MY Camper Justas Žemgulys: "The world is a system built on logic"
“To tap into that stream of logic and see how it truly works is one of life’s greatest pleasures,” says 17-year-old Justas Žemgulys from Lithuania. He is especially intrigued by the possibilities physics and programming have to offer.
“I’m a person, who has always enjoyed playing with numbers and manipulating them in ways that bring us answers to the questions of the world surrounding us, making it seem that much more interesting,” says 17-year-old Justas Žemgulys from a Lithuanian port city of Klaipėda.
He is just about to finish grade 11 in the city’s academically strongest school, Ąžuolynas gymnasium.
“In Lithuania, as of grade 11, we have the option to choose the subjects we wish to study. I never even had any considerations. I love math and all sciences based upon it,” Justas says.
He is especially intrigued by physics. “What used to seem so simple and given for granted is now so very different to me. The world is a system built on logic. And to tap into that stream of logic and see how it truly works is one of life’s greatest pleasures. In the story, where curiosity killed the cat, I’d probably play the role of that mischievous cat.”
His role model in the field is non other than Albert Einstein, who made an impression on Justas with his persistence and achievements, and above all wise words. “‘If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.’ This one quote makes me understand how little I know about the world and how much I wish to find out. And the more challenging it gets, the more I feel up to the challenge.”
Justas is also into computer science, and he is a keen self-taught programmer. “Nowhere else do I get to create logical systems of algorithms that seem so amusing to construct,” Justas says and adds that in the future he’ll have to make up his mind about which field to choose as his future career, and it won’t be easy.
“I might just be studying a field that combines the best of both worlds,” says Justas, who is also considering a branch in engineering. “That way I won’t be made to separate from either of my favorite fields.”
At MY Camp, however, Justas has chosen computer science and is in the Camp’s ICT theme group. He heard about MY Camp from a friend and felt inclined to try his luck in the application process. “After all, it’s not every day you see a project targeted to us science fanatics.”
“I see MY Camp as a chance to try and put the sciences to use in real life. And doing that alongside brilliant minds of other young scientists seems like an experience of a lifetime,” Justas says. He is also interested in meeting Finnish scientists and discovering the possibilities of science that he hasn’t heard of before.
In the project plan Justas did for the second phase of MY Camp application process, he contemplated the potential the QR code holds in marketing.
“The QR code is best known as the little square code that’s been getting more and more buzz in the past few years. It basically works by encrypting a web address into a picture, which can then be decoded by select mobile phones and a few other hand-held devices with an imbedded camera.”
When Justas first installed decoding software to his own phone, he though of how many people ever bother to do so or even know about the QR code, and found out that despite its potential, it had only been successfully implemented in Japan. “It could make the lives of us European people and information gatherers alike that much easier.”
In the future, Justas would like to continue his studies in an English-speaking environment, preferably in the UK. “The university that I find the most appealing is the University of Saint Andrews. It’s one of the places that will definitely be receiving my application,” he says.
Justas has been practicing his English in his school’s English-language debate team. “As a team we participate in all sorts of local and international contests in order to hone our speaking and reasoning skills,” he says and adds that even though he doesn’t really have a passion for politics, debating is his favorite hobby.
During his free time Justas, who is a fan of Japanese culture, also studies Japanese, and is involved in online program called USACO, which enables him to test himself in different fields of science. On top of all this, he still finds time to spend with his friends.
Like during the previous years, MyScience will introduce each MY Camper and offer news, videos and photos during the Camp. Stay tuned, but in the meantime watch videos and photos from MY Camp 2010 and MY Camp 2011.
Read more about Millennium Youth Camp from Finland’s Science Education Centre LUMA’s website.
Elisa Lautala works as web editor for University of Helsinki's Faculty of Science. Elisa likes all kinds of cultural events, good books, warm weather, and aqua-jogging.