Albert Yang

Hometown: Taiyuan, China

Three favorite Physics courses and why:

• Ph 11: a truly unique class. It changed how I thought about physics philosophically and presented to me how to approach a seemingly complex problem;
• Ph 125bc: Professor Cliff Cheung is super energetic and explains the illuminating concepts of quantum mechanics in a super clear and intuitive way;
• Ph 205: Professor Mark Wise makes quantum field theory an extremely engaging class with his humor. He doesn't shy away from pointing out difficulties in learning/formulating quantum field theory.

Labs or projects you have worked in/on during your time at Caltech: I have worked with Professor Rob Phillips on nonequilibrium phenomena in biology for 3 years. Recently, we have been thinking about the energetics of establishing and maintaining a gradient from which organisms extract information. The seemingly simple problem leads to deep questions about the quantitative role of energy out of equilibrium and whether biology follows any minimization principle.

Hobbies outside of academics: I am the president of Caltech Badminton Club!

Favorite study spot/s on campus: I like the study area on the second floor of Chen.

What drew you to Physics as an option? I want to understand how the amazing nature works fundamentally.