The motto of my graduate school heralded the axiom “The Truth will set you free.” As an engineering science student at the California Institute of Technology, 1982-1987, I embraced this motto, though my fellow classmates and I often debated exactly what it meant. We pondered the questions, What is the Truth? and How do we find it? Philosophers today are still asking the same questions. But are they looking for the answer in the right place?

Some (my colleagues in the physics department) say that Truth, the underlying reason for the existence and purpose of the universe, is found in the laws of physics: the special and general Theory of Relativity from Einstein, or the space-time view of quantum electrodynamics from the well-loved Caltech Professor, Richard Feynman, who received his Nobel Prize in 1965.

Others say Truth is wealth and fortune, beauty and fame, power and supremacy—the common dreams we are all looking for.

The question is, if Truth is either of these, will it pass with time or stay withus forever?

Truth is essentially what is described in John 8:32: “Then you will know thetruth, and the truth will set you free.” The importance of knowing this Truth is expressed in Jesus’ question, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26)

As an amateur astronomer, I have spent a lot of time with my 8-inch Cassegrain telescope in the California desert taking snapshots of deep sky objects. When I am alone, admiring the immense presence of the millions of stars and galaxies, and contemplating the insignificance of my own existence, I truly appreciate what King David wrote in his poem:

“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8: 3-4)

The mere existence of such a complex and structured universe in a grand space-time dimension (scale of Andromeda galaxy is about 1021m), can only be explained if there exists an Intelligent Designer.

Life itself is also an amazing feat of creativity. Dr. Francis Collins, director of the Human Genome project, describes his path in search for divinity in his book Language of God, (Elsevier Inc., 2006). He presents evidence for belief from a medical geneticist point of view: “We are learning the language in which God created life, the experience of sequencing the human genome, and uncovering this most remarkable of all texts was both a stunning scientific achievement and an occasion of worship.” More and more scientists are reportedly finding the truth of the existence of a Creator while at the same time discovering the near-zero probability of life taking place by random evolution (cf. Prof. Walter Bradley, Discovery Institute).In my recent years of research in nanotechnology, we are designing molecules and material building blocks of dimensions smaller than a biological virus. We are dealing with components on a scale of less than 109m (electron is about 1015 m), where one manipulates a single atom or molecular species to achieve various desired configurations for electronic, biomedical and mechanical applications. The many impeccable clues we find when we study science in depth actually bring us closer to God: the transitional ordering of a water molecule around 4oC, the perfect presence of SiO2 (glass or sand) interface to Silicon, (a gift of God, as you always hear from any electrical engineer who works in the microelectronic industry), the awe-inspiring wonders of Fullerene Nanotubes, to name a few. The continual research on the nano scale enables us to understand the microscopic beauty of the design of materials in nature and appreciate the fingerprints of an Intelligent Designer.

King Solomon wrote two thousand years ago: “There is no new thing under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

With all the progress and discoveries in scientific research, the Truth of a ubiquitous presence of an Intelligent Designer from an absolute scale from >>1021 m to <1015 m is evident as ever, and the way to accept this Truth is simple: by faith !

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).

Dr. Wilman Tsai is Senior Program Manager of Technology Manufacturing Group, Intel Corporation in Santa Clara, CA. He also serves on senior advisory committee of Semiconductor Research Corporation, Sematech and IMEC research consortia and is a visiting faculty at Stanford University Center of Integrated Systems