Interview with Jody Ryker
Intro: This week, Macrocosm’s Mika Cham (Cluster 1) interviewed Jody Ryker, who teaches Number Theory in Cluster 1. The discussion featured acrobatics, solving math problems at the age of four, and advice for COSMOS students. (Ryker goes by they/them pronouns.)
[This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.]
Macrocosm (M): Can you introduce yourself please?
Jody Ryker (R): Yeah, I'm Ryker. I like doing math. I guess I sort of have two careers: math and circus arts — I specialize in acrobatics, but also in some other areas. This is my first time at COSMOS, but I've been teaching at Foothill College for seven years. I have a cat, her name is Katja, she's super fluffy, and she's multicolored.
M: What is your favorite area of math?
R: I really enjoyed number theory, but in general, I like different types of Algebra.
M: What made you first interested in math?
R: So one of my oldest memories is solving a math problem when I was four. I just remember being really, really excited when I figured it out. And ever since then, I have always kept going. I would go get textbooks at the dollar store and teach myself math. I was homeschooled, so it kind of allowed me to explore what I was interested in. I think I have some aptitude naturally, so it made it maybe a little bit easier to get into. But yeah, I've always loved it.
M: What is one thing you hope people will remember from your class?
R: I just want everyone to see or find something that they feel is exciting about math. But also to feel like they have a place in math spaces. Because I think historically, math is very exclusive and intentionally left out a lot of people, and I think one of my main goals as a teacher is to allow those people to also find joy in math.
M: What is it like doing acrobatics?
R: Most of my time is spent doing acrobatics. You have to train like usually several hours a day to stay at the level where you can perform and stuff. I think for me, it feels like math is a very intellectual challenge. And acrobatics can also be intellectual, like figuring out how to teach your body to do something really complicated, but it also pushes my body to the limit. I guess I like challenges. And I also like maybe surprising or disrupting people's notions of things. A lot of people think that guys are the strongest so I like showing people that I can be stronger than the guys too.
M: How did you start doing acrobatics?
R: I was always really interested in athletics so I guess my first one was basketball. And then I went to different sports just depending on what was accessible in my area. I was into dance for a while but at the same time, I was doing a lot of weightlifting. And, actually, in ballet, they would criticize my shoulders for being too large to be aesthetically pleasing. So then I started doing I just tried some acrobatics classes and quickly realized, oh, this is more where I belong. They'll appreciate my shoulders.
M: Do you have any advice for COSMOS students?
R: If you enter into a space that makes you feel unwelcome, don’t let that deter you from doing math. And know that there's a lot of other spaces that would welcome your contributions. So I guess don't let anyone take your love of math away from you.
[This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.]
Macrocosm (M): Can you introduce yourself please?
Jody Ryker (R): Yeah, I'm Ryker. I like doing math. I guess I sort of have two careers: math and circus arts — I specialize in acrobatics, but also in some other areas. This is my first time at COSMOS, but I've been teaching at Foothill College for seven years. I have a cat, her name is Katja, she's super fluffy, and she's multicolored.
M: What is your favorite area of math?
R: I really enjoyed number theory, but in general, I like different types of Algebra.
M: What made you first interested in math?
R: So one of my oldest memories is solving a math problem when I was four. I just remember being really, really excited when I figured it out. And ever since then, I have always kept going. I would go get textbooks at the dollar store and teach myself math. I was homeschooled, so it kind of allowed me to explore what I was interested in. I think I have some aptitude naturally, so it made it maybe a little bit easier to get into. But yeah, I've always loved it.
M: What is one thing you hope people will remember from your class?
R: I just want everyone to see or find something that they feel is exciting about math. But also to feel like they have a place in math spaces. Because I think historically, math is very exclusive and intentionally left out a lot of people, and I think one of my main goals as a teacher is to allow those people to also find joy in math.
M: What is it like doing acrobatics?
R: Most of my time is spent doing acrobatics. You have to train like usually several hours a day to stay at the level where you can perform and stuff. I think for me, it feels like math is a very intellectual challenge. And acrobatics can also be intellectual, like figuring out how to teach your body to do something really complicated, but it also pushes my body to the limit. I guess I like challenges. And I also like maybe surprising or disrupting people's notions of things. A lot of people think that guys are the strongest so I like showing people that I can be stronger than the guys too.
M: How did you start doing acrobatics?
R: I was always really interested in athletics so I guess my first one was basketball. And then I went to different sports just depending on what was accessible in my area. I was into dance for a while but at the same time, I was doing a lot of weightlifting. And, actually, in ballet, they would criticize my shoulders for being too large to be aesthetically pleasing. So then I started doing I just tried some acrobatics classes and quickly realized, oh, this is more where I belong. They'll appreciate my shoulders.
M: Do you have any advice for COSMOS students?
R: If you enter into a space that makes you feel unwelcome, don’t let that deter you from doing math. And know that there's a lot of other spaces that would welcome your contributions. So I guess don't let anyone take your love of math away from you.
Interview with Prof. Jairo Velasco
This week, Natalie Hsia (Cluster 4), representing UCSC’s Macrocosm, virtually requested responses from Prof. Jairo Velasco, who discussed his work in nanoscience and 2D materials, and gave advice for both COSMOS students and those who are pursuing his field.
[This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.]
Macrocosm (M): Could you introduce yourself for our readers?
Prof. Jairo Velasco (JV): My name is Jairo Velasco Jr., I am an Associate Professor of Physics here at UCSC. My research group, which is composed of three graduate students and two undergraduate students, makes tiny circuits (nanometer scale) based on atomically thin materials and we use the scanning tunneling microscope to probe the electron waves on the surfaces of these circuits.
M: What got you interested in 2D materials/nanoscience?
JV: An article entitled "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom" by Professor Richard Feynman [got me interested in 2D materials/nanoscience]. In this article Professor Feynman posed several thought experiments regarding physics at the nanoscale. Some of the ideas from his article were science fiction at that time but have now been realized, such as atomic manipulation.
M: What’s your favorite part of your field?
JV: My favorite part of 2D materials/nanoscience is the collaborative nature of the research. Research projects consist of small teams with researchers at different stages in their careers. In addition, each team member will have unique skills that help push forward the goals of the research project. It is enjoyable to work with others towards a common goal and learn from them about different aspects of 2D materials/nanoscience.
M: Can you think of any special highlights from your teaching career?
JV: [I’ve been teaching for] three years. I enjoy exposing students to quantum mechanics, the physics at the nanoscale. I believe understanding quantum mechanics will be important for many STEM related careers in the future.
M: Do you have any advice for current and future COSMOS students?
JV: When you arrive on campus at the university you decide to attend, I suggest you seek out volunteer research positions. These experiences can be very fruitful and help you in determining the type of science that is most interesting to you. It is also a good way to meet other researchers at various stages in their careers and learn from them.
[This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.]
Macrocosm (M): Could you introduce yourself for our readers?
Prof. Jairo Velasco (JV): My name is Jairo Velasco Jr., I am an Associate Professor of Physics here at UCSC. My research group, which is composed of three graduate students and two undergraduate students, makes tiny circuits (nanometer scale) based on atomically thin materials and we use the scanning tunneling microscope to probe the electron waves on the surfaces of these circuits.
M: What got you interested in 2D materials/nanoscience?
JV: An article entitled "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom" by Professor Richard Feynman [got me interested in 2D materials/nanoscience]. In this article Professor Feynman posed several thought experiments regarding physics at the nanoscale. Some of the ideas from his article were science fiction at that time but have now been realized, such as atomic manipulation.
M: What’s your favorite part of your field?
JV: My favorite part of 2D materials/nanoscience is the collaborative nature of the research. Research projects consist of small teams with researchers at different stages in their careers. In addition, each team member will have unique skills that help push forward the goals of the research project. It is enjoyable to work with others towards a common goal and learn from them about different aspects of 2D materials/nanoscience.
M: Can you think of any special highlights from your teaching career?
JV: [I’ve been teaching for] three years. I enjoy exposing students to quantum mechanics, the physics at the nanoscale. I believe understanding quantum mechanics will be important for many STEM related careers in the future.
M: Do you have any advice for current and future COSMOS students?
JV: When you arrive on campus at the university you decide to attend, I suggest you seek out volunteer research positions. These experiences can be very fruitful and help you in determining the type of science that is most interesting to you. It is also a good way to meet other researchers at various stages in their careers and learn from them.
Interview with Mirek Stolee and
Dani Wright
This week, Soyeon Kim, (Cluster 5), representing UCSC’s Macrocosm, interviewed Mirek Stolee and Dani Wright, who discussed their passion for video game development and their teaching experience.
[This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.]
Macrocosm (M): Could you introduce yourself to our readers?
Mirek Stolee (MS): I’m Mirek Stolee and I’m a lecturer in both game design departments here at UCSC, Computer Science: Computer Game Design and Art & Design: Games + Playable Media. I teach many classes, including game design.
Dani Wright (DW): I’m Dani Wright and I just graduated with my second game design degree from UCSC, which are Arts and Design: Games + Playable Media and Digital Arts & New Media. One is a Bachelor of Arts and the other is a Master of Fine Arts.
M: How long have you been teaching at COSMOS and how was your experience?
MS: Well, this is our second year teaching at COSMOS. We taught it together last year, and now this year. This year’s been very different because we taught online last year and now it's in person.
DW: We used to have a voice call where we would go and send students to breakout rooms. We were very awkward.
M: What got you interested in game design?
DW: I was in a computer science program in high school and my friend was really into game design. And then I thought, “What if I did a game for one of these projects?” Then I told myself, “Oh my god, I'm never going back. This is so much better than hanging out with CS people.”
MS: I got into game design game studies, the academic side of things. I wrote my undergrad thesis on a video game, which was like an analysis of the game. Then I went to graduate school here at UCSC and I've been teaching here for two years now. I'm starting my PhD in the fall.
M: What's your favorite part of game design?
DW: I like showing the things that I make to people and watching them interact with it. It’s fun, especially when I get the reaction that I wanted. It's a very good feeling.
MS: I like teaching game design. I like making very silly little demo games to teach concepts. As far as favorite things to do when I'm designing games, I'm recently getting into the sound.
M: What is your favorite video game?
MS: Outer Wilds is really good. The game I wrote my thesis on in my undergrad is called “Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors” which is a visual novel escape room. Escape rooms are something I'm really into.
DW: I like Animal Crossing New Horizons a lot; I have hundreds of hours on that game. Yeah, it's so cute. I also like Breath of the Wild and visual novels like Butterfly Soup, or some 18+ vampire visual novels that I read.
M: Would you like to share any fun facts with our readers?
MS: I’m unreasonably obsessed with ice cream, although I am lactose intolerant. I don't tell this to a lot of people, but I'm convinced that I could compete at least at the regional level. I think I'm really good at it. I can eat those Dreyer’s in one sitting; they’re so good. But I think that's kind of just a fantasy. I think if I'm actually in a competition, I might be humbled very quickly. If you're reading this and you work at the Porter Dining Hall, please fix the ice cream machine.
DW: My fun fact is that I read “Twilight” for the first time in 2019 and I haven't stopped fixating on it. I was going to make a completely different game for my MFA, and then I made a lot of vampire games because I could not stop thinking about how Alice and Bella are girlfriends.
M: What is your goal as an instructor of Cluster 5?
DW: I want to destroy the rest of the class, and I also want them to feel excited about making games.
MS: Yeah, I definitely want them to feel like they can make games and they can make good games. I think that for a lot of new game designers, there’s a lack of confidence: not feeling like they're making real games or they are real designers. We’ve shown that y'all are making real games; we've made like almost 100 since we got here.
M: Do you have any advice for current and future COSMOS students?
DW & MS: It's important to know that you guys are very capable, incredibly talented, and smart. Way better at everything than I could ever be. You should not let things get you down and get in your way. You guys are unstoppable; concede nothing.
[This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.]
Macrocosm (M): Could you introduce yourself to our readers?
Mirek Stolee (MS): I’m Mirek Stolee and I’m a lecturer in both game design departments here at UCSC, Computer Science: Computer Game Design and Art & Design: Games + Playable Media. I teach many classes, including game design.
Dani Wright (DW): I’m Dani Wright and I just graduated with my second game design degree from UCSC, which are Arts and Design: Games + Playable Media and Digital Arts & New Media. One is a Bachelor of Arts and the other is a Master of Fine Arts.
M: How long have you been teaching at COSMOS and how was your experience?
MS: Well, this is our second year teaching at COSMOS. We taught it together last year, and now this year. This year’s been very different because we taught online last year and now it's in person.
DW: We used to have a voice call where we would go and send students to breakout rooms. We were very awkward.
M: What got you interested in game design?
DW: I was in a computer science program in high school and my friend was really into game design. And then I thought, “What if I did a game for one of these projects?” Then I told myself, “Oh my god, I'm never going back. This is so much better than hanging out with CS people.”
MS: I got into game design game studies, the academic side of things. I wrote my undergrad thesis on a video game, which was like an analysis of the game. Then I went to graduate school here at UCSC and I've been teaching here for two years now. I'm starting my PhD in the fall.
M: What's your favorite part of game design?
DW: I like showing the things that I make to people and watching them interact with it. It’s fun, especially when I get the reaction that I wanted. It's a very good feeling.
MS: I like teaching game design. I like making very silly little demo games to teach concepts. As far as favorite things to do when I'm designing games, I'm recently getting into the sound.
M: What is your favorite video game?
MS: Outer Wilds is really good. The game I wrote my thesis on in my undergrad is called “Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors” which is a visual novel escape room. Escape rooms are something I'm really into.
DW: I like Animal Crossing New Horizons a lot; I have hundreds of hours on that game. Yeah, it's so cute. I also like Breath of the Wild and visual novels like Butterfly Soup, or some 18+ vampire visual novels that I read.
M: Would you like to share any fun facts with our readers?
MS: I’m unreasonably obsessed with ice cream, although I am lactose intolerant. I don't tell this to a lot of people, but I'm convinced that I could compete at least at the regional level. I think I'm really good at it. I can eat those Dreyer’s in one sitting; they’re so good. But I think that's kind of just a fantasy. I think if I'm actually in a competition, I might be humbled very quickly. If you're reading this and you work at the Porter Dining Hall, please fix the ice cream machine.
DW: My fun fact is that I read “Twilight” for the first time in 2019 and I haven't stopped fixating on it. I was going to make a completely different game for my MFA, and then I made a lot of vampire games because I could not stop thinking about how Alice and Bella are girlfriends.
M: What is your goal as an instructor of Cluster 5?
DW: I want to destroy the rest of the class, and I also want them to feel excited about making games.
MS: Yeah, I definitely want them to feel like they can make games and they can make good games. I think that for a lot of new game designers, there’s a lack of confidence: not feeling like they're making real games or they are real designers. We’ve shown that y'all are making real games; we've made like almost 100 since we got here.
M: Do you have any advice for current and future COSMOS students?
DW & MS: It's important to know that you guys are very capable, incredibly talented, and smart. Way better at everything than I could ever be. You should not let things get you down and get in your way. You guys are unstoppable; concede nothing.
Interview with Prof. Yu Zhang
This week, Melody Yoon (Cluster 6), representing UCSC’s Macrocosm, interviewed Prof. Yu Zhang, who discussed the two directions of his field and advice for both COSMOS students and those who are pursuing his field.
[This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.]
Macrocosm (M): Could you introduce yourself for our readers?
Prof. Yu Zhang (YZ): My name is Yu Zhang. I'm an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Computer Engineering [ECE] at UC Santa Cruz. I'm teaching Cluster 6 — [Introduction to] Smart and Sustainable Power — for COSMOS, and this is already my second year of doing this job. My research mainly focuses on the modeling design and analysis for smart power grids, which is basically the next journey to PA (Public Address)systems by leveraging the state of art tools from communication, control, optimization. For my lab, I have five PhD students, really glad to work with them.
M: What was the game changer in your life to lead to electrical and computer engineering?
YZ: I wouldn't say there's like only a single game changer or thing or event that helped me to determine to choose this major. I took this college entrance exam back in China in 2002. Around that time, I would say that electrical engineering was a hot major together with computer science. So they were just saying that if you took these two majors or some other similar engineering majors, you will get a good life and good degree. You get a good salary, life will be easier. But also, I think in general, I like electrical engineering, especially the sort of theoretical side, using mathematics to model practice problems. This is really what got me interested.
M: What’s your favorite part of your field?
YZ: Until now, my own research mainly focuses on the theoretical side [of smart power grids]. It's using the tools from maths, other disciplines. As we learned from our lectures, we need to not only look from engineering, but also from physics, chemistry, and material science, in order to really advance. My most favorite part that I would like to do in the future is trying to combine my theoretical knowledge into the real world to come up with more hardware things. Combining the hands-on projects together with the theoretical side is going to be my favorite.
M: Can you think of any special highlights from your teaching career?
YZ: I have been teaching since 2017. Since I joined the department here, I've taught two undergrad courses. One is the ECU IBJ which [covers] kind of similar topics to what we are learning: advanced renewable resources, energy storage, and power grids. And there is another big class called [ECE 103] Signals and Systems, is like a fundamental course for most of the students. I also have been teaching to credit our costs. One is the ECE 253 [Introduction to Information Theory] and Computer Science and Engineering [CSE] 208, which is in conjunction with the CSE Department. That is about information theory and is more like the mathematical foundation of word communication systems. The other one is the ECE 279 [Optimization and Control for Electric Power Systems], which is more closely related to my own research and is a greater level of power system course. I really enjoyed teaching all those four courses, especially since they can relate to my expertise. And I really liked the interactions and discussions with the students in the class and after class. The highlight probably is teaching [COSMOS] this year and last, because it's really my first experience working with the high school students. I didn't get K-12 Education here in the US, so I'm not that familiar with K-12 education in the US. To teach COSMOS courses, it seems more challenging to think about, to simplify concepts, to try to give more real examples, and show more videos, not only those mathematical derivations, which I usually do when I'm teaching those similar courses here.
M: I noticed that your lectures are very environmentally-focused. What was your motivation to focus on energy and environmental topics in electrical engineering?
YZ: If you check [my original background] out on my web page, it is not really in power systems. I was a master's student in China, and then I got my PhD from the University of Minnesota. I was focusing on the wireless communications and signal processing [during the first one to two years]. And then afterwards, the so-called smart power grid concepts just came up. And then, my advisor told me that I can still leverage my strengths in mathematics monitoring, and then carry it over to this new system, which probably is more important, right? Because we know that nowadays, we cannot really give a modern life without electricity, if it gives us so much trouble. So I want to devote myself to contribute to this very important field for everybody and try to improve the systems’ reliability, efficiency, and sustainability. That's essentially [why] I want to continue working in this area. And then nowadays, there are some new tools, new things that we can have, for example, machine learning and artificial intelligence.
M: Do you have any advice for current and future COSMOS students?
YZ: So for our own cluster, I would really like students to have some background or knowledge of physics. If students come here with a background in physics, and a little bit of chemistry, that can really help me to organize the teaching material in a very nice way and deliver those new concepts or technologies even more. And of course, if you can know even more like multivariable calculus or vector calculus and linear algebra, those are very reliable things to see. For the students beyond our cluster, I think we have different topics about robotics, about number theory, about some marine sciences. Try to diversify your interest. You still have lots of time to decide your favorite field and your final career. But no matter which you are going to focus on, I would say that in the future, many of them are going to be multi-disciplinary. You need to improve yourself to try to learn more from those different disciplines.
M: What advice do you have for students pursuing your field?
YZ: My field is obviously divided into two directions. One is focusing on the theoretical side, but again, even for the theoretical side, if you know more about the hardware, about the real system, it can really help you to model the program, in a more practical or meaningful way. Some programs that are formulated in our field are not that practical.rom the mathematical perspective, they're good. They're really interesting challenges to solve but a little far away from real life, which means that even though we found a good tool to solve that hard problem, it probably is not that useful to our daily life. For the students who are really interested in this field, try to gather yourself and learn the knowledge from both the tools, the mathematical tools, as well as the hardware side.
M: Okay, last question, what is one fun fact about yourself?
YZ: My personal hobbies are swimming or playing tennis. And sometimes, if I've got some extra time, I may just check some funny videos and some movies, like sci-fi movies. I'm an only child.
[This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.]
Macrocosm (M): Could you introduce yourself for our readers?
Prof. Yu Zhang (YZ): My name is Yu Zhang. I'm an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Computer Engineering [ECE] at UC Santa Cruz. I'm teaching Cluster 6 — [Introduction to] Smart and Sustainable Power — for COSMOS, and this is already my second year of doing this job. My research mainly focuses on the modeling design and analysis for smart power grids, which is basically the next journey to PA (Public Address)systems by leveraging the state of art tools from communication, control, optimization. For my lab, I have five PhD students, really glad to work with them.
M: What was the game changer in your life to lead to electrical and computer engineering?
YZ: I wouldn't say there's like only a single game changer or thing or event that helped me to determine to choose this major. I took this college entrance exam back in China in 2002. Around that time, I would say that electrical engineering was a hot major together with computer science. So they were just saying that if you took these two majors or some other similar engineering majors, you will get a good life and good degree. You get a good salary, life will be easier. But also, I think in general, I like electrical engineering, especially the sort of theoretical side, using mathematics to model practice problems. This is really what got me interested.
M: What’s your favorite part of your field?
YZ: Until now, my own research mainly focuses on the theoretical side [of smart power grids]. It's using the tools from maths, other disciplines. As we learned from our lectures, we need to not only look from engineering, but also from physics, chemistry, and material science, in order to really advance. My most favorite part that I would like to do in the future is trying to combine my theoretical knowledge into the real world to come up with more hardware things. Combining the hands-on projects together with the theoretical side is going to be my favorite.
M: Can you think of any special highlights from your teaching career?
YZ: I have been teaching since 2017. Since I joined the department here, I've taught two undergrad courses. One is the ECU IBJ which [covers] kind of similar topics to what we are learning: advanced renewable resources, energy storage, and power grids. And there is another big class called [ECE 103] Signals and Systems, is like a fundamental course for most of the students. I also have been teaching to credit our costs. One is the ECE 253 [Introduction to Information Theory] and Computer Science and Engineering [CSE] 208, which is in conjunction with the CSE Department. That is about information theory and is more like the mathematical foundation of word communication systems. The other one is the ECE 279 [Optimization and Control for Electric Power Systems], which is more closely related to my own research and is a greater level of power system course. I really enjoyed teaching all those four courses, especially since they can relate to my expertise. And I really liked the interactions and discussions with the students in the class and after class. The highlight probably is teaching [COSMOS] this year and last, because it's really my first experience working with the high school students. I didn't get K-12 Education here in the US, so I'm not that familiar with K-12 education in the US. To teach COSMOS courses, it seems more challenging to think about, to simplify concepts, to try to give more real examples, and show more videos, not only those mathematical derivations, which I usually do when I'm teaching those similar courses here.
M: I noticed that your lectures are very environmentally-focused. What was your motivation to focus on energy and environmental topics in electrical engineering?
YZ: If you check [my original background] out on my web page, it is not really in power systems. I was a master's student in China, and then I got my PhD from the University of Minnesota. I was focusing on the wireless communications and signal processing [during the first one to two years]. And then afterwards, the so-called smart power grid concepts just came up. And then, my advisor told me that I can still leverage my strengths in mathematics monitoring, and then carry it over to this new system, which probably is more important, right? Because we know that nowadays, we cannot really give a modern life without electricity, if it gives us so much trouble. So I want to devote myself to contribute to this very important field for everybody and try to improve the systems’ reliability, efficiency, and sustainability. That's essentially [why] I want to continue working in this area. And then nowadays, there are some new tools, new things that we can have, for example, machine learning and artificial intelligence.
M: Do you have any advice for current and future COSMOS students?
YZ: So for our own cluster, I would really like students to have some background or knowledge of physics. If students come here with a background in physics, and a little bit of chemistry, that can really help me to organize the teaching material in a very nice way and deliver those new concepts or technologies even more. And of course, if you can know even more like multivariable calculus or vector calculus and linear algebra, those are very reliable things to see. For the students beyond our cluster, I think we have different topics about robotics, about number theory, about some marine sciences. Try to diversify your interest. You still have lots of time to decide your favorite field and your final career. But no matter which you are going to focus on, I would say that in the future, many of them are going to be multi-disciplinary. You need to improve yourself to try to learn more from those different disciplines.
M: What advice do you have for students pursuing your field?
YZ: My field is obviously divided into two directions. One is focusing on the theoretical side, but again, even for the theoretical side, if you know more about the hardware, about the real system, it can really help you to model the program, in a more practical or meaningful way. Some programs that are formulated in our field are not that practical.rom the mathematical perspective, they're good. They're really interesting challenges to solve but a little far away from real life, which means that even though we found a good tool to solve that hard problem, it probably is not that useful to our daily life. For the students who are really interested in this field, try to gather yourself and learn the knowledge from both the tools, the mathematical tools, as well as the hardware side.
M: Okay, last question, what is one fun fact about yourself?
YZ: My personal hobbies are swimming or playing tennis. And sometimes, if I've got some extra time, I may just check some funny videos and some movies, like sci-fi movies. I'm an only child.