NMU awarded an honorary doctor of science degree to scientist Thomas Zurbuchen, an associate head of science at NASA and a former NMU trustee, who also delivered the keynote address.

“I will never forget Christmas 2021,” he said, referring to the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope in French Guiana where he, other Americans and Europeans shared the same goal: “to shoot the most complex telescope ever built by humans,” which took over 20 years to build, into space.

He acknowledged being a “nervous wreck,” in part because on top of the rocket was $10 billion of “investments of humanity.”

Pressure too came from a global aspect; tens of thousands of people around the United States and the world hoped for that telescope to work because they wanted to perform related Ph.D. studies, he said.

“They too were excited about the science that came from there,” Zurbuchen said.

He stressed the importance of teamwork in the telescope project, pointing out that a week before the launch, French unions voted to work on Christmas Day — the first time that had ever occurred.

“They said, ‘We did it for our American friends,'” Zurbuchen said.

He told graduates and others attending the ceremony that he has noticed this type of behavior in many fields, and it’s a behavior he highly recommends.

“The act of empathy and respect that is demonstrated by that, I have found in all great teams I’ve worked with. Whether it’s in academia, in the military, whether it’s in sports or whether it’s at NASA, you all will be parts of teams in your life, and you’ll be able to enhance that team by bringing your friendships and empathy forward, even in times where that may be against your self-interest,” Zurbuchen said.

He also discussed space as it relates to the Upper Peninsula.

“Frankly, it’s easy to understand why we do space exploration if you’re in the U.P.,” Zurbuchen said. “You look at the stars over the beautiful Lake Superior, and in the woods of the U.P., you learn more about them. You want to know: What is that beauty in the sky? You go up Sugarloaf Mountain and watch the sun rise, and wander deep into the woods and see animals that others only have seen in zoos, or you go out to Presque Isle, and again see the stars shining over the water or ice.

“Amateurs and professionals alike have bought and built tools to better understand nature and to understand these worlds that are out there, both in our solar system and far beyond. Today, as we look at the sky, we know that from every single star shining at us, there’s at least one planet, and about 5 to 10 percent planets that are rocky planets just like ours. Think about that. Science taught us that.”

Zurbuchen was appointed by former Gov. Rick Snyder to the NMU Board of Trustees in 2013. He was instrumental in the approval of several innovative enrollment efforts, including new programs and state-of-the-art facility projects. He chaired the Academic Affairs Committee and was elected vice chair of the board before he had to step down to accept the post at NASA.

Most recently, at NASA, he oversaw the Mars 2020 mission, which includes the Mars rover Perseverance and the Mars helicopter Ingenuity, exploring a region of the red planet that may hold evidence of previous microbial life. He also oversaw the final phases of construction, testing and launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, which will answer fundamental questions about the origin of galaxies and stars, and also help to identify exoplanets surrounding other stars.

Not everyone has an asteroid named after them, but in September, Asteroid No. 289116 was named for Zurbuchen in honor of his space-related scientific work.

Grads exceed 1,000

A total of 1,120 students were eligible to participate in NMU’s commencement– 1,011 for the current semester and 109 for summer.

NMU indicated that the top five undergraduate programs represented are biology, nursing, art and design, medicinal plant chemistry, and criminal justice. The top five graduate programs are master of arts in education; master of social work; master of public administration; doctor of nursing practice; and master of business administration.

Other facts related to NMU commencement provided by the Registrar’s Office are:

≤ The graduates include 61 who have earned summa cum laude honors status, which is given to individuals with a cumulative GPA of 3.90 or higher.

≤ NMU graduates hail from 28 states beyond Michigan: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.

≤ International students from the following eight countries earned degrees: Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Republic of Korea, Norway and Switzerland.

≤ The 15 DNP recipients comprise the program’s largest class yet.

Honorary degrees were conferred during the ceremony, including to John W. Berry Jr., who received an honorary doctor of business degree.

Other NMU officials had words for the students, with President Kerri Schuiling recognizing their parents for their guidance.

“Parents of our graduates, please rise,” she said.

Steve Young, chairman of the NMU Board of Trustees, told the students, “Wildcats, go forward. Do great things.”

Hannah Smith, the ceremony’s student speaker, credited the class of 2022 for its resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Smith said, “I was talking with a friend the other day, and she said, ‘Isn’t it crazy that we only had one and a half years?'”

Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.