At the 119th Opening Convocation Ceremony, President John Hennessy urged incoming students to emulate the intellectual curiosity of Charles Darwin, whose pioneering work, On the Origin of Species, was published 150 years ago. Drawing inspiration from his summer reading – a biography of Charles Darwin – President John Hennessy urged incoming students to emulate the scientist's perseverance and intellectual curiosity during their time at Stanford. "This summer, in preparation for my first trip to the Galapagos Islands, I read the first volume of Janet Browne's biography of Charles Darwin, entitled Voyaging," Hennessy said Tuesday, addressing an audience of incoming students and their families and friends at Stanford's 119th Opening Convocation. "What I found new and interesting in this biography was how Darwin's experience and education had prepared him, not only for his journey as the naturalist on the Beagle, but also subsequently as he developed the ideas that would lead up to his landmark publication," he said, referring to On the Origin of Species. Hennessy was one of several speakers who addressed the audience from a stage set up in the inner courtyard of the Main Quad. The ceremony, which inaugurates the academic year, was the official welcome to the 1,696 freshmen who make up the Class of 2013, and the 23 transfer students who will join the classes of 2011 and 2012. Hennessy said he couldn't pass up the chance to talk about Darwin's life and lifelong intellectual curiosity in 2009, the year that marks the bicentennial of Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his landmark work, On the Origin of Species. Like Darwin, who studied at Cambridge University in England, students at Stanford will have access to outstanding teachers and distinguished scholars, Hennessy said. He urged incoming students to "use every opportunity" to discover why Stanford faculty members are passionate about their scholarly pursuits. "During his student years, Darwin met faculty members who not only taught him important new subjects, but also served as mentors during his early years and as scholarly colleagues and advisers during the later decades when he was working on his theories," Hennessy said. "Darwin spent many days and evenings during his time as a student in the company of [Botany] Professor John Henslow," he continued. "Henslow introduced him to many other scientists, and later recommended Darwin for the position on the Beagle [the British Navy survey ship]. Those encounters generated a passion for scientific inquiry and debate, as well as developed Darwin’s knowledge in biology and geology, both of which he put to good use." Hennessy also encouraged the students to experiment and take intellectual risks, as Darwin did when he stepped aboard the Beagle at age 22. "Going on the Beagle was a huge risk for Darwin," he said. "He went, not as the appointed naturalist, but as an educated companion for Captain FitzRoy. He earned the position of naturalist with his superior skills and dedication." Hennessy urged students to take courses in disciplines that are new to them. "Should you occasionally not succeed, do not become disillusioned," he said. "Use it as an opportunity to learn how to overcome adversity. The only people I know who succeed at everything they undertake are those who have been timid in setting their goals." Again, Hennessy drew parallels to Darwin's life. "Darwin also faced adversities; for example, he never overcame being seasick," Hennessy said. "He spent hours below deck in his hammock. In fact, he seriously contemplated jumping ship and leaving the Beagle early on in his voyage while he was off the coast of Spain. But he persevered, and driven by the desire to explore and be on solid ground, Darwin traversed thousands of miles in South America exploring the fauna and the geology of Argentina and Patagonia. His observations of marine fossils thousands of feet above sea level helped solidify [Geologist] Charles Lyell's theories about the changing landscape and the effects of geological forces." Hennessy added that the education the incoming students would receive at Stanford would be a foundation for their entire lives, not just their first jobs. Speaking to parents in the audience, Hennessy promised to provide their children with a variety of possibilities for growing and learning during the next few years. "But it is your children, as individuals, who will choose what excites them, what generates intellectual passion and what engages their very able minds," he said. "I hope that you will support their choices, and if their interests should change, keep in mind that Cambridge was not Darwin’s first college experience. He was a transfer student to Cambridge. He started at Edinburgh studying medicine, like his father and grandfather. But anatomy bored him and he couldn't stand dissection. Not a very good beginning for a medical career. Much to the consternation of his father he left medicine and Edinburgh. Although medicine was a rewarding career for his father and grandfather, it was the wrong fit for Charles Darwin." Hennessy told the students to envision Darwin standing on the deck of the Beagle, contemplating the next five years of learning and discovery. "That voyage went far beyond his imagination, not just because of the lands the Beagle visited but also because Darwin was committed to making the most of the trip," he said. "That trip transformed him. I hope you will be similarly committed to the journey you are about to begin, that your time here transforms your life just as it has transformed the lives of thousands of alumni before you."