Radiation Day 10 – The sound of silence

Well, week 2 of radiation therapy is officially in the books, but there was no music in the beam room today!

After radiation, I met up with an Olin alum who’s in graduate school at MIT (with an NSF fellowship, no less!) for lunch at Tatte near the hospital. We had a great conversation about a lot of things, but what stood out to me was his choice of research based almost entirely on the extent of the positive impact he could potentially have on the world.

This was the second conversation in as many weeks with an alum who has consciously and intentionally chosen to work in a particular area in order to use their skills to address a global grand challenge. I never cease to be stunned by how thoughtful, driven, engaged, and optimistic our students and alums can be. Seeing the incredible ways our students go on to make their mark on the world is the single best thing about this job. It also makes me both incredibly hopeful and intensely proud.