MY Camper Evelyn Qian: Science is about explanation and progress
“Only with he underlying knowledge can we continue forward and create new things by using the knowledge in different ways,” says 15-year-old Evelyn Qian. The logic of science appeals to Evelyn, who found out about the possibilities of applied mathematics during MY Camp application process.
New Zealander Evelyn Qian will turn 16 in August, and currently she is attending Diocesan School for Girls, the same school as the other MY Camper from New Zealand, Yi Lin Zheng. She is focusing on subjects like biology, chemistry, calculus, Latin and history that may come in handy, when deciding her future career.
At the moment, Evelyn is still unsure, what that career might be. “I believe my future career will have something to with medicine or science. Recently, because of MY Camp, I am also starting to consider studying mathematics of some form in university”, she says referring to the project plan that she did during the application process for MY Camp’s Applied Mathematics theme group.
Evelyn had never before experimented with applied mathematics as the classroom mathematics concentrates on theory.
“I thought that a connection with math and the objects around me in the physical world was a good way to begin. My project, ‘to create visual matter’ is a study about holograms and their underlying mathematical links, since holography basically captures the definition of an object through interference patterns that as waves can be modelled by mathematics,” she says about her project that connects science, math, and the world we see.
Evelyn says that the most interesting thing in science is that it takes all the things that are there around us and gives some sense to them rather than just saying it’s because God made it so. It’s the logic of scientific definitions and explanations that appeals to her.
“As if the universe was a giant puzzle put together with a huge number of pieces that grow infinitely small and therefore there are also infinite ways we can remake the puzzle into whatever is desired, making the universe truly infinite and truly intriguing,” she says.
During MY Camp, Evelyn wants to basically “learn about things I didn’t even know I didn’t know.” She sees the camp as a good opportunity to experience the world outside her school life, and also meet many new people with similar interests than hers. “But most importantly I want to have fun,” she adds.
Evelyn is also intrigued to see Finland. It was only sometime before Evelyn first heard about MY Camp from her science teacher that she visited the Finland Pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai, and got a sneak peek of what the country is about.
During the time off from schoolwork, Evelyn likes read, write, do craft projects. “To be honest I muck around doing nothing a lot in my spare time,” she confesses.
Have a look at Evelyn’s project plan.
Visit also Millennium Youth Camp’s website.
Elisa Lautala works as web editor for University of Helsinki's Faculty of Science. Elisa likes all kinds of cultural events, good books, warm weather, and aqua-jogging.