In Pursuit of Waves

Home , Nader Engheta

in the classroom In pursuit of waves Passion for science and technology can be a powerful motivator to overcome hurdles, as Nader Engheta explains, recounting his own experience as an immigrant.

y love for waves started in my Scientific giants such as Richard Feynman, said: “I know you worry about your family youth when I was a high-school Max Delbrück, Charles Papas (who was and you miss them. But please consider Mstudent in Tehran, Iran. As a my PhD supervisor), and many others all my family as yours. As long as I am alive, child, I was always curious and interested showed generations of students how to you will be part of my family, and we will in finding out how things worked. One be a scientist and a humble person. These take care of you.” You cannot imagine how day while one of my older brothers, Iradj, brilliant scientists were all at the pinnacles comforting and reassuring those words was disassembling a battery-operated of their respective fields, and yet they were sounded then and still do. He was always a transistor radio I asked him: “How does modest and down to earth. They loved source of wisdom and kindness for me for this radio work without being connected exploring and discovering the foundations the rest of his life until his death in 2007. to anything?” He told me that there was of their fields and educating students, Any immigrant knows that immigration indeed a wave ‘connecting’ the radio and, by their examples, they demonstrated is not easy. It is full of adventures, station to the radio, and that was how how to value humanity. Let me give you hardships, frustrations, and rewards. a signal was getting into it. I instantly an example. But those very attributes teach us how to became fascinated with waves. And that In February 1979 when the be resilient, how to face challenges and fascination propelled me into a life-long revolution happened in Iran, I could not overcome difficulties, and how to apply journey that took me from my country of communicate with my family back home these experiences to other endeavours birth, Iran, to my country of residence, due to the interruption of the phone and in our lives, including pursuing science, USA, in pursuit of the science and mail services there. One day, my advisor which rewards us with its wonderful technology of electrodynamics and optics. at Caltech, Professor Papas, took me attributes. For one, we make friends with A few years later as I was finishing my aside and asked me about the situation scientists from all over the world, and our undergraduate study at the University of in my home country and how my family lives become enriched by the diversity and Tehran’s school of engineering (known was coping with the events there. He beauty of various cultures. Any scientific as Daneshkadeh-e-Fanni) I became was a worldly and knowledgeable man, conference brings together scientists of determined to pursue my higher education and he knew how I must have felt as a many different cultures and nationalities in in the study of waves. However, in those young man in a new and faraway country, a common pursuit of knowledge. Scientific days there was no PhD program in science worrying about my family in the midst of communities have always benefited and engineering in Iran, and therefore I a revolution. He tried to comfort me by from immigrants, and therefore the free had to travel to another country for this saying that they would be fine and then he movement of scientists, which is one of the purpose. But another major event was told me the following words, which I will important factors in scientific development brewing in Iran at that time — the 1979 always remember for the rest of my life. He worldwide, should be strongly supported. revolution. I left Iran in the summer of As a principal investigator now, I 1978, and went to Caltech in Pasadena, understand that a student, a postdoc or California for my master’s degree and PhD. a young faculty member can be anxious Both Caltech and the University of about their future career in science and Tehran have special places in my heart, as technology as many unknown challenges they had significant impacts on my way lie ahead. I tell them to follow their of thinking about science and technology. passions, as science and technology are The University of Tehran taught me the so exciting and invigorating. “If you love fundamental elements of mathematics what you do,” I tell them, “sooner or later and engineering, and Caltech taught me you will overcome hurdles and will get advanced topics in science and technology, to your goals.” The joy of discovery is a but more importantly, it taught me the powerful engine that propels scientists to way of doing science — how to think the next stage of their journey. The ‘ups’ scientifically, how to be courageous when and ‘downs’ of the scientific process teach approaching unknowns and to push the us how to gain experience and how to frontiers of knowledge, and how to explore move forward. Frustration and failure are and develop new scientific territories part of the learning process on the path and domains. to discovery. ❐ But there was another important lesson I learned from my education at Caltech, NADER ENGHETA is the H. Nedwill Ramsey namely, the humanity and humility of Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, the professors I had the fortune to come The author with Richard Feynman at Caltech Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. to know while I was a student there. in 1982. e-mail: [email protected]