Aim Down Sights
Interview on August 16, 2022
by Kuan Fu on September 4th, 2022
For many high school students, attending a prestigious university is one of their main priorities. Whether to pursue their personal interest, find a community of fellow-minded students, establish financial security, or a combination of all three, many students end up pursuing STEAM degrees in college. Eric Chen is one of those students.
Double majoring in Physics and Computer Science at Northeastern University, Eric Chen is a great example of a person passionate about the STEM fields. Growing up heavily involved in computer science and robotics, Eric dedicated himself to his STEAM interests. Eric is also interested in FPS games, airsoft, and tennis serving. When we at AmSTEA were planning to interview incoming college students, Eric was open to any inquiries about why he decided to commit to his passion for STEAM.
Question 1: What activities have you
done to help prepare you for your
major? (Classes, extracurriculars,
internships, etc.)
When someone finds themselves passionate about a subject, they end up trying
g to do anything and everything they can to learn more about it. These activities might include personal research, joining a club, taking an online or college course, and even working an internship in Eric’s case.
“I worked an internship two summers ago at a biomedical startup, and I was in the IT department. One of my assignments was optimizing one of the density algorithms. The assignment might look intimidating at first, since you’re not sure what you’re throwing yourself into, but you never know until you try it. Honestly, it was one of the best things I could have done for myself, getting that first-time exposure, and getting a good picture of what I would go into.”
Though there were many mistakes made along the way, Eric believes that “the process is what’s important. The end product is irrelevant, ultimately it’s the process of trial and error that really matters. The confidence and skill you gain from working through hard times is invaluable, and the resilience carries over to many aspects of life”, he concludes.
Question 2: How does your major relate
to STEAM?
With both Physics and Computer Science in his repertoire, Eric Chen certainly does not stray away from the traditional ideas of science. As physics is so closely intertwined with math and chemistry, and with computer science being instrumental in technological innovation, both majors hold great importance within STEAM fields and push the limits of science.
Question 3: Why did you choose your majors?
“You can’t navigate the industries without basic knowledge of computer science”, says Eric.
Eric chose to major in computer science due to the prevalence of computers and programs in modern society since it is one of the major driving forces in technological innovation and societal progress.
Now to understand why he also wants to study physics, Eric believes that “physics helps us understand our limits as humans, to what we can create and what we can innovate”. Inspired by organizations like NASA and SpaceX, he sees physics as a rewarding field of study that breaks the current boundaries of science.
Choosing to major in both computer science and physics is a remarkable decision, and Eric wants to make the most of his studies, aiming to achieve and maintain realistic goals for his future.
Eric amused at Kuan’s reaction to his airsoft guns
Question 4: How do you believe that your
major(s) can impact the world?
Making an impact on the world is a dream that many in STEAM can sympathize with. Whether through provocative artwork or technological innovation, STEAM holds huge potential for progression.
Eric’s path is of the latter, and he chose this path because “engineers have a very wide variety as to what we can do to impact the world”. Engineers are trained to problem solve, and the mindset of an engineer is what makes the field so inspiring to Eric.
With a background in physics, robotics, and computer science, Eric is heavily committed to the engineering discipline and is truly passionate about its ideals.
“Engineers find solutions to the problems that they find most important to themselves. They must identify the path they must take to solve the problems they want”.
Question 5: What do you think is a major
issue in the current world we live in?
Eric believes that a “major problem in this world is that we tend to associate ourselves differently from everyone else, we tend to put a wall between each other”.
Even as an engineer, experienced in solving mechanical issues, Eric believes that a social issue is the most important. In today’s society, Eric thinks that “we must stop polarizing and categorizing ourselves, and must work together to solve the actual issues at hand”. The only way to progress as a society and a nation is to work together. Without social solidarity, both social and technological progress becomes stunted, and engineers and politicians alike suffer.
Eric Hydrating
Question 6: How can STEAM be relevant to
the financial and business world?
“Kids tend to confuse finance and business. Finance is the management of financial assets while business is the management of a project or organization”, says Eric.
“STEAM ties into both of these. To give an example, my dad is a software engineer at PIMCO, an investment management firm. As a software engineer, he writes programs to make sure that trades flow smoothly and quickly, optimizing cash flow for the financial world”, he explains. Eric believes that to combine business and STEAM, you could start a company based on an innovation related to STEAM, or you can use STEAM to boost currently existing businesses, such as the use of robots to improve the efficiency of labor.
Eric also states that he “would like to follow in [his] father’s steps a little closer”, speaking both as someone interested in financial literacy as well as engineering.