“One begins to realize that problems worth solving are also problems that can’t simply be answered by asking Siri.”
Casimir Kuzyk
- Degree:
- Master of Applied Science
- Grad year: 2019
- Program:
- Campus: Vancouver
Casimir has shown a great aptitude for entrepreneurial activities during his time as a master’s student in electrical and computer engineering at UBC. His research project AweSEM is based on developing a scanning electron microscope (SEM) for about 100 times less than the cost of a commercial SEM. By using frugal engineering concepts, he and his team aim to make high resolution imaging technology more accessible to students, researchers and clinics around the world. He has participated in the e@UBC Lean Launch Pad program, and was a finalist in the Innovation on Board, RBC Get Seeded, and UN World Challenge Challenge competitions. On top of his entrepreneurial activities, Casimir strives to give back to the UBC community by acting as the Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Student Association (ECEGSA) VP Social Internal, and volunteering for the Canadian Engineering Education Association conference, UBC Applied Science Turkey Trot, and Science Rendezvous.
ECE Graduate Student Association Canadian Engineering Education Association
Tell me about your experience in engineering. What have you learned that is most valuable?
Throughout my work experience, courses and graduate studies, the most valuable thing I’ve learned is how to ask the right questions.
One begins to realize that problems worth solving are also problems that can’t simply be answered by asking Siri. Not only is it important to ask the right questions to your peers and professors, but also to Google. It is easy to convince yourself that the world is flat if you are asking the wrong questions to begin with.
Where do you find your inspiration?
I am inspired by the unknown. I imagine that a reality in which all questions have been answered would be a terribly boring one. You could say that “Curiosity killed the Cas[imir].”
I hope that AweSEM can help inspire curiosity in the generations to come. By looking under an electron microscope, many questions are answered, but at the same time, many more questions arise. When I was around the age of 10, I was given a small optical microscope. I would spend my days simply looking at the microscopic structure of different household items, amazed at the world I had previously been so ignorant of when it was right under my nose the whole time.
