汤米·文·金

“22物理

[My 菠菜网lol正规平台 professor] gave me the courage that I had been longing for to pursue 物理. Every day since then, I have been very grateful for the opportunity to pursue what 我真的爱.

One day, while riding the bus to campus, 汤米·文·金, ‘22 Physics, discovered his 对量子物理的热爱. 

“I was reading about symmetry in physical laws — a principle that underpins quantum 物理. It struck me how conservation laws and physical symmetries, two fundamentally different concepts in 物理, are mathematically the same,” Chin explained.

“That is the most beautiful feature of nature that I’ve come to appreciate so far 在我的生命中. I was in awe as I exited the bus at my stop. That next semester, I took my first quantum 物理 course.” 

Chin’s journey to studying quantum 物理 at San José State began in his home country 马来西亚. 

“My parents only expected the best version of myself — never the best among others. When I was 15, the peace and happiness in my family shattered when my dad passed away 从中风开始. It was then that I first realized our scientific knowledge of nature 是不完整的. 

“Filled with ambition, I immigrated to the United States al一个. 我和叔叔住在一起 in San Bernardino, California, while completing 12th grade at a local high school.”

But over time the relationship with his uncle’s household became toxic and abusive, 他分享. School became his escape from it all, and he poured everything he had into academic success — eventually earning a 4.0的绩点.

“When applying to college, I was confused as to how the application process would work — especially how I would explain my foreign transcript to the admissions committee. Unlike the other universities I applied to, San José State had an undergraduate admissions team that was extremely accommodating. They reached out to work things out with me. This is a great display of 菠菜网lol正规平台’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, which made my decision to come to San José State really easy.”

Chin knew he liked 物理 before he came to 菠菜网lol正规平台, but he lacked the confidence to 把它作为一门专业. So he chose to study aerospace engineering at first. 

But he couldn’t escape his passion, especially in his 物理 classes, where he often felt “suspense in between lectures and demonstrations, like it was a theatrical experience.” 

Combine that with a conversation with Liam Stanton, assistant professor of mathematics and statistics, after Chin’s math class 一个 day. 

“Dr. Stanton asked about my interests and goals, and he gave me the courage that I had been longing for to pursue 物理. Every day since then, I have been very grateful for the opportunity to pursue what 我真的爱.”

Thanks to support from Christopher Smallwood, assistant professor of 物理 and astronomy, Chin applied and was accepted to the Cal-Bridge program, funded by the National 科学 Foundation, which prepares historically underrepresented students from the California State University system for doctoral programs in 物理 and astronomy at University of 加州大学. 

“The program provides mentorship, workshops on the graduate application process and on academic/research skills, summer research opportunities, scholarships, and a huge support network,” Chin noted.

Even at the undergraduate level, Chin is in the lab. He’s helping Smallwood unearth secrets of quantum 物理 by studying atom-sized flaws in diamonds — experience that will help prepare him for a PhD and a career in academic research.

“The opportunity to learn something new in 物理 is what drives me,” Chin said. “The process of research projects often involves learning bits and pieces of the 物理 到处都是. The most interesting and exciting part for me is when all these little pieces fit together seamlessly and tell a cohesive story.”