Graduation Day

Another year in academia, another graduation ceremony. It poured for a lot of the day yesterday, so everybody was a little nervous coming in, but the weather turned out to be good-- clear blue skies, a few puffy white clouds, and temperatures that were a little warm for sitting outside in long black robes, but quite reasonable other than that.

This year's Physics class was the largest in recent memory, and one of the very best. They distinguished themselves not only in physics classes, but on the campus in general-- we don't get a lot of majors who are widely known on campus, and exert a positive influence on the general culture, but we had two this year. And that's not to diminish their classmates, who were some of the most exceptional students I've seen go through here, and some of the most fun to have around.

So, congratulations to the Physics and Astronomy majors of the class of 2008 (deep breath...): Scott, Paul, Richie, Caleb, Nate, Michael, Otto, Dana, Matt, Bilal, Steve, Christian, Crystal, Shawn, and Adam. And, what the hell, Elliot and Steve, even if they were only minors. Best wishes for success in the future, and if you should happen to amass several hundred million dollars, keep us in mind.

Congratulations, guys. It's been great having you here, and best of luck in the future.