Whiz kid from Indonesia earns master’s at University of Waterloo in physics at 17 – Waterloo Region Record

WATERLOO Cendikiawan Suryaatmadja of Indonesia is taking a break this summer before starting his PhD.

The 17-year-old is the third-youngest person in University of Waterloos history to graduate with a masters degree in physics, and he dreams about using the fundamental building blocks of the physical world to make it better.

I still have a long way to go, said Suryaatmadja during an interview at the Dana Porter Library on campus.

His research will focus on quantum information theory using quantum physics to manage the flow of information.

I think it is a very important field of physics, said Suryaatmadja. Its new, its emerging.

UW is a leading centre of research on quantum information theory, and the next generation of supercomputers that will use that research quantum computers.

You are essentially looking at things from the most fundamental and simplest level, and you just start to build a whole structure out of it, said Suryaatmadja.

After almost six years in Canada, Suryaatmadja is still not used to the changing weather and the need for so many clothes. He misses the warm, consistent weather of his home and the flavourful food of Indonesia.

Even a simple meal can have 12 to 14 spices, oh man, said Suryaatmadja. Im not saying the food in Canada is bad, but you guys use a lot of butter.

He also misses his family, and tries to speak with them every week. But he likes the diversity of Canada, especially around the UW campus.

You meet people with different ideas, different cultures, different perspectives, said Suryaatmadja. It really helps you think more critically, it really helps you get exposed to thoughts that are different from your own. I think Canada excels at that.

He grew up in Bogor, a city south of Jakarta on the Indonesian Island of Java. His first language is Indonesian, and Suryaatmadja taught himself English.

When Suryaatmadja started elementary school he was placed in Grade 3. After Grade 4 he studied on his own, and was recruited by UW when he was 12. Four years later he had completed a bachelors degree in mathematical physics with a minor in pure mathematics. It took more than a year to complete the masters and his PhD will also be done at UW.

Jeff Casello, UWs associate vice-president of graduate studies and post-doctoral affairs, calls Suryaatmadjas academic accomplishments remarkable.

Having the academic skills and personal drive to earn a masters degree at age 17 reflects a level of accomplishment that is incredibly rare, said Casello.

Suryaatmadja laughs at how it came about. He pressed the wrong button in the elevator at the institute in Bogor where he studied and prepared for math competitions. He walked off the elevator and into the arms of two UW recruiters Jean Lowry and Ken Seng Tan.

I just talked to them actually, said Suryaatmadja. This was before I graduated from high school.

At this point, he looks forward to a life of research that breaks new ground in physics and quantum information theory.

I just want to be a researcher. I dont know where. Lets see where things go. I still have a lot of time to make plans.

During the past six years hes joined many clubs on campus, and enjoys doing improv. He likes watching TV shows and movies that are comedies, or Sci-Fi blockbusters such as Dune and Blade Runner 2049. He enjoys Manga, DC Comics and books by Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett and graphic novels by Grant Morrison.

And I like walking a lot, especially in this weather, said Suryaatmadja.

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Whiz kid from Indonesia earns master's at University of Waterloo in physics at 17 - Waterloo Region Record