As a World Science Scholar, I got an opportunity to interact with scientists like Brian Greene, a professor at Columbia University, Blavatnik National Award Laureate Andrea Alù, and Dominic Bowman, a senior postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute of Astronomy at KU Leuven in Belgium.

 

I even had the privilege of asking a few questions to Brian Greene about relativity and quantum mechanics, including one about why length contraction doesn't occur perpendicular to the motion of an object. His insightful answer, which used proof by contradiction involving a train and a tunnel, significantly improved my understanding of the subject.

 

In another course, I came to know about perfect lenses and materials with negative refractive indices which were counterintuitive to my understanding of refraction and the speed of light in different materials. It truly surprised me!

 

In yet another course, I learned about starquakes and exoplanets which intrigued me because it seemed that stars were not as unpredictable as I imagined.