While most high school students are content to stay within the normal range of science classes, one North Hollywood High School student is not. In addition to being a senior at North Hollywood, Nathan Agmon has spent two years doing novel research at the UCLA Plasma Physics Laboratory and has given lectures on his research to many audiences.
When asked what plasma is, Agmon states, “Plasma… is an electrically-neutral substance that behaves unlike other neutral substances in the presence of a voltage.”
Although scientifically complex, plasma is a another state of matter, sometimes called the “fourth state” of matter along with solids, liquids and gases. Plasma, which is estimated to make up more than 99 percent of the universe, can be observed in bolts of lightning and neon signs.
Agmon says research has greatly benefited him. “My absolute favorite part of doing scientific research is the learning that comes with it. While research can be extremely laborious and time-consuming, the benefits definitely outweigh all of the negative aspects. Learning in such a specific field is highly rewarding.”
“Science is one of the only academic fields,” he continues, “whose main goal is to describe the Universe in its entirety. The more you learn about science, the less you realize that you know and the more you want to learn. I can’t imagine wanting to devote as much of my time to anything else.”
Agmon is a member of the Princeton class of 2017 and is considering a Physics major.
