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Science fiction-it's not just Star Trek! By Kiran Rajasekhar Campus Life Staff ATLANTA November 6, 1998  A brief survey of twentieth century literature reveals many styles and contrasting themes. In a culture that nurtures uniqueness and engenders creativity, science fiction and fantasy have come to the forefront of the literary canvas.
While science fiction addresses the future of society and the role of technology in our lives, fantasy is a renaissance movement - a longing for a romanticized past that could never have been. The intellectual challenges the two genres pose invoke curiosity and generate interest in readers and writers alike.
Today, more individuals than ever before are attracted to the many intriguing world of science fiction. Among the Georgia Tech community, science fiction/fantasy has found a special place.
There is even an undergraduate class (which is one of the most sought after classes here) devoted purely to its analysis.
Professor Irving "Bud" Foote reminisces over his experience while attempting to start the class in 1971: "At first, the school of LCC didn't take it very seriously. With time, however, the course became rather popular. At one time, the entire genre was considered by many to be rather disreputable. Everything has changed. Today, there are three scholar groups concerned with science fiction."
"I can remember when science fiction was scorned as popular fiction. It was never accepted as literature, and newspapers used to devote only a paragraph or two to describing major works.
Today, with increased contributions from women and minority groups, the entire literary canon has come into question. We understand now that literary activity is not the prerogative of any group."
Writers like Kim Stanley Robinson, with Ph.D. degrees in literature, are taking the genre to new levels. On bookshelves, one can find novels about subjects such as dystopias, astronomical science fiction, and futuristic internet thrillers.
Gigi Weinrich, a Georgia Tech bookstore employee, recognizes student interest in science fiction. Ever since she arrived at Tech three years ago, she discovered that Georgia Tech students have a special interest in science fiction. Students who enter the bookstore with the intention of buying a novel often notice how the fiction section is bisected into two equal, clearly defined parts. One contains literature, while the other is purely devoted to speculative fiction.
In addition to reviewing galleys and making new additions to the bookstore, Weinrich also spends her time searching for reputed authors who are willing to come to Tech for lectures and book signing events. "Robert Jordan came here a while back," she says.
"We are trying to get [Jordan] to come again. Perhaps Terry Brooks and Terry Goodkind will also do a book signing here some time in the near future."
Among engineers and soon-to-be scientists, science fiction may have a deeper meeting. For some, it is the driving force that motivated them to pursue mathematics and the sciences.
Professor Foote observes: "Students see that technology does not exist independent of human values. Science fiction explores the consequences of technology and addresses what the future holds in store for us."
Murat Guler, a senior electrical engineering major, has spent a great deal of his personal time reading science fiction and fantasy. He admits that this furthered his interest in science and technology.
"Initially, my contact with science fiction started as escapism. We all want to experience something more than what everyday life has to offer. Later, however, my interest evolved into something more."
Guler makes one final comment about his choice in literature: "Science fiction is all about curiosity and intellectual discovery. To be honest, I would say that science fiction fans have courage and vision to perceive a future in which humanity's best hopes come true."
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Copyright © 1998 by Gregory S. Scherrer, Editor and by the Student Publications Board
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