1. What are your career goals and professional aspirations? Indicate which area(s) of mathematics, science or engineering you are considering pursuing in your research career and specify how your current academic program and your overall educational plans will assist you in achieving your career goals and professional aspirations. (3000 characters) My goal is to conduct research in the exciting field of quantum information science, and especially in the area of quantum computing. First envisioned several decades ago by Feynman, quantum information science is on the cusp of having practical uses and real-world applications. Quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize many fields: it will allow for vastly more efficient testing of new …show more content…
I will complete a full physics curriculum, and additionally I will take a substantial number of computer science courses. This combination will help me to understand two different sides of the field, with physics supplying an understanding of the quantum mechanical processes which are at the root of quantum computing’s advantage over classical computing, and my computer science courses giving me a firm understanding of classical computers which I can build on to understand quantum information processing and quantum algorithms. Additionally, computer science is an invaluable tool in all modern physics research for data analysis. Throughout my undergraduate studies, I also plan to continue to participate in undergraduate research to prepare me for graduate school and a career in …show more content…
(Optional question, answering the question below will depend on your personal experience.) Goldwater Scholars will be representative of the diverse economic, ethnic and occupational backgrounds of families in the United States. Describe any social and/or economic impacts you have encountered that influenced your education - either positively or negatively - and how you have dealt with them. (1500 characters) My parents have always influenced my love of learning and my interest in science. They have always pushed me to think critically about the world and question everything. My parents are both biology professors, and some of my earliest encounters with science were going into my dad’s lab at work and seeing all of the machines and asking questions about what he was working on. Additionally, my Saturdays as a kid were often spent at a “how to be an engineer class,” where creativity and problem solving were