Political Quotes

“I want to take a moment to recognize the life and memory of Dr. Donald Gurnett. Dr. Gurnett recently passed away following a lifetime of scientific curiosity and achievements. Dr. Gurnett studied, taught, and researched at the University of Iowa for more than 60 years. His career was rooted in his childhood interest in flight, where he built rockets and model planes, which led to studying electrical engineering at the University of Iowa. During his studies, he had the opportunity to work and learn with Dr. James Van Allen, who helped launch the first U.S. satellite into space and established the field of magnetospheric space research. Dr. Gurnett's success led to working on more than 30 spacecraft projects, including Voyager 1 and 2 flights to the outer planets, the Galileo mission to Jupiter, and the Cassini mission to Saturn. His legacy remains with the students he mentored by pushing them to take on important projects and work towards their own success. In 2019, I wrote about the importance of STEM education and the accomplishments by Drs. Van Allen and Gurnett. I think my words then still encompass the curiosity and passion that Dr. Gurnett carried with him throughout his life. For the students across Iowa heading to class in the new school year, remember to dream big. Don't forget that a couple of farm boys from Mount Pleasant and Fairfax reached for the stars and wrote new chapters of space innovation and exploration.…”