1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,000 [Music] 2 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:17,000 Gabriel off-screen: My name is Gabriel Apaza, I live in Northdale, Michigan 3 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:24,000 I am currently attending Michigan State University getting a major in computer science and engineering 4 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:27,500 and I'm minoring in mathematics and I'm a rising senior. 5 00:00:27,500 --> 00:00:28,680 [Music] 6 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:33,000 My name is Philip Lu, I grew up in Hacienda Heights, California. 7 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:36,250 and right now I'm actually going to UCLA for my PhD in physics. 8 00:00:36,250 --> 00:00:37,500 [Music] 9 00:00:37,500 --> 00:00:41,790 I've been playing classical piano probably since about the age of six. 10 00:00:41,790 --> 00:00:48,200 and I've been taking lessons from a local piano teacher until I was about 16 years old. 11 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:51,050 I started learning piano when I was about four 12 00:00:51,050 --> 00:00:56,400 and I had a piano teacher teacher until I was maybe 13 or so. 13 00:00:56,400 --> 00:01:04,360 but then I decided to just focus on my studies more, so I stopped taking lessons but I've been playing ever since. 14 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:08,300 Gabriel off-screen: As a Goddard intern I'm working on a project called TAT-C 15 00:01:08,300 --> 00:01:12,000 which stands for the Tradespace Analysis Tool for Communications 16 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:20,000 and that's just an application that allows end users to decide which space mission is best for what they want to accomplish 17 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:24,300 and my role personally on that project is I'm a software architect 18 00:01:24,300 --> 00:01:33,600 so I just use different design patterns to put together different pieces of software that makes the application easier to maintain and easier to use. 19 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:39,300 The most exciting part about this project is actually seeing the project implemented into real life 20 00:01:39,300 --> 00:01:43,270 and seeing real science being used with TAT-C. 21 00:01:43,270 --> 00:01:45,200 [Music] 22 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:47,500 Philip off-screen: my project is on microlensing 23 00:01:47,500 --> 00:01:52,600 so microlensing is based on the principle that gravity bends light around it. 24 00:01:52,600 --> 00:02:00,000 So when you have a star or planet, move in front of another star, it makes the star behind it brighter. 25 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:06,100 and by just looking at how well it gets magnified we can infer characteristics of the planet or the star 26 00:02:06,100 --> 00:02:16,320 and it's really cool because we can perhaps find earthlike exoplanets which are planets orbiting around other stars besides the Sun in our galaxy. 27 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:18,740 [Music] 28 00:02:18,740 --> 00:02:25,820 Gabriel off-screen: Whenever I'm working or coding I always like to have music playing in the background, specifically classical music. 29 00:02:25,820 --> 00:02:32,380 I feel as if music that has set patterns in it, that I can recognize, really helps stimulate my subconscious 30 00:02:32,380 --> 00:02:37,500 and it helps me find answers to problems that I wouldn't be able to solve otherwise. 31 00:02:37,500 --> 00:02:47,800 Gabriel off-screen: Each composer has their own different style and a pattern that's recognizable just like how in different branches of math they have different patterns that you can see. 32 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:58,200 and I can always go to the piano to just play and kind of de-stress a little bit, and it definitely helps me solve problems. 33 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:03,400 Philip off-screen: Classical piano and mathematics both present similar types of problems. 34 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:18,000 Both types of problems requires a similar kind of problem solving and when you find that elegant solution it feels great whether or not it’s mathematics or piano. 35 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:29,300 It’s also nice to have a second creative outlet, because when I’m stuck on a math problem I just feel like I’m in a rut and I can just go blow off some steam and play some piano and vice versa. 36 00:03:29,300 --> 00:03:36,750 I also like having music whenever I do some coding or do some grading because it really keeps me invigorated 37 00:03:36,750 --> 00:03:43,900 [Music coming to a close] 38 00:03:43,900 --> 00:03:54,468 [Satellite passing, beeping]