Tell us about your journey of becoming a senior physics editor for the Young Scientists Journal.
It all started when I was just playing around with some equations in quantum physics and came up with something original. I was wondering if there was any journal that would publish the research of a young student. Luckily, I found the Young Scientists Journal, which is run by students and publishes the research of students like me. It works on a peer review system, and my articles were accepted and published. People were contacting me to talk about my research. Soon, I joined them as an outreach member. Later, I became the junior physics editor and then the senior physics editor. My job was to review the many articles submitted to the journal. I also did plagiarism checks. Considering I want to pursue a career in research, this experience would be invaluable to me.
You are a young member of the New York Academy of Sciences.
I applied for this academy, got accepted, and started working on some new projects with students from different countries. It was a rewarding experience. Now some people I know actually were not accepted to the Academy, and were disheartened. To them I would say that in today’s world connected by the Internet, no one can prevent you from finding like-minded individuals and start working on a research project online. You don’t need the New York Academy of Sciences for that. Of course, being a member gives us access to some very interesting Academy webinars and things like that. But other than that, you are not missing much.
You are the founder of the Journal of Young Physicists.
The Journal of Young Physicists is a non-profit physics blog I founded, where anyone can submit articles on physics for review and publication. I always felt that young students interested in physics should have a platform to express their ideas, not necessarily to publish original research, but just to play with the concepts, explain the topics in their own unique way. I founded this organisation primarily for this reason. We review the articles submitted to us, and if the article passes the review, we publish it. The JYP’s primary objective is to communicate physics to a broad audience in a fun and engaging manner.
Writing happens to be one of your passions. What got you into writing?
From a very young age, I loved reading fiction, popular science, etc. Then I started writing poetry and short stories. But I had always dreamt of writing a popular science book. My interest in physics was mainly sparked by reading popular science books. These books can really be a great inspiration, and I loved reading them. Not as demanding as textbooks, but still interesting and not outdated. As I grew up, I started writing notes on quantum mechanics, one of my main interests in physics. Then I thought of converting this collection of notes into a book. But there is no shortage of quantum mechanics textbooks in the market, and so I decided to write about the journey of physics, from Newton’s days to today, with metaphysical discussions on consciousness and the fundamental nature of reality. “Our Physics So Far is, in fact, my first serious book, which I published a few months ago. I am currently working on a second book which will be purely metaphysical. I also like to write short stories – detective, sci-fi, etc. and poetry. But just a bit. I am not very good at fiction and poetry.
Other than physics, what other things are you working on?
I am into music. I have my own YouTube channel, Arpan Amplified. I have released about 10 original songs and an album. It started when I turned my previously written poems into songs. Afterwards, I started looking for artists and singers to collaborate with online. So, I write the songs and I produce the music too sometimes, and the vocalists sing the songs. My debut album is titled Unsettled bliss’, after my song Unsettled bliss’ which is about mental health issues. My other hobbies include making educational videos for my YouTube channel, researching nihilism, and watching aviation and wildlife content.
Who is your inspiration and who do you look up to?
I am inspired by a lot of people: scientists, philosophers, musicians, etc. In science, I am perhaps most inspired by the works of Erwin Schrodinger, the quantum physicist who wrote “What Is Life?”, an amazing book on biology from a physics perspective. In music my inspiration is Alan Walker. And above all, in life, I am very much inspired by my father, who has always taught me honesty and guided me in all my endeavours as a great parent and philosopher, and my mother. I am no less inspired by my amazing teachers, who also supported me very much, and my relatives and friends.
If there is one thing in this world you would want to change, what would it be?
There are many things that need to be changed in today’s world. But if I could change just one thing about the world, it would be poverty. So many talented young people in India cannot pursue education due to poverty, and are forced to live the life they never wanted to live. It is just too unfair. Of course, I am not an economist, and I can do nothing about it. But I would want to see poverty eradicated from the world if that is the last thing I do. My father’s field of study is economics, and we occasionally discuss issues such as poverty, but that’s about it.
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