NTU Physics undergrad Kon Wen Yu clinches Global Winner spot at Undergraduate Awards

by | Dec 12, 2019 | Overseas Experiences, People, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences

Kon Wen Yu, an alumnus of the Physics and Applied Physics programme in NTU School of Physical & Mathematical Sciences clinched the Global Winner award in the “Mathematics and Physics” category of the Global Undergraduate Awards 2019. Now pursuing his PhD at National University of Singapore, he shares with @ScienceNTU about his research and his experience at the UA Global Summit in Dublin.

You were the Global Winner for the “Mathematics and Physics” category in the Global Undergraduate Awards 2019. How were you selected to participate in this competition?

There is no selection process to participate in the competition itself. The Undergraduate Awards (UA) accepts any submission of undergraduate work that receives an A grade. The submitted work then goes through three to four rounds of judging by a panel of international academics working in the same category. Through this process, highly commended, regional winners and global winners are selected.

How did you feel when you found out you won the award?

I found out that I was the global winner through a phone call two days before the official announcement. It was a mixture of surprise and delight for me since I didn’t expect to be the global winner.

Could you briefly explain the research paper that won you the award?

I submitted my final year project report for the award, which studies the weakly bound molecular state of Strontium-86. Part of my report looks at how the Sr-86 atom-atom interactions may be tuned using lasers, which could be useful for various cold atom applications. The main bulk of my report uses a simple three-level model with laser interference to explain new observations seen in the high-intensity data of an experiment performed by Prof. Killian’s group (Rice University), which studied the binding energy of the Sr-86 molecular state.

How was your experience at the UA Global Summit in Ireland?

The summit brought together people working in many different areas, such as social sciences, law, arts and sciences. The two days of talks by the participants gave a broad understanding of various topics by people from different fields.

There were also multiple social events and workshops which encouraged interaction between participants, providing us with opportunities to understand other cultures. I learned that people working in different disciplines also think very differently. This made me more aware of social issues and perspectives that I might have overlooked or unintentionally brushed off. While these issues might not be relevant to what I am working on or affect me directly, I think it is important to be aware of such issues as part of the global community.

Wen Yu speaking on his research paper at the UA Global Summit.

 

You graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Physics and Applied Physics. When did your interest in physics start?

My interest in physics started in secondary school from watching documentaries and reading books about cosmology and quantum physics. I was initially drawn to physics by its power to predict events in the future from physical laws and initial conditions. Although that thought was quickly derailed due to the non-deterministic nature of quantum physics, I continue to be drawn to physics because of my desire to understand the natural world.

Now that you are pursuing a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, how do you manage your stress?

I manage my stress by properly allocating my time between school work and relaxation. I typically work in the day when I’m more efficient and rest when my mind starts to shut down. The relaxation time spent gaming and watching videos at night helps to destress. Besides having a suitable balance of work and rest, removing potential stressors is also important, such as planning ahead to avoid having to rush near deadlines.

Any words of advice to prospective students keen to pursue Science at the university level, and those keen to pursue a PhD?

To those who are keen to pursue a PhD, do participate actively in research work in your undergraduate studies, whether it’s through programmes like Undergraduate Research Experience on Campus (URECA) or through your own initiatives. This provides a good opportunity to not only get an understanding of different areas of research and the life of a researcher, but also to build up a good portfolio for graduate school applications. Do also spend time to think about what are the questions that drive your curiosity, and to talk to potential supervisors and their students. I think pursuing research in your area of interest and working with a good, nurturing supervisor would be key to enjoying and succeeding in your PhD journey.

About The Global Undergraduate Awards

The Global Undergraduate Awards is the world’s leading undergraduate awards programme which recognises top undergraduate work, shares this work with a global audience and connects students across cultures and disciplines. All submissions to the Global Undergraduate Awards are judged anonymously by an international academic panel of 400+ expert judges from some of the world’s leading academic institutions. For more information, visit https://undergraduateawards.com/about