Speeches

As prepared for delivery. 
 

Thank you, Nergis.

It is truly an honor to be asked to say a few words about Rai Weiss—one of the greatest experimentalists in the history of physics, as well as one of the most modest and humble scientists I’ve ever met.

I would like to tell you the stories of two award ceremonies, one minor, one major, which I believe reveal what a generous and gentle person Rai was. 

As you all know, it was ten years ago, on February 11, 2016, that LIGO announced the first direct detection of gravitational waves. 

It was Rai, of course, who first came up with the early concept of LIGO in the 1970s for an MIT class. 

I had known Rai as one of our many MIT faculty stars.  Yet, as a result of the announcement, Rai immediately became a broadly recognized superstar in science circles. 

Later that year, it was announced that Rai would receive the Harvey Prize for this breakthrough.  

As all of you know, the Harvey Prize is the most prestigious award presented by the Technion in Israel, and a frequent predictor of the Nobel.  

In June of the following year, 2017, I was at the Technion, receiving an honorary degree. After my acceptance speech, there was an open-air reception in a large courtyard. 

Both the speech and the reception were very well attended. 

At some point, while moving through the crowd, to my stunned surprise, I noticed Rai standing by himself, looking lost, as if he were trying to find someone or something. 

It was quite startling for me to see Rai there, as I had no idea he was in Israel, let alone at the Technion. 

I reached out to him to ask whether he needed help to find whatever or whomever he was looking for. 

It turned out that he was looking for… me! 

He had learned that I was there and, since he was at the Technion too, he wanted to listen to my remarks and say hello to me. 

I was so touched! He even commented on what I said and mentioned some similarities we shared in our backgrounds. 

Here was this scientific superstar—my Taylor Swift—whom everyone expected was to be awarded the Nobel Prize later that year, coming to listen to my remarks! 

I felt so honored, and humbled, and moved. 

I later learned that he was at the Technion to receive his prestigious Harvey Prize. And I did not know. 

As you all well know, there is simply no equivalence whatsoever between an honorary degree and a Harvey Prize for the detection of gravitational waves. And yet, he was there, honoring me, when it should have been the other way around.  

Later that year, the Nobel Prize was announced, which Rai shared with his LIGO colleagues Barry Barish and Kip Thorne. 

Rai said to me, after the announcement, that he felt a little uncomfortable about it.  Rai said there were others on the MIT LIGO team he thought were more deserving than he was. 

It was impossible not to admire the sheer decency and modesty of this human being. 

Rai invited my wife and me to attend the ceremony in Stockholm that December, and of course, we went. It was our opportunity to honor him. 

As part of the celebration in Stockholm, there was a dinner for Rai and his two co-laureates. 

Rai spoke at that dinner, and did it in such a humble way, almost apologizing for receiving the award. There were others at MIT, he said, who did so much to enable the gravitational wave detection—some of whom were in the audience then, and some are here today.

 When I stood up to speak, I had to say to Rai, publicly, that he got the award, that he deserved it, and that, once and for all, he should welcome it and enjoy it. I felt uneasy saying those words, but I also felt Rai needed to hear them. 

Afterward, to my immense relief, Rai thanked me for those “harsh” words.

Ultimately, I believe Rai did enjoy his Nobel Prize. But his focus, always, was on others, on the team. 

It is no accident that he led the largest experiment ever funded by the National Science Foundation. 

His brilliance and generosity… inspired the many students, scientists, and engineers who worked with him to realize LIGO and who grew up under his guidance. 

It took an extremely big heart, as well as a great mind and great determination, to finally detect gravitational waves. 

Rai Weiss possessed all those qualities in spades. 

I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to know him, to witness his success, and to be touched by his life.