It is my honor to receive the Eastman Medal from the University of Rochester.
I appreciate having this chance to speak at the Arts, Sciences & Engineering commencement
at the University of Rochester.
When I received the call letting me know that I had won the Nobel Prize, I knew that I had
to share the moment with the University of Rochester.
After all, this is where the magic happened.
It is great to be back at the University Rochester.
The first time I came to Rochester I had one goal: to do one of the best PhDs in the world.
I knew that I achieved my goal when I was sitting at my commencement.
Now the whole world has been told that the great things are achieved by students here
at the University of Rochester.
I hope that you all had a great experience, too, and are ready to take on the next challenge
that you have set for yourself.
Right after I graduated from McMaster University with a degree in engineering physics, I traveled
around Europe for two months with a girlfriend.
I knew that after that summer, I would be too busy until retirement to have another
two months off, and I was right about that, so I was very glad to have taken that time
to go explore a little bit of the world.
I hope that some of you have had that same thought and are taking some time off to go
exploring.
At the end of the summer I was off to Rochester for my PhD.
I first heard about someone getting a PhD when I was in elementary school and I was
told it was the ultimate in education.
Right then I knew I would get a PhD because I knew I belonged in school.
I realize that I am one of a very lucky ones who got to do a special PhD.
I can't just pass on that luck that I have: I would if I could.
But you should also realize that my PhD wasn’t a walk in the park.
I talk about the fun I had and I really did enjoy working with Gérard (Mourou) and his
group at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics.
We had a great time together, helping each other figure out how to make our projects
work.
But getting a PhD isn’t a straightforward thing, and I think you will find that whatever
path you choose to follow it won't be a straight line either.
I had been dreaming about getting a PhD since I was a small child, and reality is seldom
like the dream.
I seriously considered quitting during my time here.
I went back to my hometown of Guelph (Ontario, Canada) and pondered what I should do.
While I'm home, I turned on the TV and it was a program about Canada’s national ballet
school.
And the head of the school was saying that she tells every incoming class that if you
can imagine doing something else, then go do it because you won’t stick with this—it
is too hard.
I thought that was a perfect thing to say to every incoming PhD student.
And so I have repeated it to you because it is probably true for any challenging opportunity
that you choose to pursue.
So I sat there and thought can I imagine doing something else?
And nothing else came to mind.
So back to Rochester I came and I simply buckled down and completed the now-famous PhD.
I was lucky with my PhD, but it took more than luck.
It took knowing that I really wanted it.
One piece of advice I have you to grab every opportunity and make the most of it.
After my PhD, I took a three-year postdoctoral position.
And the end of those three years, I was marrying the man I met while here in Rochester.
(He’s back there.)
I will tell you that finding my wonderful husband was the best thing I got out of coming
to school here in Rochester.
But this time, Doug had a permanent job in New Jersey, so I wanted to find a job in New
Jersey and couldn’t find one.
Next thing you know, it is only three months until I would be unemployed and I knew I wanted
a laser science job.
I had the opportunity to give an invited talk at a large laser conference, and I decided
that I would have to give the talk of my life to convince someone in that room to hire me.
After my talk, I was followed out of the room by two people.
The first one handed me his resume saying that he was looking for a job.
I said “so am I, stand behind me!”
I don’t know who he thought I was.
The second gentleman wanted to know if I would like a job at Lawrence Livermore National
Lab where they were building big CPA lasers.
So I had convinced someone to give me a job and had made the most of my opportunity.
The job sounded good, but it was in California, not exactly next door to New Jersey.
I had to decide between living with my new husband and being unemployed, or having an
interesting science job and living by myself.
I chose the career path.
You always have to make choices.
My husband and I kept looking for jobs so we could be together, and we were only apart
for one year after we were married.
The final piece of advice I have to offer you is to rely on your friends.
A few years ago, one of my professors from here at the University of Rochester, Joe Eberly—now
a friend of mine—called me one day.
He said I would soon be getting a call to ask me to stand for election for president
of the OSA (the Optical Society).
Now for those of you who are not in optics here, let me tell you the OSA was started
right here in Rochester a little over 100 years ago, and all Rochester optics students
get involved with OSA.
So I’ve been associated with that now international organization a long time.
When Joe told me that OSA would ask me to stand for election, I automatically said “that
is ridiculous.”
And Joe said “that is why I called you first because I knew you would say something stupid
like that and I don’t want you to say that when he calls you.”
You always need your friends to set you straight and help you make the right decisions.
Joe talked to me quite a while and convinced me that it would be a good thing for me to
stand for that election.
I won the election and really did have the time of my life traveling the world and talking
to many of their student chapters.
It was an opportunity I might not have taken if it were not for being pushed by my friend.
The experience of leading OSA probably helped me deal with the media onslaught that occurred
when I won the Nobel Prize.
Nothing can really get you ready for something like that, but being president of OSA had
been a challenge, and each challenge you take on gets you a bit more prepared for the next
one.
You have already mastered the challenge of a high pressure, undergraduate education.
We are all here—your parents, your friends, and faculty—to congratulate you on that
achievement.
Now you are ready for the next opportunity.
Don’t shy away from taking on a challenge.
Just make sure it is one you really want to do.
If you don’t know, then lean on your friends to help make that decision.
There will always be that odd person who will try to bring you down or get in your way.
The trick is to ignore those few and rely on all the others.
Your path in life won’t be straight, so it’s up to you to choose the path and make
the most of it.
Most importantly remember that you never know where life is taking you, and so you simply
have to try to make the trip as fun as you can.
Congratulations and I wish you all the best of luck.