Leonard Nimoy, who died at the age of 83 on February 27^th, was Mr. Spock, and, in many ways, Spock was Star Trek. Nimoy was the only character from Star Trek: The Original Series to appear in the reboot of the franchise, the way many of us have come to know Star Trek: the movies Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek: Into Darkness.

Star Trek, while promoting awareness of ‘60s social issues, also helped make science cool, and, as stated President Obama in a press release on February 27^th, “Long before being nerdy was cool, there was Leonard Nimoy.” The franchise’s creator, Gene Roddenberry, called him “the conscience of Star Trek,” according to a New York Times article written on Nimoy’s death by Virginia Heffernan.

In a Tweet commemorating the actor, NASA wrote, “So many of us at NASA were inspired by Star Trek.” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden stated, “Leonard Nimoy was an inspiration to multiple generations of engineers, scientists, astronauts, and other space explorers. As Mr. Spock, he made science and technology important to the story, while never failing to show, by example, that it is the people around us who matter most.”

In an age where terms like STEM and “Physics First” are floated around schools with an almost holy reverence, we are unable to lack awareness of the importance of science. But we must remember that not only is science important, it can be awe-inspiring. Science is just as much an art as my writing or the photographs lining the hallway in Reed. Science is exploration and knowledge and beauty. Science satisfies the very human desire, so well exemplified in the half-human Mr. Spock, to understand.

Live long and prosper, and, Willistonians all, boldly go forward into the future.

A version of this article appears in the March 2015 print edition.