Courage Accelerates Progress

One of the many (many) classes that are required for my Bachelors (of Engineering) in Computer Engineering is calculus-based physics. Though there are many formulas and theories that are presented in that class, one of the most fundamental concepts is the law of motion. As Isaac Newton first discovered, the force that it takes to move an object is equal to the mass of the object times the acceleration of the object (law #2). This is a fundamental law of motion. It can even be applied to the movement of progress. Through my research experience, one of the most important concepts that I discovered is that courage accelerates progress.

The first half of courage requires humility. You should be forward with any questions you have and admit when you don’t know something. The more vocal you are about stating what you’re unsure about, the faster you can progress to learning and understanding that problem. Furthermore, you must accept that your superiors, and even some of your colleagues, know more about the subject and you should be willing to honor and respect their experience in the field and the knowledge that they possess.

Knowing when to listen and when to speak up was one of the most difficult insights to learn, especially when working with superiors. When I first started my research, I did not think in as critical of a manner as I do now. Early on, it was difficult to wrap my head around some ideas and concepts. One of the first tasks that was tackled during the research was finding the stave lines in sheet music. As the picture shows, vector calculus was used to locate and extract these lines. Making the jump between the theory behind the calculus, and its application is one of the biggest struggles that I encountered. It was then that I decided that I could either sit at a stale mate with my own mind or ask for guidance and direction. My mentor, Dr. Blanco-Silva (Professor of Mathematics, U.S.C.), was more than willing to point me in the right direction which allowed me to bridge the theory-application gap. The more leaps I made, the less direction I needed. Soon enough, I was making some leaps on my own. Though, I did not feel as though I was correct in the correlations I had made. This lead to my second enlightenment about courage.

The bedrock of courage is having faith in yourself. Though you might not hold all of the answers or understand every single concept, it’s important that you come forward with what you do know and to assist in areas that will benefit the team the most. It’s also important to be confident when you’re presenting your research. Early on, most of the people you will be presenting to won’t even understand what you’re talking about. They might recognize the general concepts, but none of them know the details of the process or the application of the concepts like you do. Your hands on experience will provide you with a unique perspective that only you and your team will fully grasp.

In a write-up Dr. Blanco-Silva constructed about my (and my mentee’s) summer research and posted on his website, he said “Most of the techniques Danielle is using are accessible to any student with a decent command of vector calculus,…” And this is completely true; Anyone who understands vector calculus could do the work that I am doing. But as stated earlier, the bridge between theory and application in my research is purely my own. I discovered my critical thinking path and I understand how to navigate that path to achieve the desired result. That is mine, and mine alone. This sole realization has given me courage to present my work at seminars, poster presentations, and lectures in front of some of the smartest people in the area. This courage, this faith in myself, has not only allowed me to share my research, but to have confidence in everyday life.