Message from the Dean

The world thrilled last February when the Mars rover, Perseverance, began its descent at more than 12,000 miles per hour, toward the surface of the red planet. It would have just seven minutes to slow down enough for a gentle touchdown. A series of maneuvers braked the capsule to 1,000 miles per hour. At that point, the landing system called for the use of a parachute. According to NASA and Jet Propulsion Lab engineer, Anita Sengupta, “It is the largest and strongest super-sonic parachute that we’ve ever built... It has to withstand 65,000 pounds of force, even though the parachute itself only weighs about 100 pounds.”

Cameras captured the descent and the deployment of the parachute. At a news conference following the landing, the engineer in charge of the landing system dropped a hint that its pattern might contain a hidden message. About two hours later, a computer science student in Paris cracked the code and posted it on Twitter: “Dare Mighty Things!”* Huntsman students will recognize “Dare Mighty Things” as our motto, emblazoned on the walls of Huntsman Hall, and taken from a famous speech of President Teddy Roosevelt. To me, “Dare Mighty Things” implies a bias for action and learning. It is important for students to understand that everything they do can be a learning opportunity—whether it results in winning or not. Naturally, we want our students to get the full measure of their college experience inside the classroom. But it is just as important for them to seek opportunities to learn outside the classroom through internships, competitions, student clubs, and the like. We call this “experiential learning,” and we know it is powerful. In this issue of Huntsman Business, you will read about how some of ourstudents have applied this formula to great effect.

We want to expand the number of students who experience these opportunities. To that end, we are embarking on a “Learning by Doing” campaign. For the past decade, and more, we have invested in our students, faculty, and facilities. We have thoroughly revised our curriculum, and we have created many new academic programs. Over the next decade, we aim to supplement these investments by focus- ing and scaling our experiential learning opportunities. Our goal is to have more of our students graduate not only with an excellent academic experience but having also engaged in co-curricular opportunities that deepen and expand the lessons they learn in the classroom. As NASA’s great success with the Mars rover, Perseverance, reminds us, we are a species of explorers. We learn by doing as well as by study. We face setbacks, but we “persevere,” we learn – and ultimately, flourish.

Douglas D. Anderson Dean and Professor

*These comments were taken from Dean Anderson’s Commencement Address, May 6, 2021. The full address may be viewed on the Huntsman School YouTube channel.