Nicholas Larsen
B.Sc. Combined Honours in Physics & Astronomy, Minor in Computer Science
Nicholas has lived in British Columbia his whole life, born to a fishing family working off the coast. A passion for environmental stewardship was instilled in him from his parents at a young age. This eventually led to an interest in science and the workings of the physical world. At Meadowridge School he completed the International Baccalaureate Diploma (Higher Level Physics, Chemistry and English and Standard Level Math, Business and French). He continued this love of science by majoring in Physics and Astronomy at the University of British Columbia (UBC).
During his time at UBC, Nicholas saw how coding had permeated all fields of scientific research. This led him to additionally complete a Minor in Computer Science with his degree. During his program he completed multiple Co-op work terms. These ranged from working with the Department of Physics' educational outreach program, to analyzing oceanography data to help map local salmon populations for the Pacific Salmon Foundation. It was during his outreach work with local community groups and high schools that Nicholas first became interested in teaching.
His next position was at TRIUMF, Canada's national laboratory for particle physics. There he synthesized a new hypothesis on protein structure measurement. Over two years he designed and developed a new experimental apparatus to test his hypothesis. This culminated with a presentation of the work at the 2019 Canadian Undergraduate Physics Conference in Montreal. During this work Nicholas had the opportunity to mentor a recently graduated high school student, completing an engineering internship. This experience furthered his interest in educating and helping younger students prepare for their university careers.
In Nicholas' final year at UBC, he completed his undergraduate thesis by modeling new, energy efficient methods for cooling the built environment. The model used a heat pump paired with an experimental Radiant Cooling Panel to absorb and remove body heat in high humidity environments such as Singapore. This technology has the potential to greatly reduce our energy consumption in an ever warming world.
As Nicholas prepares for graduate school he is excited to be able to work with Rasul Learning Group. Passing on what he's learned both in and outside of the classroom to help prepare students for their high school and university education.