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Theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli said, "Quantum physics does not describe how things are, but how things interact with one another. Even we human beings [are] a net of interactions with the world."

I can think of no better way to describe who I am than with this concept. I am a network of interactions that underlie all I do, just as microcosmically, synapse connections between neurons comprise the basis for all higher learning and creative advancement.

I am a network of interactions between scientific disciplines. My academic path might at first appear disconnected; I hopped from computational quantum mechanics to laser microscopy to observational astrophysics during the summers of my undergraduate studies. But my interest really lies in what links these disciplines together: the universality of fundamental physical and mathematical laws, which can be applied to yield insights in diverse contexts, from X-ray binaries to lasers.

As my research career advances, I am particularly drawn to how biological systems have harnessed physics to remarkable ends. Human learning; the efficiency of photosynthesis; evolution; the miracle of the self-assembly of proteins and nucleic acids ... like distinct concertos written for the same orchestra, each of these phenomena connects the same beautiful principles that make stars burn, and I want to find the musical scores.

My interdisciplinary curiosity was nurtured by the deeply formative mentorship of several professors. I would never have considered research if I hadn't been encouraged by my first summer project supervisor, Kevin Beach, after class one day. And I would not have applied for graduate school if my final summer research supervisor, Professor Craig Heinke (physics)-who went above and beyond by coaching me to publish as an undergraduate-hadn't pointed me to a master's scholarship he thought I could get. I was shaped by the belief and support my cross-disciplinary mentors offered, and because of them, I went on to obtain a doctorate degree from and am now pursuing biophysical research as a .

I am also a network of interactions between sciences and humanities. The first scientists were also philosophers, and remaining philosophically and ethically literate is vital for scientists. Among U¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥'s great strengths is its provision of freedom to have robust philosophical debates (particularly with those who disagree with you), and its requirement for scientists to engage with the arts. I vividly recall escaping to the Education building's music practice rooms-which were once open to all-to play piano, sing, and write music between quantum mechanics and electrodynamics lectures. Maintaining my artistic pursuits during a highly technical degree was vital for spurring new ways of thinking and contextualizing my research.

I will continue to strengthen and expand my network of interactions-scientific, artistic, personal, and spiritual-as my life continues, and will always reflect with gratitude on the latitude I was given to do so by the ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥.