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A vibrant OneMIT Commencement event today emphasized the need for MIT’s latest graduates to create a beneficial influence on society while maintaining the Institute’s essential principles of open inquiry and effective innovation.
“Aim not only towards the creation and acquisition of novel tools, but also towards the needs of individuals,” stated science communicator Hank Green, during the keynote address. He encouraged MIT’s newest alumni to direct their efforts towards the “everyday solvable challenges of ordinary people,” even if this path is not the easiest or most apparent.
“Due to the complexity and unpredictability of individuals, some of you might be inclined to construct around them rather than for them,” Green elaborated. “However, remember to reflect on where value and significance arise, where they are sourced.” He then offered one insight: “Value and significance emanate from people.”
Green is a highly acclaimed content creator and YouTuber, whose work frequently centers on scientific and STEM topics, and who, with his brother John, founded the educational media company Complexly. Their content, encompassing channels like SciShow and CrashCourse, is widely utilized in educational settings and has amassed over 2 billion views. Green, a cancer survivor, is also authoring a book detailing the biology of cancer.
The ceremony also included words from MIT President Sally A. Kornbluth, who delivered the customary “charge” to fresh graduates while contemplating MIT’s values and the contributions it provides to society.
“We hold that scientific discovery is inherently valuable and inspiring — and we recognize that it’s utterly crucial for propelling innovation and introducing new tools, technologies, treatments, and cures,” she remarked.
Kornbluth urged graduates to serve as “ambassadors” for the open-minded inquiry and collaborative spirit that characterize daily life at MIT.
“I need you all to become ambassadors for our approach to thinking, working, and thriving at MIT,” she asserted. “Ambassadors for scientific reasoning and discovery. For thoughtful research of every variety — here, and at universities nationwide. For the significance of research to propel our nation — and our species. And ambassadors for the boundless possibilities when we recognize, appreciate, and amplify one another’s talents and potentials, within a flourishing global community.”
Kornbluth also elaborated on the fundamental tenets of MIT’s mission.
“At MIT, we permit ample space for differing opinions, regardless of whether the topic is scientific, personal, or political,” Kornbluth stated. Yet, she emphasized, “in this unsettling period, as we prepare to launch the Class of 2025 into the world, I wish to celebrate three core principles we all agree upon — the solid foundation of our shared endeavors and understanding.”
The first principle, Kornbluth articulated, is that “we have faith in the beauty and power of the scientific method. … It’s crafted to uncover errors, shield us from our own biases and assumptions, and provide a systematic approach to transforming unseen facts into actionable knowledge. It’s hard to envision anything more valuable than that.” Secondly, she expressed, similarly, “we hold in high regard the beauty and power of foundational scientific discovery.”
A third principle, Kornbluth noted, is that “we collectively understand that we are sharper, more exacting, more inquisitive, more innovative, and more prone to achieving groundbreaking outcomes when collaborating with brilliant individuals from diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and viewpoints, from across the nation and around the globe. You won’t discover the monumental ideas within an echo chamber.”
Kornbluth added: “I want to reiterate something I’ve said many times: MIT wouldn’t be MIT without our international students.”
MIT’s Commencement festivities are occurring this week, from May 28 through May 30. The OneMIT Commencement Ceremony is an Institute-wide occasion, hosted in MIT’s Killian Court and streamed online. MIT’s undergraduates, along with advanced degree candidates from its five schools and the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, also partake in separate ceremonies where graduates receive their diplomas individually. The OneMIT event also included comments from Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, who expressed her “immense pride” in the graduates and the Institute itself.
“You embody the attributes that make Massachusetts exceptional: a fervor for learning and discovery that is impactful enough to change the world,” Healey emphasized. “Curing illness. Innovating technologies. Tackling complex challenges for communities, organizations, and individuals around the globe. Enhancing lives and fueling our economies. Thanks to you, Massachusetts is ranked No. 1 for innovation and education.” She added: “MIT’s contributions to our knowledge economy — and our culture of discovery — are a cornerstone of Massachusetts’ national and global leadership.”
In discussing the economic influence of MIT-associated enterprises, Healey had another proposition for the graduates: “Apply your talents in Massachusetts, a place where you are valued, respected, and among exceptionally skilled, engaged innovators and investors. Create your discoveries here. Launch your startups here. Expand your companies here.”
She humorously noted, “We’ve introduced some attractive incentives through our economic development legislation, and we’re ready to help you discover ways to utilize that. Just reach out to my economic development team.”
Green shared general life counsel as well.
“One challenge you will face is discovering joy in an imperfect world,” Green stated during his Commencement address. “And you might grapple with feeling unproductive until you embrace that your own joy can be one of the outputs you create.”
On another note, Green remarked, “Ideas do not belong in your mind. They are impotent there. I sometimes witness individuals becoming fixated on their brilliant ideas. … They cannot bring themselves to confront the flaws of reality. Stop waiting. Release the ideas. … You might fail, but while doing so, you will develop new tools.”
Throughout his address, Green highlighted the altruistic characteristics of MIT’s students. This past semester, after being designated as the Commencement speaker, he distributed a survey to the graduating class that garnered responses from nearly half of the class.
The survey asked, “What gives you hope?” In his speech, Green shared that many responses centered on individuals. Or, as he put it, “People who care. People who are dedicated to enhancing life within their communities. People who advocate for their beliefs. People who recognize significant issues and are resolved to address them.”
The OneMIT ceremony commenced with the annual alumni procession, featuring the undergraduate class of 1975, while the Killian Court Brass Ensemble, led by Kenneth Amis, provided the processional entry music.
The Institute’s Chaplain, Thea Keith-Lucas, delivered the invocation, while the campus a capella group, the Chorallaries of MIT, performed “The Star Spangled Banner,” followed by the school anthem, “In Praise of MIT,” and another Institute song, “Take Me Back to Tech.”
Despite numerous uncertainties confronting higher education, the MIT students, families, friends, and community attendees celebrated a joyful occasion, honoring the accomplishments of the graduates. A total of 1,158 undergraduate and 2,593 graduate students were awarded diplomas from MIT this academic year.
“There’s only one method to navigate MIT,” Kornbluth wittily stated. “The challenging way.”
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