Reading 3 MIT and the Spirit of Leonardo da Vinci (Part II) By MIT President Susan Hockfield A The second aspect of da Vinci's character that agrees with MIT is his respect for and fascination with nature, both as a scientist and as an engineer. As he wrote in his notebooks, "Human ingenuity ... will never devise any inventions more beautiful, nor more simple, nor more to the purpose than Nature does, because in her inventions nothing is wanting, and nothing is unnecessary. B Contemporary society has a way of separating us from Nature in our daily lives, but here at MIT, you will find a great many engineers and scientists who treat Nature as their prime collaborator. For da Vinci, the simplicity he appreciated in nature became his ultimate standard in design. And as you'll discover here, from robotics to aeronautics, computer science to mechanical engineering, simplicity in design is also “very MIT." In fact, Amy Smith, in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, recently published seven rules that guide her work in designing technologies for communities in the developing world. Her third rule quotes da Vinci himself: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." C The third quality of da Vinci's character that informs our work at MIT is an enthusiastic demand for hands-on making, designing, practicing and testing, and for solving problems in the real world. His fascination for tacking practical problems echoes the central mission of MIT: to bring "knowledge to bear on the world's great challenges, an assignment that MIT has pursued with remarkable results, from developing radar during World War II, to developing standards for the World Wide Web today. Da Vinci even taught the students in his workshop to follow the principle of demonstration— the same commitment to learning-by-doing that will define your MIT education. As he wrote, “I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply." D Five hundred years after da Vinci first taught all these lessons—with his multidisciplinary curiosity, his admiration for nature's economy of design and his enthusiastic passion for solving problems—he remains a fascinating teacher. You will also encounter a great many extraordinary teachers at MIT, perhaps the most stimulating minds and inspiring role models you'll ever know. E Now we get the advice part of the speech. If I can succeed in conveying only one piece of wisdom today, it is this: the students who get the most out of their MIT education have come to know well at least one member of the faculty. I urge you to make that one of your goals for your time at MIT; perhaps you'll make it a goal of your freshman year. Some of you may find it surprising that this is a very easy assignment: you will meet faculty who teach your classes, and I encourage you to accept their invitation to talk with them in office hours; I also hope each of you will participate in “ UROP" , our Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, that offers the opportunity to engage in cutting-edge research with faculty. You will discover countless other opportunities, inside and outside of classes, to meet with faculty. F Over the next four years, you and your classmates will also teach one another. There is a good chance that you will never again live and work in a community with as many different cultures and backgrounds as MIT. You will share your MIT experience with classmates who don't look or talk or think like you, which will prepare you well for the global collaborations inevitable in your careers. What's more, you don't have to look very hard for new intellectual adventures here. You can take a hands-on summer internship in a foreign country through the program we call MISTI (MIT International Science and Technology Initiative). You can hear the Boston Symphony Orchestra or visit the Museum of Fine Arts, with free tickets from our Office for the Arts. And you can travel, or sample classes or activities you' ve never done before, during the Independent Activities Period, or IAP, in January. Be as determined in your curiosity as Leonardo da Vinci and you will use your time at MIT to its fullest potential. G You are starting your college careers at an uncertain time, for this country and for the world. But even so—especially so —I believe you will find MIT an inspiring place to study, to learn and to grow. MIT is a place of practical optimism and of passionate engagement with the most important problems of the world. It is a place that is not satisfied until it finds the deepest answers. H So let me close with one last word of wisdom from da Vinci. As he wrote, “I had long since observed that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things." That is the story of MIT, and it is a formula for inventing the future. I We are delighted that you have joined us here to help write the next chapter in the history of human understanding. Now, go out and happen to things! (832 words) Skim the following article (Reading 3) and answer the questions below. 1) Why did da Vinci mention Nature?