The importance of a generation of problem solvers

Last Thursday, standing among more than 100 fellow students and poster boards at UF’s Undergraduate Research Symposium, I presented my research project, which aimed to understand and evaluate Common Core — the guidelines that have helped shape our current educational system. Across from me, one student explained her research on autism. Across the room, another expounded on her analysis of French literature. All throughout the vast ballroom we had populated with our projects, images of microscopic cell scans and medical illustrations bumped up against statistical analyses and comparative charts: A metaphorical handshake between the science, technology, engineering and mathematics field and the humanities came to life.

Looking around, I couldn’t help but feel both a sense of pride and a surge of optimism, but not for or because of myself individually. Of course, I felt very thankful to be there with my peers, relaying our research to small audiences and learning from each other. But that wasn’t quite where the pride came from. It all seemed to come together after our provost, Joe Glover, spoke about his experience with research and where research can take us. It boiled down to this: We are a generation of problem solvers.

Before any baby boomers think I’m simply hoisting up millennials out of spite, please hear me out. I don’t mean that other generations have dropped the ball by neglecting issues in the sciences and humanities and leaving it all up to us. Glover joked about this, saying how much work we had left to do across all fields of research. What I mean is that now, as society is at its greatest technological peak yet, we have the lens to spot more problems than ever before.

We can see new issues to address in how the environment and society have developed with time; we can more clearly understand past problems and potentially tackle them with renewed force. This generation is one of problem solvers because we can stand on the shoulders of giants and look to the future with a stronger telescope. As we get older, as technology continues advancing with our innovations, that telescope will strengthen. Once we refine our research problems, we can get closer to achieving solutions — some research avenues are simply waiting for a researcher to take up the call.

What I saw last Thursday was not just one student heeding that call, but hundreds — so many that Anne Donnelly, the director of UF’s Center for Undergraduate Research, remarked proudly that this was the center’s largest symposium yet. This was also the source of my pride and optimism: Not only was I proud of so many of us for taking on such a wide range of research questions and fields, but I also felt an overall feeling of hope. If one group of students from one university in one country in the world can start tackling national and global issues now, imagine the potential if we worked together with the best resources we’ve got.

Many people outside the millennial generation do amazing, productive and fascinating research, often with real-world applications and overall improvement to society in fields ranging from medicine to philosophy. Their work continues to make waves, devise inventions and improve current processes. They also motivate more young people each day with their passion for the truth and the quest one must embark on to get there.

My message is not to discard or discount anyone. Instead, I just want to emphasize the enthusiasm and work ethic of young researchers who might one day, and even now, discover life-changing results and better our world. Personally, I think seeing this generation work is inspiring. Let’s vow to keep it up.

Mia Gettenberg is a UF criminology and law and philosophy junior. Her column appears on Mondays.