You know the drill, long ramblings at the start, school rep updates at the end.

My first winter experience resembled a distorted reality. You don't appreciate how students contribute to the vibrancy of the campus until they're gone. Entering communal spaces felt like an unsolicited trip to the back rooms. Thankfully, I had the privilege to free myself from the quiet madness and had a delightful holiday season with family. I hope you made joyful memories throughout the winter break as well. ??

Same, Kristen.

I love the New Year. Although the celebration of New Year's Day is not related to any natural phenomenon, it is a convenient milestone for self-reflection and setting intentions. Humour my geekiness and consider this analogy:

The most powerful laser to date is the 10 PW (petawatt) laser which equates to 10 million billion watts. For comparison, it has a power about one-tenth that of the sun! Mathematically, if an experiment uses 10PW pulses for durations of 25 fs (femtoseconds) or 25 millionth billionth seconds, the energy of the pulse is:

Energy = Power * Time

             = 10 * 10¹⁵ * 25 * 10^-15

             = 250 J

Only 250 J of energy is output. That is the amount of energy of an average person throwing a cricket ball! How is it possible to operate such a powerful device, with a power greater than all the national grids on Earth? The answer is that it runs for an extremely short time and does not require much energy!

A lot of people struggle with procrastination, myself included. How often do we mindlessly scroll through algorithm-generated memes about university while our work builds up? Time is our most valuable resource, and you command how you invest your time. 

It never ends...literally.

Here are some ways in which we can invest in ourselves for greater productivity in life:

• Setting goals and creating a plan to achieve them.
• Creating routines.
• Taking breaks.
• Taking advantage of technology to help us become more efficient.
• Learning something new every day.
• Spending time with people who inspire and motivate us.
• Taking responsibility for our personal growth and productivity.
• Being patient and staying on course.

The more intentional we are with our time, the more we unlock the power of our potential. Why shine your 10PW potential for just a moment? Give yourself permission to shine!

Think about it.

Speaking of goals, I shall lead by example and share some student-centred goals for this semester:

1. To hold regular meetings for SECAM student representatives to collaborate, share ideas, and support each other.
2. To foster connections between STEM societies and the SECAM student body. These societies participate in competitions, workshops, site visits, and networking events. The intent is to introduce students to communities where they can pursue aspects of their personal and professional development together. 
3. Launch a SECAM social media page to celebrate students and staff, support campaigns and promote school spirit. Doing something cool? Let us know!

Finally, we also welcomed two new people to the school rep team. Umar Tahir and Tharzana Thavaranjan are our deputy school reps! Excited to have them on board to help achieve these objectives!

Hooray! Yet another deadline, done and dusted!