Letter from Editor

Christopher Slater

I was sitting in principles of design I on September 19 when the class's teaching assistant came in to discuss a class project and announced that a plane had gotten stuck in the World Trade Center. I initially thought a small aircraft had been jammed between the two buildings. I then returned to my dorm room at 10:00 and sat on my couch, eyes glued to the television, and watched both towers methodically collapse.

I always find it interesting that a catastrophic event can bring back memories of other times and places that are embedded deep in our subconscious. For instance, in 1994 I learned of the bombing in Oklahoma City while I was sitting in a barbershop. Or, the day before Thanksgiving break this year I walked by the Old Capitol at 8:30 and at 8:40 a fire broke out, destroying the gold dome. Of course, most of us remember asking our parents where they were when Jack Kennedy was shot, or what our grandparents were doing when Franklin Roosevelt announced the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. These things forever shape our actions and values.

However, we in the University of Iowa College of Engineering must remember those things that we achieved this year. On September 28, the engineering faculty, students and staff witnessed the dedication of the Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences. This program culminated four years of construction and $31 million of fund raising, for which the students are forever indebted to Gary Seamans, Richard Miller, and all who contributed to this modernization project.

To say that this fall semester has broadened the worldly vision of many Americans is probably valid for most students at the University of Iowa. I too have experienced this change, but this semester has also sharpened my perception of life. Too often I find myself thinking back to the time I hit my first homerun, the time I first road a two-wheel bicycle, or that time late at night when I remember the passing of my grandfather. While these experiences always have a large influence in the lives of many Americans, we are not defined by these times, good or bad. It is how we utilize our past experiences that help us to develop as human beings. This is one of the lessons I will take with me from the University of Iowa and remember long after my grandchildren have stopped asking me what I was doing September 11, 2001.