“It only takes a few hours on this campus to learn that what propels MIT is an irresistible force: the sheer motive power of curiosity, on every subject, at every scale, across disciplines and without limits. Curiosity unbounded.
“It’s the passion to understand how things work, and why, and how they can work better.
“In this perilous moment, I believe that curiosity can give us the hope and courage to do what needs to be done.
“Importantly, curiosity is also the one and only path to understanding one another—to empathy and appreciation and mutual respect. In effect, curiosity is the indispensable first step in both collaboration and community.
“Today, the problems before us—the problems of human society, and of its only planet so far—require that we harness our curiosity in exceptionally productive ways. The people of MIT have always wanted to know how things work, and how we can be part of big solutions. Now it’s imperative that we know—and that we help lead the world to action.”
President Sally Kornbluth
Inaugural address
May 1, 2023
Editor’s note: For more from President Kornbluth’s speech, see “When MIT met Sally” Watch a video of the inauguration here and the full text of her address here.