Blog: Discovering Quantum Physics as a First Year Undergraduate Student

The Quantum Pathways program provides up to four years of research experience to first- and second-year undergraduate students interested in the field of quantum materials. SBQMI welcomed 11 new Quantum Pathways students this past May, including first year undergraduate student Delanie Austin. The program now has 13 students from various academic institutions and areas of study. With only first- or second-year backgrounds in physics, you may wonder how these students have already developed an interest in the field of quantum physics. In her first blog, Delanie details her journey to the Quantum Pathways program.

Belleville, ON to Vancouver, BC
, Crowded sidewalks, skyscrapers with mountain views, relentless rain, the bustling downtown; when I first arrived in Vancouver everything seemed overwhelmingly different from my relatively quiet hometown in Ontario. “Overwhelming” became the new normal after moving across the country and starting school at UBC, something I had only ever really dreamt about before. However, some days I would find myself completely taken aback after visiting a new place or learning something exciting in class.

The first time I learned about quantum mechanics was certainly one of these times.

“The more precisely you know where it is, the less you know about where it will be and the more precisely you know where it is going, the less you know about where it is.”

When I heard this statement in my early morning first year Science One physics course I expected a follow up, “what am I?” along with groans that my professor had decided to start a physics lecture with a riddle. As it turns out, this “riddle” is the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, one of the most fundamental laws of quantum mechanics and it’s also one of the reasons that I will be spending my summer at the Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute.

Further Investigating the Field of Quantum Physics
, My physics lectures on quantum mechanics and my professor’s description of quantum entanglement as “basically witchcraft,” motivated me to read about topics like “spooky action at a distance” and the multiverse paradox; the idea that everything that could possibly happen is happening simultaneously in different universes. I became increasingly fascinated by the notion that the very atoms that make up the macroscopic world obey entirely different laws than the macroscopic world itself.

When I came across a TED Talk on quantum biology by Jim Al-Khalili, my interest in learning about the emerging field of quantum materials was further piqued. Thrilled by the prospect that the application of quantum principles to molecular biology may provide new insights into mechanisms such as photosynthesis and cellular respiration – mechanisms that scientists have been studying for over a century, I knew that I had to find a way to learn about the quantum world beyond what I could read in a book.

Quantum Pathways: An Exciting Opportunity
, As a first year student who needed a summer job, I thought I would have to wait until my third or fourth year for the opportunity to gain experience in a quantum materials research lab. However, when I saw an email offering full-time paid summer positions at the Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute, I knew I had to apply to the Quantum Pathways Program. I have since recently started at the Institute and am still struggling to explain my summer job to family and friends, but am wholeheartedly looking forward to the months of learning ahead and discovering how the experience may shape my degree and future career choices.

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