with fellow peers and create connections with researchers and professors.