Year 12 student based in Sydney, Australia. Intending to study physics at university.
I used MEEP (MIT Electromagnetic Equation Propagation) to computationally simulate the frequency shift in an electromagnetic wave caused by a change in refractive index at a temporal boundary.
This was a very fun, self-directed project, completed as part of my Year 12 Science Extension course. I hope the larger idea behind it could contribute to free space holographic projection technology in the future.
When I was in Year 8, ChatGPT was released. Since then school has fundamentally changed. The use of AI by myself and by my peers began affecting how we learn, and I started to wonder whether the education system was properly preparing my generation for a workforce completely reformed by artificial intelligence.
Instead of standing by, I took action. I spoke at a teachers conference in the city about my experience and my plans, then launched a summit at my school with a fellow classmate, gathering over 100 students from across the area alongside members of academia, industry, government and education to discuss how AI is shaping education and how we as students can best prepare for the future. We recorded everything said on the day and summarised it into an open letter, which we presented to embassies, MPs, senators and ministers in Canberra, with additional engagements in the Parliament of New South Wales.
This venture is my largest to date. It taught me a great deal about leadership, coordinating people and resources, resolving conflicts, meeting with important people and engaging with significant global problems.
As part of my Year 10 science syllabus I researched the use of machine learning to identify the economic viability of mining asteroids in the solar system for materials and fuel.
The conclusion: it is very hard to make viable with the parameters I used. It did teach me a lot about space and about scaling research projects. The project went on to place in the top 36 projects nationally for Years 7 to 12 that year, and was awarded a category prize for sustainability.
In Year 11 I worked to develop a novel microgravity testing method, using a vehicle under rocket thrust dropping through the atmosphere. Development and testing covered chemical tests, 3D printing, microcontroller programming, soldering and wiring, power management and mechanical design.
The project grew enormously in complexity and cost, leading to its eventual termination. Before that, I was a finalist for Australian Teenpreneur of the Year, awarded by Young Change Agents.
It was a lot of fun, and it grew my ability to approach problems and manage complex technical architectures.
After being accepted into this highly selective work experience program on the basis of previous 3D modelling and content work, I spent a week in Year 10 at Animal Logic on the Disney Studios Australia lot in the Entertainment Quarter.
The experience was unbelievably exciting and taught me a lot about the visual effects, animation and film industry. It also helped me decide not to pursue a career in the field directly.