For this interview, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Michael Pravica, professor of physics at UNLV. He is an accomplished researcher, science activist and speaker who frequently endorses the "marriage between sciences and humanities," as the title of his latest speaking gig says.

 

 I was enthusiastic about this interview from the start. In our back-and-forth via email, Dr. Pravica mentioned that the theme of my project is something he thinks about frequently as a scientist as well as a religious person. His repertoire of speaking gigs presents an eclectic ensemble of talks on the inspirational genius of Nikola Tesla, scientific research, climate change, pedagogy and religion. 

​

His ideas struck me both personally and as the amateur researcher that this project turned me into. His idea of using faith as a mechanism of conducting scientific work was particularly striking, and it forced an internalization of the question:

​

​

"How do I see interconnectedness around me, and how do I honor it? What is my light, and is it directed to the benefit of others?"

​

Below are some key highlights from my conversation with Dr. Michael Pravica that I found particularly important, beautiful, mind-blowing, or exciting. 

​

_

​

• Science should be driven by a service mindset, like Nikola Tesla believed:

​

“Science is but a perversion of itself unless it’s for the betterment of all humanity.” Where is science taking us? What are we doing with the knowledge?

​

​

• Sharing ideas interconnects people across space and time - a professor who shares ideas with his students can set the stage for the next innovator in his field, or a writer's work can inspire generations of writers to come; likewise, Dr. Pravica's essay on the genius of Nikola Tesla inspired others to celebrate Tesla's genius, keeping his legacy alive like a thread that connects his "disciples" with him and the scientific world at large

​

• People are like waves that interfere with each other, constructively or destructively; how do we, as “quantum entities of spiritual energy” interfere constructively with each other; how do we become a light so that we can grow? 

​

_

​

"We are integral parts of God’s symphony of waves"

​

_

​​

​

• Connectivity makes more sense if we imagine the world as an energy field, a field of waves, since all our actions and interactions are essentially ways of converting energy

​

• Déja-Vu -> interconnectedness between parallel universes?

​

• God is an infinitely dimensional entity

​

• Our abilities to imagine possibilities, creatures, universes, new mathematical equations and theories about the universe is a gift from God, an infinitely dimensional “essence” that manifests through the human mind; 

​

• There’s an element of faith to science; we assume the laws of nature on earth are the same on all planets and galaxies, yet we don’t know, but we believe in the same way we do we do when we practice faith, and we are led by the possibility of a great final insight, just like in faith;

​

• Humanity has evolved up to the present moment thanks to “the tribe, the village, the race.” we need to have a “major reconnection with who we are” and combat the disconnect caused by selfishness, wealth, political conflict. We need to find that quantum connectedness, the ability to feel for the Other;