Jordan Rede: Once a soldier, now a scientist with a Ph.D

In the fall of 2013, our youngest son enrolled in college at age 25, a few months after completing an Army enlistment that included a deployment to Afghanistan. He was a young husband, living with his wife close to a military base near Seattle, and not entirely sure where his studies would lead.

Early on, he developed an interest in science. In the years that followed, his academic journey would take him to four universities in four states as he obtained a key summer internship, completed his bachelor’s degree, did a graduate research fellowship, and earned a coveted spot in the highly selective microbiology department at Cornell University.

This weekend, Jordan was among scores of doctoral candidates who received their Ph.D degree from the Ivy League institution in Ithaca, New York.

I don’t know who was beaming more: our young scientist or his proud parents. What I do know is that Lori teared up as soon as we heard the first notes of “Pomp and Circumstance.” I also know that Jordan, normally a reserved guy who shies away from special attention of any kind, wore the biggest smile I’d seen in years.

The new, happy graduate.

And why not? On Friday evening at Cornell, he walked in with fellow scholars, wearing a red graduation gown and tassled black beret, as families and friends cheered, took photos and shot videos.

Over the next two hours, there would be the usual commencement speakers and recitiation of individual names as a kaleidoscope of men and women walked across the stage to receive their Ph.D.

Jordan’s doctoral degree is in microbiology, a field that intersects with ecology and enables him to study microbes, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and their genes, that naturally live on assorted marine creatures and inside them.

The Doctor of Philosophy degree represents the pinnacle of academic studies, typically requiring several years. The term “philosophy” comes from the ancient Greek word philosophia, which translates to “love of wisdom.”

What an accomplishment! What a journey!

Imagine the effort it took over 11 years for Jordan to go from college freshman, reading all those textbooks, writing essays and passing exams, to graduate and doctoral student, doing field research, conducting lab experiments, teaching undergraduate lab courses and, finally, presenting his dissertation to a panel of professors. And think about how difficult it was to carve out the time if you had become a father along the way (not once, but twice) and had to spend most of your last two years studying in New York while your family was residing in Oregon.

No wonder Jordan was beaming.

***

Friday’s commencement ceremony was a thrill for us, coming nearly 2,800 miles away to sit amongst other parents who traveled there from China, India and other countries, as well as many other states.

The event took place in Barton Hall, a cavernous building that’s served as the home of Cornell’s indoor track and field team since the 1920s. Very cool to see the bright red track lanes and walk on their spongy surface.

At a reception immediately following, there were bins full of single-serving ice creams from the famed Cornell Dairy Bar, made from the university’s own dairy cows, plus cookies and brownies. A nice treat to help everyone cool off after a day in the mid-80s.

We met Jordan’s faculty adviser, Dr. Ian Hewson, and a fellow student who was part of his Ph.D cohort in the microbiology program.

(Quick aside: How tough is it to get into that doctoral program? The year Jordan started, there were 87 students who applied, 10 were admitted and just 6 who matriculated. The admit rate for the past five years: 12 percent.)

Academics aside, the best part of the weekend was simply hanging out with our boy.

Jordan is the youngest of our three kids and now 36 years old. FaceTime is fine, but we seldom get time alone with him off screen, so it was nice to hear Jordan talk in depth about his academic journey, recalling the professor at St. Martin’s University (Lacey, Washington) who sparked his initial interest in biology, and the summer internship at Marquette University (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) that introduced him to the possibilities of research.

He did a one-year graduate fellowship at the University of Missouri that paved the way to apply to a doctoral program and he spent the past five years narrowing his focus and developing expertise in the use of computers to analyze microbes invisible to the naked eye.

Jordan also reminisced about family, friends, neighbors, past residences and his military stint.

Of course, we’re proud of everything he’s done, as a service member, husband and father, and we look forward to seeing him launch his career as a microbiologist.

This post would be incomplete without a huge “thank you” to our daughter-in-law Jamie, who has fully supported Jordan in his endeavors throughout their 14-year marriage. She worked as a licensed veterinary technician up until the birth of their daughter, Emalyn, nearly 8 years ago and she’s elected to be a stay-at-home mom, equally invested in raising their son Wesley, who’s just reached 17 months.

Jamie and Jordan have lived in five states, the last two years being especially challenging. In early 2022, they sold their home in upstate New York so they could move back to Oregon, expecting that Jordan could finish his school work remotely. However, Cornell eased its Covid restrictions that fall and Jordan was called back to campus to resume teaching in-person classes.

These last few weeks were crazy busy as Jordan wrapped up his teaching, scored final exams, submitted grades, and prepped for his dissertation.

Now that her husband’s got his Ph.D, I imagine Jamie is beaming too. Jordan will be flying home to Oregon later this week.

Related reading: Jordan’s journey to his bachelor’s degree, received in May 2017.