Joining engineering faculty members in welcoming the Class of 2029, Dean Andrew Houck encouraged students to “learn to embrace uncertainty.”

At Princeton, students will push into the frontiers of knowledge, Houck, the Anthony H.P. Lee ’79 P11 P14 Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, told the crowd in the Friend Center courtyard Tuesday afternoon.

Sometimes the right answer might not exist and finding a path forward can be tricky, Houck said. But he urged students to make the effort and “wrestle with ideas out in the wilderness and away from the well-trodden paths of easy problems.”

This first-year class has grown up with the uncertainty of COVID, and many students are wondering what the rise of artificial intelligence will mean for their lives and careers, he added.

The messy processes of learning and research can be dispiriting, he added, but during challenging times students can rely on each other and on the school’s faculty and staff members. “We are here for you — not to hold your hand, but to have your back,” said Houck.

“I’m sorry to say this sense of uncertainty never leaves, whether it’s being unsure how to start a problem set or not knowing which major to choose — I myself changed majors twice — or, you know, exactly what’s the right way to build a quantum computer,” said Houck, a member of Princeton’s Class of 2000 who is now a leading researcher in quantum technology.

Contrasting these complications to a life in which “you never have a challenging conversation,” Houck invited students to welcome uncertainty while following their curiosity. He called on students to ask questions, get to know their classmates and take a chance on attending events “even if it sounds like it’s something not up your alley.”