Posted on May 14, 2004

Jake Rekedal '04 and Dave McMeekin '04 perform bluegrass standards with the Stringdusters.

From baseball to bluegrass, one
can learn a lot at the Steinmetz Symposium.

Herewith, a small collection of
interesting facts and fun quotes from the 14th annual showcase of
student achievement:

  • “An aerogel the size of a stack of
    five quarters has as much surface area as a football field.” – Bobby Dunton '05.

  • “Pedal bob” is the pressure felt
    on a bike pedal when the rear wheel of a mountain bike goes over an object. –
    Matt Hilbert '04

  • Although “beautiful people” are
    often unremarkable scholars (largely due to their active social lives), they
    still earn more than their less aesthetically endowed, but more academically
    accomplished counterparts. Theoretically, the determining factor in landing a
    high-paying job is not the BPs' mediocre GPAs, but rather their well-cultivated
    networks that extend into the labor market. — Kathleen Cupertino '04

  • “I didn't expect an aerogel to take
    600 pounds (pressure). We initially expected them to take 60 pounds.” — Marissa
    Post '04

  • “I hope you liked it. It's what I
    could do with just my computer and a guitar.: – Matthew Schlosser '04 at the end of his impressive “Concerto for Electric
    Guitar.”

  • Allied and German newsreels were
    important to propaganda during World War II. The Battle of Monte Cassino
    provides a case study showing the diametrically opposed interpretations of the
    Allied bombing of the monastery in Italy.
    — Samantha Mann '04

  • “Dave [McMeekin '04] worked just
    as hard as I have over the past four years, but I'm the one who signed up [for
    Steinmetz] to get the credit.” – Jake Rekedal '04, at the start of his well-attended
    bluegrass concert with the Stringdusters.