"We see surge after surge of the coronavirus disease plague the world. People driven out of homes, hungry, fearful, unable to bid their passing ones adieu. Science and much else is denied. Rampant hatred and prejudice tears us asunder. And we are left asking what there is to hope for, what will remain that we hold precious, sacred.
Yet, the nourishing oceanic waters of our planet continue their ebb and flow. We connect like never before in virtual space. Elephants and peacocks roam through newly emptied land and cleaner air. Strangers leaving care packages on doorsteps and other random acts of kindness abound. Grandparents feel the warmth of toddler palms kissing theirs across windowpanes."
Written by Rebecca Wiltfong for Illinois Physics
"We see surge after surge of the coronavirus disease plague the world. People driven out of homes, hungry, fearful, unable to bid their passing ones adieu. Science and much else is denied. Rampant hatred and prejudice tears us asunder. And we are left asking what there is to hope for, what will remain that we hold precious, sacred.
Yet, the nourishing oceanic waters of our planet continue their ebb and flow. We connect like never before in virtual space. Elephants and peacocks roam through newly emptied land and cleaner air. Strangers leaving care packages on doorsteps and other random acts of kindness abound. Grandparents feel the warmth of toddler palms kissing theirs across windowpanes."
The Pacific and Smitha in recent times. Photo taken by Soma Sarathy.These words are part of a core-beliefs essay, "We are of the same stardust", written in October 2020 by quantum condensed matter physicist, Smitha Vishveshwara, as a participant of the U of I Engineering Faculty Leadership forum. She is also co-principal investigator for one of the Emergent Phenomena in Quantum Systems (EPiQS) Initiative Theory Center based at our Institute for Condensed Matter Theory.
The essay beautifully weaves Vishveshwara's thoughts of life throughout her own personal story up through the story of the cosmos using splendid imagery. It was published by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, which run the EPiQS program, in the December newsletter as a Perspective article. The essay highlights her unique outlook both as a scientist and an artist. It's a much-needed voice within the scientific community during this time of unrest and confusion happening throughout the world due to the pandemic, and also nationally due to the rampant injustices and assaults that continue in the foreground into this new year.
C.V. Vishveshwara, Smitha Vishveshwara and Saraswathi Vishveshwara visit Boulder, CO during their stay with the Aspen Center for Physics in 2009. Photo taken by Namitha Vishveshwara.Her essay also pays tender tribute to her scientist parents, their influence, and their US-Indian voyage. Coincidentally, the past year marked the 50th anniversary of a major prediction made by her late black hole physicist father, C.V. Vishveshwara, known to his friends as Vishu. He theoretically discovered the manner in which black holes emit characteristic gravitational waves, akin to the decaying sound of a struck bell. C.V. Vishveshwara in Aspen, 2009. Photo taken by Namitha Vishveshwara.A novel discovery at the time and now of direct relevance to the landmark detection of gravitational waves, NPR has produced a wonderful piece on Vishveshwara's discovery anniversary in their All Things Considered, featuring interview snippets by Smitha.
3-minute listen on All Things Considered about Vishveshwara's research:
Madeline Stover is a physics doctoral student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign studying atmospheric dynamics applied to forest conservation. She interns as a science writer for Illinois Physics, where she also co-hosts the podcast Emergence along with fellow physics graduate student Mari Cieszynski. When Stover is not doing research or communications, she enjoys hosting her local radio show, singing with her band, and cooking with friends.
Daniel Inafuku graduated from Illinois Physics with a PhD and now works as a science writer. At Illinois, he conducted scientific research in mathematical biology and mathematical physics. In addition to his research interests, Daniel is a science video media creator.
Karmela Padavic-Callaghan, Ph. D. is a science writer and an educator. She teaches college and high school physics and mathematics courses, and her writing has been published in popular science outlets such as WIRED, Scientific American, Physics World, and New Scientist. She earned a Ph. D. in Physics from UIUC in 2019 and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Jamie Hendrickson is a writer and content creator in higher education communications. They earned their M.A. in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2021. In addition to their communications work, they are a published area studies scholar and Russian-to-English translator.
Garrett R. Williams is an Illinois Physics Ph.D. Candidate and science writer. He has been recognized as the winner of the 2020 APS History of Physics Essay Competition and as a finalist in the 2021 AAAS Science and Human Rights Essay Competition. He was also an invited author in the 2021 #BlackinPhysics Week series published by Physics Today and Physics World.
Karmela Padavic-Callaghan, Ph. D. is a science writer and an educator. She teaches college and high school physics and mathematics courses, and her writing has been published in popular science outlets such as WIRED, Scientific American, Physics World, and New Scientist. She earned a Ph. D. in Physics from UIUC in 2019 and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.