If you are a student at UM, you know last Thursday we had a special speaker come to campus: "Reverend" Rick Tumlinson. If you want to learn more about Rick please go to the wikipedia article. I definitely went into this talk with high expectations, tried to push through my lab that evening faster than normal (not just for the free food). I'm pleased to say that for what I was expecting, I came away very impressed with his talk, and it will definitely be one that stays with me for a while.
Everyone always says you have to balance talks from visionaries, which I definitely consider Rick, with your own knowledge. This is true, but it never hurts to dream big and that's exactly what the Reverend was trying to impress on those in attendance. Buried underneath all of the optimistic views and his thoughts on the human potential, the one thing that truly came through in his talk was just how much he cared about space. It was pretty incredible for me, I've never seen anyone over 30 who was so dedicated to spreading awareness of space and what we can do in it. This is the motivation that all in the industry should keep with them for as long as they can, whether they be in a large corporation, a smaller firm, or most likely their own start-up.
Another thing that stood out to me was Tumlinson's desire to stay connected with the audience. It was the collection of small things that kept me focused on what he had to say, whether it was making a Battlestar Galactica reference casually in passing, or the excellent track selection he hand-picked for that night. He definitely felt more in tune with the younger audience that was there than many speakers I've seen in the past.
Bottom line: I really liked this talk, it's great to have those moments in your life when you are re-inspired about what you do, and this was one of those nights. I felt like I had to go back to my hometown and give a speech at my high school with some of the phrases and points he used. Keep going Reverend, I can safely say that the space industry is better because of your involvement in it.
-Michael
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--Harv