In the beautiful language of mathematics lies the representation of the world and the universe. Quantities discovered by mankind that have evolved into descriptors of everything—from the spasmic projectile movements of quantum particles tangling rhythmically with each other to gargantuan black holes churning with radiation and power unfathomable. Humanity’s growth in mathematics unravels the nature of the universe from an unobservable mess into precise and calculated answers. Take Newton’s F=MA equation for example. Net Force equals Mass times Acceleration. A seemingly simple equation that allows physicists to calculate the relation between an object’s mass, force, and acceleration. Yet, as I dive deep into the physics of my classroom, I realize that even the most complicated equations and expressions I touch are merely hypotheticals, unable to reckon with the reality’s of this universe. Yet, in the microcosm of physics I explore, I realize it’s potential. There’s power in math. There’s potency in physics. There’s strength in us—in humanity. As we explore these fields, we explore the unknown and venture into what we do not know. Mathematics and physics doesn’t simply allow us to understand our universe through a scientific lens, but rather gives us the opportunity to predict the future of our universe. Understanding the hidden and beautiful language of mathematics propels us into the future. What does understanding the universe ultimately mean? To me—the universe, by the very nature of itself, is all that exists, will exist, and every fact, equation, or principle that governs the world. Understanding our universe can not and does not mean understanding everything that happens on Earth. No. Understanding our universe is principally understanding everything on Earth and beyond. It is grasping into the inner workings of atoms, the evolution of life, the chemistry that creates a soul, the exploration of string theory, heat death, and more. Our universe is gigantic—and our approach to learning about our world must also be gigantic. We must move past our tiny perceived notions of what reality is and what limitations define us on Earth. Only then can we understand the universe at its most infinitesimal scale. At this point, you must be wondering, why is understanding the universe even important? There’s two main aspects I want to cover why this is important and integral to the advancement of humanity. Number 1: The practical reason. Expanding our understanding of our universe, even to a degree of 1% or less, today would have dramatic implications for our world and society. Our world is built on the equations of our predecessors. Our technology remains limited because of what we know. But today, our technology already demonstrates the potency of what we know. New regenerative medicine can heal 3rd degree skin burns, vaccines have saved millions of lives and billions to come, transportation has decreased travel times from never being able to go from point a to point b, to months, to now hours. All around us, improvements in our understanding has meant the betterment of the human condition and the path towards maximizing human life experience. Now imagine humanity having a 1% increase in our overall understanding of the universe. The impact would be monumental. This could mean dozens of new equations to describe the laws of physics improving our understanding of the universe, it could mean new technologies surpassing what we can even fathom. Moore’s law can remain constant with new discoveries in quantum computing. Artificial Intelligence can reach singularity status even quicker. All these different technologies remain in our grasp as long as we continue seeking answers. It’s hard to even describe the potential that exists because all we know is that the future is unknown—yet that’s what we will seek. The unknown is our calling and we will answer its call. That calling becomes the second reason for the importance of understanding the universe: fulfilling humanity’s untenable yet rapacious desire for knowledge. It’s no surprise humanity has enshrined itself as the seeker of knowledge. From our days as cavemen we sought answers. A recent documentary I saw described gossip as a tool to survive. Gossip helps us learn who to trust, who not to trust, and makes our chances of survival higher. We’ve always wanted answers for why things happen. When we peer into the night sky, we’re greeted by a seemingly endless supply of blinking lights far off—untouchable and unreachable. And only glimpses of far away systems, worlds, nebulae, and galaxies. Yet a certain quality emerges from that night sky: a lonely beauty—a beauty that we know we are all alone in an endless battle against entropy and the cooling of the universe. Nevertheless, we get to enjoy the view of cosmic interplay, stars mingling and tugging at each other, gravitational wars, and our home—the solar system. From millions of years ago when Dinosaurs roamed to the future humans and animals will see the same stars that we see today. It’s a testament to the beauty of space regardless of time and place. And that beauty is a beacon of hope knowing that the next physicist, innovator and inventor could help solve the puzzle of space and its mysteries. Our calling in our short time on this planet is to be the next person to add a piece that fits in the puzzle. Regardless of attempt and failure, humanity will continue to seek answers to what we do not know—all for the simple reason for fulfilling our desire for understanding in this world. It’s my mission and it’s yours too, and together we will unlock the door to our universe. So the question then becomes what steps do we need to take to actualize this monumental goal? There’s no one-size-fits all key that unlocks the most discreet door to the answers we are looking for and even then there’s no one door to open that answers everything we’re looking for. Instead, it's a multitude of keys intermingling with an array of doors that slowly builds upon each other. But I contend the “keys” we’re looking for comes from everyone's own thirst for knowledge. For me this means to go into the extent of human knowledge and have the curiosity and drive to do so, even when they become challenging. It means taking one more step even when it becomes hard. In my neuroscience research with Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel, it means reading and analyzing one more paper even when I don’t want to. It means analyzing the sleep spindles tediously, finding the different biomarkers that affect Alzheimer’s Disease after long hours of research already and schoolwork piling up. It means crafting the perfect abstract and proposal for my paper and data collection. Finding the secrets of the universe comes when I’m able to grasp the basics. When I explore physics, it means fully understanding the concepts of normal force, centripetal acceleration, and the motions of objects when forces are applied. Physics, grasped at a fundamental level, means understanding how our world works and how to predict the future. The most important aspect of all learning is…to keep trying. Only with a strong resolve to find answers, will I be able to find solutions. There have been many times I’ve wanted to shut my laptop down, stop reading the latest research on neuroscience, put down the pencil and scroll on Instagram, but when I prevent my urges of comfort and seek challenges—that’s how I ultimately become more aware of the nuances and discrepancies of the world around me. The second key to the door we’re seeking is collaboration. Each of us must work together to build upon a common foundation and branch off to create our own discoveries and contributions towards a unified goal. This is exactly why research is so vital—because talented scientists across the globe can build upon each other’s work and create solutions to address the biggest issues plaguing humanity. No one can solve an issue by themselves, but together—together we have a chance to do so. The universe and all of its mysteries is the invisible force driving humanity forward—forcing ourselves to ask questions, seek answers, and embrace curiosity. There’s a humanistic desire to do the impossible and indeed there’s no limitation to what we can achieve. When we grasp each other and work together—hand in hand—we will solve the impossible. We will unify quantum mechanics with general relativity, we will reckon quarks with black holes, and we will discover what happens in humanity’s next chapter of exploration. I beckon everyone to be bold and seek the impossible.