Student Spotlight Archives - Page 3 of 4

Student Spotlight

Michael’s Movember Musings

Michael Geuenich ’20 tells us about his recently published opinion piece in the newspaper and what’s in store for life post-grad.

What’s your Question?

How can Machine Learning help understand the Human Genome?

What’s your favourite thing about Quest?

Definitely the amount of time I get to spend with my mentor and other faculty, all of whom are experts in their respective fields.

What are your Keystone plans?

I’m working on a project where we are researching two genes that are involved with a rare disease called Shwachman-Diamond syndrome. The goal is to finish this by April, so I hope to have time for a whole other project too—stay tuned for the details!

You recently published an opinion piece in the Squamish Chief. How did that come about?

The Life Sciences concentration classes I took last term really got me to rediscover my love for writing, so this summer I thought about what I might like to write about next. Given that the Movember movement was just around the corner, I decided to write about cancer awareness campaigns and how we privilege some cancers over others. I pitched the idea to the Squamish Chief, they liked it, and it got published.

How did you become interested in cancer research?

By taking Life Sciences classes, reading papers and news articles on the subject. Cancer biology is super cool and every time I read about it, I get fascinated. Overall though, it was a very gradual process and there is not really a specific moment that stands out.

Have you ever participated in Movember?

I have not. Actually, it turns out I’m not a fan of growing my beard for longer than a couple of weeks! I might make an exception for this November though.

Aside from growing a moustache, how else can we contribute to the cause?

You can always donate to one of many non-profits that support cancer research. Alternatively, you can keep informed and spread awareness in general.

Anything planned for life after Quest?

Currently, the plan is to get a PhD in computational biology.

Faculty Feature

Presenting at a Prestigious AI Conference

Mathematics Tutor Dr. Richard Hoshino and student Maximilian Kahn ‘19 share exciting news about publishing a paper and going to the annual Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) Conference.

Quest Mathematics Tutor Richard Hoshino attended the annual Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) Conference in New Orleans this year along with 16 students. Two of those students, Max Notarangelo ’19 and Maximilian Kahn ’19, co-wrote papers with Richard that were accepted for the upcoming AAAI 2019 in Honolulu!

“The annual AAAI Conference is easily the most prestigious AI conference in the world, where the world’s top AI researchers submit papers to be presented,” said Richard. “The prestige of AAAI comes from its historically low acceptance rate of papers (usually around 20 to 25%, although it was only 16% this year).”

During the conference, a professor who created an original game called “Birds of a Feather” proposed an Undergraduate Research Challenge for students to analyze this original game, to be presented at AAAI 2019.

For Maximilian Kahn, the AAAI Conference was an eye-opening and mind-expanding experience.

“Seeing what leading researchers were working on—everything from generating pop music using neural networks to creating machines with imagination—made me realize that there are a lot of exciting things we can do with AI in addition to self-driving cars,” he said. “One of the reasons why I am such a big fan of AI is because of the versatility the field offers. For the pragmatists there is machine learning, which can be used to solve problems such as identifying malignant tumours in patients, traffic scheduling, and facial recognition.”

But AI offers a lot more, according to Maximilian.

“There are more foundational areas that can be explored that will excite the theorist, such as defining the notion of causality,” he said. “That is to say, we as humans have an intuitive notion of what causality is, but how can we imbue within AI this same notion? The answer is we have to make ‘causality’ mathematically rigorous.”

Maximilian said he originally hadn’t thought about penning a research paper.

“At first I was not planning on submitting anything because I didn’t think I would meet the submission deadline, but I decided to send a draft of the paper to Richard anyway and he advised that I submit it to the conference,” he said. “While the paper was accepted, it was also torn apart by the reviewers, and so Richard was instrumental in helping me reconstruct the paper to fit the standards of EAAI and ultimately turn it into something I am extremely proud of.”

Maximilian said he would not be attending the AAAI2019 Conference in Honolulu, but he would have Hoshino present his paper.

“I unfortunately will not be able to make it to the conference in Honolulu this year, but Richard has kindly said that he will present the paper on behalf of both of us,” he said. “Richard and I will be presenting our research at the Canadian Mathematical Society’s Winter Meeting in Vancouver this December.”

Max Notarangelo is currently in Budapest on exchange this semester, so he will not be at the Mathematical Society event. He will present his paper, along with Hoshino, in Honolulu.

You can view the research papers here.

Student Spotlight

Advocating for the Natural Environment Through Art

Mathias Horne ’19 gives us the details on why he chose Quest, some of the ways he’s involved in the community, and tells us about his art.

What’s your Question?

How can we tell stories through visual art?

Why Quest?

The way Quest classes are structured aligned with my desire to incorporate my artistic practice and visual thinking into different academic disciplines and student-led initiatives.

Keystone plans?

My Keystone is an illustrated book revolving around endangered species in Canada. The project aims to create dialogue around various populations adapting to life in urban environments.

Tell us about your art.

Through my artwork, I try to bring the outside in, to create a dialogue between the natural environment and our modern existence, while presenting the viewer an honest lens. I see my creations not only as stories. They also serve as a tool for reflecting upon the ways human nature has an everlasting impact on our surroundings.

You’re featured at the UBC Hatch Gallery, right?

The UBC Climate Hub approached me through Instagram as they were looking for local artists to showcase in their “Climate Solutions” exhibition at the Hatch Gallery. They felt my advocacy artwork aligned with the show’s vision and invited me to be a part of the project.

In what ways are you involved in the local art community?

I’ve had the privilege to be involved with a multitude of different organizations and institutions around the Sea to Sky. This includes working three years at the Audain Art Museum in Whistler as a summer student in the education and curatorial departments. I have close association with the Squamish and Whistler Arts Councils, and have participated in various events to engage with the artistic community.

I recently worked on some graphic design projects in collaboration with Bike Magazine. In my free time, I am often asked to create commission works for friends, colleagues and institutions within the corridor. Currently, some of my commissions and donations are displayed in Garibaldi Highlands Elementary, Howe Sound Secondary School, Quest and UBC.

Student Spotlight

Creative Student Invents Board Game

Kika MacFarlane ’19 talks about the game she invented as part of her Keystone.

What’s your Question?

“How do we design play?” I’ve been focusing on product design, social psychology and mathematics.

Why Quest?

I was in love with the idea of an interdisciplinary education. I was caught between focusing on mathematics/engineering in my undergraduate degree, or pursuing art and design. At Quest, I saw the opportunity to pursue design and product engineering from many different academic fields, combining schools of thought in a way I wouldn’t be able to do anywhere else. Additionally, my parents both went to Colorado College, so I grew up hearing about the incredible ways the Block Plan improves learning and inspires engagement. I wouldn’t want to dive into a subject in any other way!

Tell us about HOOT.

Partly for my Keystone and also out of love, for the last year I’ve been working on a game I designed called Hoot. Hoot is a creative party game for 4 to 10+ players. Each round, one player is the judge. The other players use a randomly generated string of letters to create phrases that best fit a category card. For example, if the letters were Q-U-E-S-T, players could write “quit upsetting everybody’s soft tummies!” or “quilters undergo extra scary turbulence.”

The game always produces unique and ridiculous answers, and it’s different every time you play. My hope is to develop it into an app, as well. It’s been an amazing project because I designed every aspect, from gameplay to graphic design, but I also learned about product and business development, too.

Is it called HOOT because you like owls? It’s a hoot to play…? Or because you give a hoot?

Definitely because it’s a hoot to play…but also because it’s so easy to come up with HOOT acronyms! Hilarious Opportunities Often Turn-up!

How did you come up with the idea?

I came up with the idea when I did a study abroad program through one of our partner schools, the University of Wales Trinity St David. I spent a semester in Swansea studying product design. One of the projects was to create a board game! I’ve always loved witty word games. It took a lot of refining and testing with other exchange students, but eventually turned into something so fun I couldn’t stop working on it!

Hoot is also part of your Keystone? Details, please!

I’m researching how technology influences game play and group dynamics. What I’m particularly curious about is anonymity. It’s been shown that playing anonymously online can produce more aggressive and cruel behaviour because there is limited accountability.

In Hoot, there is opportunity to behave anti-normatively in the phrases that players write down. I am investigating, through original research, how technology would influence both the creativity and the anti-normativity, and how that affects game enjoyment. I hypothesis that playing Hoot anonymously online would lead to an increase in inappropriate phrases, but decrease in game enjoyment. I’m hoping to use my research findings to develop Hoot into an online app, but in a way that preserves creativity and enjoyment, and provides a safe environment that fosters play.

How can people support HOOT?

Right now, Hoot is on Kickstarter until November 10! By pledging $25, you can receive a copy of Hoot when it’s manufactured and shipped in March 2019. If you miss out on the Kickstarter, you can still pre-order at the same link. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1606534111/hoot-the-party-game-that-brings-out-your-witty-sid?ref=f5iyzh

Student Spotlight

Scholarship Tragedy Leads to Dream Come True

Nepalese student Cyrus Raj Gautam ‘22 talks about how losing a full scholarship to University of Texas at Tyler ended up making his dreams come true at Quest.

Tell us what happened with your scholarship to University of Texas at Tyler.

I chose to apply to UT Tyler because I knew someone studying there. I had high SAT scores, so I knew I could probably get a scholarship. As soon as I got my marks, I applied, and two weeks later I got an email telling me I had a full scholarship that would pay for everything except my health care.

I was so excited! I told everyone I knew. Then I got an email saying that it was a mistake, and they were revoking the scholarship.

You weren’t the only Nepalese student that this happened to, right?

They gave and then revoked scholarships for 60 students from Nepal. They said they had given more scholarships than they’d budgeted for.

That must have been very disappointing for you.

I was devastated. And worse, I had to go around and explain to all my family and everyone that I wasn’t going to UT Tyler now, and had lost the scholarship. I was so depressed.

How did you end up at Quest?

USEF Nepal, a group that deals with educational exchanges, contacted Ms. Joan Liu from UWCSEA Singapore, and she started this great movement to place every student in good universities. I had to submit a profile, which universities look at to see if students are a good fit. I joined the group a bit late, and they had already approached US colleges. By the time I started, the group was beginning to speak with Canadian universities.

Quest thought I would be a good fit, so I was offered the Presidential Scholarship and additional financial aid.

How did you feel about coming to Canada to study?

I was so happy and so excited. It was my dream to study in Canada, and Quest made it come true. I had already been thinking I wanted to do my Master’s in Canada.

How do you like it here so far?

In Nepal, we don’t usually talk to strangers. But I’ve found here everyone smiles at you and talks to you, even if they don’t know you. It took some time, but I’m getting used to it now. I really like it here at Quest!

Student Spotlight

Getting Involved at Quest

Yin Xzi Ho ’21 chats with us about why she chose Quest and how she has immersed herself in the community.

What’s your hometown?
I’m from Sungai Buloh, Malaysia, but grew up in Guangzhou, China from 2004-2014. I then moved back to Malaysia, where I graduated high school.

Why did you choose Quest?
I was looking for a small university, because I come from a small community. I was also looking for a school where you could let your passions guide your education. Small class sizes were also important to me.

What’s the best thing about the Block Plan?
I really enjoy the way you get to slightly re-wire your brain each block as you take in new information, and read books that you wouldn’t have read otherwise. You also get to have the most fascinating conversations with your friends, who are all taking different classes, as you explore the ways in which what you’re learning intersects.

You’re very involved with the Quest community. What do you do?
I am a Student Ambassador, so I work on campus, and give tours to visitors. I’m one of the creative directors for WERD, the student-run arts and culture magazine. I was also a co-director of visual arts for Cabaret, and performed a spoken word, as well. Just a lot of the art shows.

Tell us about the spoken word performance.
I performed spoken word while painting. It was my first time performing in front of such a large audience. The idea behind painting while speaking was that I wouldn’t have to look at the audience, because I could look at the painting. I did get more confident in speaking my poem by the end of rehearsals, and found that I had inadvertently made it harder for myself with the painting. During the performance, I was asking myself in my head “Why did I add this?”

What are your plans after Quest?
That’s the type of question you’re asked from the age of seven onward, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I know I wanted to be a writer from a young age, and that stayed with me until about the seventh grade. Later, after making videos and short films, I intended to be a filmmaker. However, multiple teachers have told me I would make a great teacher. A large part of me enjoys shaping communities, and teaching does ultimately help shape the community of the world. So I will likely go for a Master of Education.

Student Spotlight

On AI, Self-Driving Cars and More

Lars Laichter ‘19 tells us about his work with artificial intelligence, his conference presentation in Poland, and self-driving cars.

Tell us what you’ve been up to over the summer.
I worked with an LA-based studio to create an augmented reality experience about the risks of artificial intelligence for the Sundance Film Festival, which is the largest film festival in the US. My role was to research current topics in AI ethics and work closely with the script writers to work them into the story. When people think about the risks of AI, they often think about evil robots taking over the planet. The most interesting part of this job was to think about how we should portray AI in such a way that it actually reflects the capacity of existing AI technology, but at the same time not underestimate the risks it can pose to society.

What’s your Keystone about?
A big part of my summer was working on my Keystone. I am writing my Keystone on a theory of consciousness called Illusionism. This theory addresses why the functioning of our brain is accompanied by an experience. It claims that this experience is an illusion and therefore we can explain it through regular methods, such as those used in cognitive science or neuroscience. So, I’m figuring out whether we can describe such an illusion in computational terms.

You went to a conference in Poland. How was that?
I had the honour of presenting my work at the conference of the International Association for Computing and Philosophy in Poland this summer. I presented a paper that I wrote as part of my Experiential Learning last winter with a professor from the University of Sussex in the UK. The paper proposes how to better account for time in theory of computation.

And somehow you found time to work on self-driving automobiles…
Another project of mine this summer was compiling a bibliography on the ethics of autonomous systems. This was in collaboration with a professor from Budapest where I did my study abroad last year. The university is considering starting a new research centre on self-driving cars and so hopefully my work will help them to kick-start their research.

Why did you choose Quest?
I was interested in studying artificial intelligence from an interdisciplinary perspective. There are not many other places where I could get such a broad foundation covering so many disciplines relevant to artificial intelligence. Coming from the Czech Republic, where the education is still quite rigid, I am very grateful for the intellectual freedom that Quest has provided me.

What’s your Question?
How do we form a mind?

What do you plan to do after Quest?
I am applying for various graduate programs in philosophy.

Student Spotlight

On Learning Mandarin in Taiwan

Tam Hong Nguyen ’19 talks to us about doing a Language Immersion in Taiwan.

Q: Why did you choose Taiwan and Mandarin?

A: I was studying Mandarin in China when I was 12, but I was only studying it for practical purposes—like talking with friends or buying groceries. I could not write or read. I always longed to have a better foundation for the language. When I was in my 2nd year at Quest, a friend told me she went to Taiwan for three months and had a great time there. I knew I wanted to do it! I applied for a scholarship to study Mandarin in Taiwan for six months, and I got accepted.

Q: What challenges did you encounter?

So, I’ve shared that I went to China when I was a child. After coming back to my home country of Vietnam when I was 14, I forgot all my Mandarin! Returning as a college student, it was difficult even to order food and communicate with people. It took me a while to adapt to this new environment. I could not understand difficult topics and that’s one major weakness of mine. When I went to social events, it was difficult to even understand the texts or the posters. I think I missed a lot of interesting stuff.

Q: Was it exciting to live in Taiwan for a while?

It was exciting because I could experience another culture. I met a lot of new friends and joined the university’s table tennis club. I went to some championships and met a lot more people. It was super fun and memorable.

A: What was the biggest insight you got from your time there?

I realized it’s important to learn, but also not forget to meet and talk with people outside the university. I went to a lot of meet-ups during the time I was in Taiwan and it taught me a perspective I could not have learned in schools.

Q: Was there a specific moment that was especially important to you? Like a major lesson, or something interesting, either academic or non-academic?

I realized how important learning Mandarin is in these coming decades. People from all over the world are paying attention to China and Taiwan, and want to make good connections with these places. So it is definitely a good investment.

I also learned the best way to learn a language is to immerse yourself in that environment. You have a chance to learn so much about its culture when you study the language in that country.

Q: How do you think your Language Immersion will help you with career plans or further education?

This Language Immersion was during my gap year, so I had the time to think about my future directions. It helped me tremendously. Taiwan was also a great country, in which I feel a very strong sense of belonging. If given a chance, I will choose to live there.

Student Spotlight

Vasi Urvanova ’21 Checks in From Sweden

Vasi just got to Sweden for Study Abroad and has already met the mayor of Malmö. She tells us about the challenges and the fun of studying abroad.

Q: What made you choose Sweden for your Study Abroad?

A: I was looking for a place that would challenge me on the same level I have gotten used to at Quest. At the end, I picked Sweden because Malmö University was offering the most rigorous program in my area of interest, Peace and Conflict Studies.

Q: What’s the most surprising thing you’ve discovered?

A: The Swedish language! As a part of the introductory week I signed up for the Swedish language course and quickly realized that it is a language like no other I’ve studied before. Swedish has an intriguing combination of soft vowels and harsh consonants, forming sentences that are pronounced in a special manner, which the Swedish call “a melody”. Very, very interesting.

Q: Any challenges so far?

A: The most challenging part of my experience so far has been getting used to lectures. My program is a popular one, which means that my average class size is about 80-90 students (quite a contrast to the 20-student classrooms I am used to at Quest).

However, I brought my “Questie” mentality with me and on the first week of class formed a small study group of enthusiastic students. We meet once a week and discuss the readings and lectures.

Q: What subject are you studying?

A: I am in a program called “Peace and Conflict Studies 1”.

Q: What’s the funnest part of Study Abroad?

A: The funnest part has definitely been meeting all the people from around the world. Finding out different perspectives that we all have on the same topic is invaluable. Every day I am making friendships that cross cultural boundaries and which, I am sure, will last a lifetime.

Q: How will Study Abroad enrich your Quest experience?

A: When I come back to Quest in January I hope to be able to bring the knowledge I gained at Malmo to the classroom discussions as well as just every day interactions. I will also be recommending to take the opportunity of going on exchange to all of my friends.

Q: Any advice for students considering Study Abroad?

A: Yes! I’d tell them to go for it. Exchange is a big decision, but it is one of the best decisions you will make in life, I promise!

Student Spotlight

Claire MacMurray ’19

Quest student Claire MacMurray ’19 chats with us about her work with Alzheimer’s and how Quest is preparing her for the future.

Your paper about Alzheimer’s is complex and detailed. What’s the main takeaway for our readers?

My lab has developed an antibody that targets both of the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s, which sets this therapy apart and could lead to an effective treatment.

How did you become interested in Alzheimer’s?

Alzheimer’s affects about 44 million people worldwide and over 700,000 in Canada. We need significant research to cure, treat, and prevent it. It’s an area that’s important, and where I can contribute.

What are some challenges in Alzheimer’s research?

Alzheimer’s doesn’t occur in any animals besides humans, which is why we need to genetically engineer mice to express the pathology. Unfortunately, that limits the study of Alzheimer’s, and might explain why some therapies that worked in animals don’t work when tested in humans. Our understanding of the brain is also pretty minimal.

What’s something you’d want people to know about Alzheimer’s?

This is speculation, but I really believe we can be proactive about our brain health. There’s so much we don’t know about brain function, but that’s no reason to disregard the evidence that does exist, or to think the situation is hopeless. We can choose lifestyles that limit our exposure to things that might promote inflammation (e.g. stress). We can read the research. And we can stay talkative.

When I say talkative, I mean two things. First, I use daily conversation to share what I’m doing in the lab, or what I’ve recently read, and this helps demystify the science. Second, social interaction may play a huge role in maintaining cognitive function, especially as we age.

At the molecular level, feeling connected is pretty darn transformative.

In what ways is Quest preparing you for future work in your field?

It boils down to taking ownership of my education, such as writing my Question: making a goal explicit and visualizing how I might achieve it.

During my first summer in the lab, my intentions were clear, and that’s because Question really encouraged me to take time to think. My mentor, Marina Tourlakis, was also invaluable! Quest stresses the power of thinking critically and creatively, which are both crucial to scientific progress.

Why did you choose Quest?

I chose Quest because of the academic program, the size of the school, and the location.

When you’re not in the lab, what do you do for fun?

I really love to go grocery shopping with my best mates, Max and Kris. They’re just the best. That, or spend time in the woods.