Creating New Knowledge

Dear Chemistry Colleagues,

Since a very young age, I’ve been interested in creativity.  When I was a kid, I listened to music all the time, and over the years I’ve accumulated quite a record and CD collection.  I love going to art museums when I travel, and I’ve always enjoyed reading poetry and good books. But more than any one piece of music, art, or writing, I’ve been fascinated with the creative process.  

When I began to pursue science in earnest—probably in my first year or two of graduate school—I didn’t understand that scientists could themselves be creative, let alone that I could be creative.  No one seemed to talk about creativity, and, frankly, not many of us do today.  When I think about this, I’m reminded of Einstein’s quote on creativity, “The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.”  It’s probably not for me to argue with a towering genius, but I flat out disagree with Professor Einstein on this one.   

I find creativity in the oddest of places—watching a movie, going for a run, talking science with a student, reading a review article, or writing a paper or a grant proposal.  But I never know when a new idea will come. In fact, if you put me on the spot and said “Come up with a good idea now!” I would likely freeze up and fail.  I’m also painfully aware that most of my ideas are wrong.  Years ago, Dudley Herschbach—the Nobel Laureate Chemist from Harvard—came to Penn State and gave the education seminar.  I remember him saying that what he loved about research is that you could be wrong 95% of the time and still be a success.  That resonated with me; and, I suppose, that’s why I never became a physician.

My PhD advisor Doug Turner used to say, “Knowledge is like a tunnel—it’s easy to get to the end but it’s hard to make it longer.” Thirty years later, I can testify that Doug was absolutely right, and many publications later I can also state that the process of creating new knowledge hasn’t gotten any easier.  I have a bootleg collection from Bob Dylan’s classic album Blood on the Tracks.  It is fascinating to listen to the 10 takes of "Tangled up in Blue" (OK I’m a little bit obsessive) because you see that even for a musical genius, the creative process is an ugly one.  There are less than stellar versions, early lyrics don’t work, and there are halting starts and stops. Writing a paper in my lab is a lot like this.  It’s a disorienting process, one where we are never quite sure what the final product will look like. James Taylor said this about songwriting, “It’s a thrill and a source of deep frustration.”  Creating new knowledge is the same.  So, to the graduate students, remember that creating new knowledge, the ultimate goal of your PhD, is not easy, it’s often not pretty, and it can be deeply frustrating.  But for those times when it all comes together, it really is the best of feelings.  

This month we celebrate creative contributions of faculty, staff, and students.  I admire all that they have achieved and feel very fortunate to be part of such a strong and creative department. 

Best Wishes,

Phil