Program: Specialist in Physics and Minor in Computer Science

Year of Study: 4

Why did you decide to major in physics? What was your inspiration?

Pinpointing a specific inspiration is rather difficult but I can probably attribute fifty percent of my interest in physics to the various science YouTubers I watched growing up and forty percent to my father. While he did not officially study physics, choosing instead to pursue computer science, he did try to keep up to date with new scientific discoveries and was always eager to learn more about the topic. Once I was old enough, he encouraged me to do the same and we would often discuss what we had learned. The last ten percent, I’ll chalk up to other media influences and genetic predisposition.

I believe (or at least sincerely hope) that everyone who chooses to study physics does so because they have a need to understand how the world works, a curiosity that leads them to ask questions that don’t yet have answers, a drive to go answer (a subset of) those questions themselves and the delusion that they will be able to answer questions that some of the greatest minds in the past couldn’t even begin to consider. And if it isn’t already abundantly obvious, I am studying physics. So it would be rather hypocritical of me not to “live by my own doctrine”.

Making that first decision was easy though, it amounted to no more than clicking a few buttons on an online form; it is the follow through that is rather more difficult. The day-to-day of being a student studying physics is unfortunately often rather removed from the passions that initially lead me to the subject. Fortunately, my curiosity has been powerful enough (or my delusions grand enough) to have kept me coming back time and time again despite the (at times) grueling problem sets and punishing exams.

On a slightly more practical and less aspirational note, I decided to study physics not only because I was interested but also because I knew it would be difficult for me to gain the same depth of knowledge on the topic elsewhere. Meanwhile I knew I could gain business and sales or computer science skills on my own.

What do you enjoy most about the physics program?

The best thing about UofT's physics program is the sheer number of choices that are available to students due to the size of the department. This applies for both courses and research opportunities.

I never once felt limited by what was available to me and that's something that can't be said for most physics' programs in the world.

What other extra-curricular activities are you involved in during your degree?

As I’m sure most students at UofT can relate to, between the demanding courses and the demands of basic human necessities, there isn’t much time for extra-curricular activities. However, I still try to make time to get involved with the community, mostly in the summer.

I’m a volunteer at Not Far From The Tree (NFFTT). We work with homeowners in Toronto so we can pick fruits from their yards! It’s so much fun to be able to climb trees, pick fruit and then importantly eat that fruit or make something delicious with it. At the risk of this sounding like an advertisement, I’ll keep it at that.

I also participate in Dig In!, UofT's student-led urban agriculture group. We have many garden plots around campus where we grow fresh produce. Another agriculture related group I’m a part of is Trinity Food Systems Lab. There’s something so special about growing your own produce in the middle of a city.

What are your research interests?

Honestly, even now that I’m going into my final year of undergraduate studies, I still haven’t committed myself to a specific field of physics research. An argument could be made for the idea that many fields of physics simply use different "tools" to answer the same fundamental questions.

With that in mind I’ve tried to follow the problems that interest me most and put less emphasis on what exact technique I will use to solve them. That is not to say, some techniques aren't better suited for certain problems than others.

At the moment, I really enjoy questions that are “simple” in some way. It could be that the problem has very clear physical intuition or perhaps it involves a phenomenon that we see in day-to-day life. For example, one of the questions that captured my interest was, "How fast does a chain of dominoes fall?" This seemingly innocuous question still remains unanswered to this day.

There are many other questions like this out there waiting to be answered and it would be the greatest pleasure to find them and follow them wherever they might lead.

What is your favorite course and why?

So far, my favourite physics course has been the research course. It gave me a lot of freedom to explore a topic I was really passionate about and provided me with much needed guidance to succeed. I love that UofT offers students the opportunity to gain research experience for credit.

Some other honourable mentions are advanced classical mechanics (PHY354), Analysis II (MAT257) and introduction to computer science (CSC148).

What are your future plans?

Currently, I'm planning on attending graduate school for physics. I do not yet know where, but hopefully I will soon. After that, we'll see where things go!

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Frankly, I don't have a clue. I’ve always tried to leave as many doors open for myself so if I ever change my mind in the future, I'm able to pivot easily. I don't want to be too set on a specific path and miss out on possibilities that present themselves that could lead somewhere spectacular. So, I'm just taking it one step at a time and making sure to take time to reflect on if I’m on a journey that I’m genuinely enjoying.

Tell me something interesting about yourself!

I have two adorable cats: Misty and Paws. Misty is Paws’ mother and I adopted them together when Paws was only six weeks old. I also love knitting, crocheting, sewing, baking, gardening and foraging. Essentially, I’m the embodiment of the archetypal grandma. One might think all my joints creak and I can barely get out of bed without pulling a muscle and they would be correct. But I also enjoy doing various aerial sports (a great activity for all grandmas out there). For those who are interested, my favourite is probably lyra (aka aerial hoop) but I’ve tried aerial silks, hammock and pole as well!