Hi, my name is Anna. I'm currently a graduate student in theoretical physics at Perimeter Institute in Waterloo, Canada. When I'm dancing in a cypher, call me Atomyka.
So far, I've moved around a bit: born in Austria, toddler years on Huntington Beach in sunny California, junior school near Munich, middle school in the little German city with the longest castle in the world. Sixth Form wearing a tie near London, couple of months learning 中文 in Shanghai. Bachelor's degree in physics from ETH in Zurich... It's been a journey and it's all but over. I am thankful for this privilege and try to put the things I've learned along the road to good use. For a taste, check out the links below.
What makes a good day? A surprising conversation with a stranger, a smile from a person I care about, a round of yoga to feel my neurons tingle and a dose of 100% dark chocolate. I try to not take life too seriously, which seems to make me focus with intense amusement on the projects that fill my life. Oh, and it's likely you'll find me in a handstand.
You can contact me here: aknorr@perimeterinstitute.ca
Photo credit: Daniel Winkler
Topics around sustainability were sprinkled in throughout much of my childhood. That seems to have left a mark. During my time at ETH in Zurich I became increasingly involved in the Student Sustainability Commission and wow... I wouldn't be the same person without all the conversations I had there, projects we believed in, hours of event-organizing, website-coding or interview-filming that shaped my world view.
I hope to expand this section during the coming months of nerding around at Perimeter Institute, together with my fellow PSIons :) Here's a start from the Applied Category Theory School 2021.
A couple of editions of VAMP - the magazine of physics and math students at ETH in Zurich. Creating these was one of my favorite pastimes during my second year at ETH.
And here's a magazine I pulled together to finish off my final semester of sustainability at ETH. Of course, you need motivated individuals to push for change, but you need cooperation just as much. Hence, we connected students, professors and staff from all departments and compiled their stories in these pages.