Address by S. R. Kulkarni given at the convocation of the Radboud 
University of Nijmegen, Netherlands on 28 May 2015.


For the past several centuries the framework of science was based
on the firm belief that that the world or Universe was perfect. The
amazing success of physics and the key role played by mathematics
both in casting physical laws into a small number of mathematical
equations (e.g.  Newton's equation, Maxwell's equations) confirmed
that the implicit assumption of the framework.  The success of
"reductionism" was so astounding that at the end of the beginning
of the 20th century some even remarked that all that could be
discovered was discovered and that all that could be invented was
invented.

However, in my view, science and scientists in this century have
embraced a far wider view of the world and the Universe. I would
say that we are now entering an era where phenomenological subjects
such as Biology, Astronomy, Geology will make major gains.

Using astronomy and biology as an example I will explain my thesis.
Phenomenological sciences attempt to understand the diversity of
the phenomena, first and foremost. Through detailed measurements
scientists have inferred how the solar system formed, when it formed
and have an excellent understanding for the overall architecture
of the solar system. Using diverse observational tools astronomers
now can say with confidence that almost all stars have planetary
systems and that a third of them host planets similar to Earth.
However -- and this is where astronomy diverges from physics --
there is no single standard model for planet formation. Instead we
have a meta theory for planet formation of which the theory for the
solar system is but one (and best understood).  It should not
surprise you that one of the reasons why we have a meta theory is
that accidents (such as the presence or absence of a companion, the
accidental flyby of another star) play a HUGE role in the outcome.

Astronomy, Biology and Geology (amongst other such subjects) are
now coming to maturity thanks to technology. Thanks to Moore's law
astronomers can easily build giga-pixel cameras, spectrographs with
thousands of channels. Thanks to brilliant inventions by physicists
and engineers, new detectors allow astronomers to study the heavens
across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. These have led to
revolutionary understanding including the fact that what we are
made of -- ordinary matter -- is a minor constituent and that of a
mysterious component -- dark energy -- of which we absolutely no
idea of what it could be.

I would like  to congratulate the leadership of Radboud University
in their strong support of astronomical research at Radboud.  In
less than a decade the astronomy program has reached a stature that
is recognized around the world. Indeed, last year, when I was giving
a colloquium at Amsterdam, I warned my colleagues that their Westward
focus on Cambridge, Oxford was misplaced that the new leader and
competitor is coming the South East and not too far away.


One of the most exciting areas of modern astronomy is Gravitational
Wave astronomy. It is entirely possible that physicists and astronomers
working in US and Europe will detect gravitational waves from
astronomical sources over the next few years and almost certainly
within decade.  In my mind this entire enterprise is the grand
scientific prize of the decade.

The astronomy program at Radboud University led by Prof. Paul Groot
and by me at Caltech have initiated a major collaboration centered
around this field.  We at Caltech are looking forward to working
with astronomers at Radboud to fully realize the potential of this
field by identifying the electromagnetic counterparts to Gravitational
wave sources.  We are collaborating in developing methodologies,
instruments.  But ultimately, the key is people. To this end I see
a vibrant exchange of young men and women students and post-doctoral
fellows between the two astronomy programs.  These young people
will benefit with the best practices and resources of Radboud and
Caltech. Indeed, our astronomy program has just hired two Radboud
PhDs this year, one working in binary stars and the other in high
energy astrophysics.

Now let me end with a thought. I offer this thought in the best
spirit -- free thought with no intentional prejudice or bias.
The caveat is important because over the past few years the
discussion in the academic community in the US has become
very idealogical and political. The sense of fair play and
innocent until proven guilty has, in some circles, disappeared.

Before I offer my speculation I should let you know that
more than half the stars in the sky are not single like our sun.
They are binary (as in Tattoine in Star Wars) or triples and so on.
Now my speculation is centered around the question of connection
between religion and geography. After all, we take it for granted
that climate and weather shapes our culture. In the same spirit
I wonder if we had two Suns in the sky whether our religious
ideas would have been very different.