ESP Biography



YAĞMUR ERHAN, Stanford sophomore studying Physics and Math.




Major: Physics

College/Employer: Stanford

Year of Graduation: 2021

Picture of Yağmur Erhan

Brief Biographical Sketch:

Hello all,

I am Yağmur, a current sophomore here in Stanford, studying physics and mathematics. I am originally from Istanbul, Turkey, aka the only city in the World located between two continents.

One of my major motivations before coming to college was that I did not have to take one more math or physics classes. In high school, physics and math were the two subjects I did not like because they seemed too "abstract" and irrelevant.

Whenever I'm asked the question, "Why do you want to become a scientist?", I always as the following: "Because the most beautiful thing one can do is to attempt to understand and acknowledge the beauty underlying our creation."

The beauty I am referring to, in my answer, is not the beauty in the physical sense but rather a much more abstract and expression-oriented one. Most of us have been taught of sciences as independent fields of study, grouped under two main blocks: Biology+Chemistry vs. Mathematics+Physics. For me, one can possibly not be hinted at the existence of this beauty I am talking about when one is not exposed to the implicit unity that links all these sciences together.

Hence with class, I will dare you to try to re-consider the macro-physical scale we all live in, with the physical understanding we've developed to understand the behaviour of sub-atomic particles. And if you choose to except this challenge, hopefully you will also understand what I mean by beauty...



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

C7554: An Introduction to Quantum Biology: The Quantum Mechanics Governing Life in Splash Fall 2019 (Nov. 16 - 17, 2019)
When it comes to the physical scales in which they can the phenomena of, biology and quantum mechanics are the two opposite extremes. Yet it turns out that in order to explain some macro-level biological phenomena like photosynthesis, bacteria colonisation, human cognition and even love, the understanding of biology, chemistry and even Newtonian (classical physics) is simply not enough. Sometimes in biology,it turns out that, the greater picture is simply the collective of the individual behaviours of tiny atoms and even sub-atomic particles it is composed of. Established on this principle, this class will try to provide a re-interpretation of various biological phenomena through the conceptual basis of quantum mechanics. We will examine how various physical aspects, such as energy efficiency, of various biological processes are made possible through quantum mechanics. **This class will not take all of 105 minutes. We will have some time at the end for discussion and questions, which you will be welcomed to stay!


W7573: Basics of Quantum Computation: Myth or Dream? in Splash Fall 2019 (Nov. 16 - 17, 2019)
What is a quantum computer? How does it work? Why is it exciting, and most importantly, is it executable? I will try to give a very VERY brief introduction to some of the key fundamentals of quantum computation and quantum algorithms using linear algebra and quantum mechanics. It's great if you've taken AP Calculus BC, have a strong interest in mathematics/physics or if you have a background knowledge in linear algebra or quantum.


C6950: An Introduction to Quantum Biology: The Quantum Mechanics Governing Life in Splash Spring 2019 (May. 04 - 05, 2019)
When it comes to the physical scales in which they can the phenomena of, biology and quantum mechanics are the two opposite extremes. Yet it turns out that in order to explain some macro-level biological phenomena like photosynthesis, bacteria colonisation, human cognition and even love, the understanding of biology, chemistry and even Newtonian (classical physics) is simply not enough. Sometimes in biology,it turns out that, the greater picture is simply the collective of the individual behaviours of tiny atoms and even sub-atomic particles it is composed of. Established on this principle, this class will try to provide a re-interpretation of various biological phenomena through the conceptual basis of quantum mechanics. We will examine how various physical aspects, such as energy efficiency, of various biological processes are made possible through quantum mechanics. **This class will not take all of 105 minutes. We will have some time at the end for discussion and questions, which you will be welcomed to stay!


C6708: An Introduction to Quantum Biology: The Quantum Mechanics Governing Life in Splash Fall 2018 (Dec. 01 - 02, 2018)
When it comes to the physical scales in which they can the phenomena of, biology and quantum mechanics are the two opposite extremes. Yet it turns out that in order to explain some macro-level biological phenomena like photosynthesis, bacteria colonisation, human cognition and even love, the understanding of biology, chemistry and even Newtonian (classical physics) is simply not enough. Sometimes in biology,it turns out that, the greater picture is simply the collective of the individual behaviours of tiny atoms and even sub-atomic particles it is composed of. Established on this principle, this class will try to provide a re-interpretation of various biological phenomena through the conceptual basis of quantum mechanics. We will examine how various physical aspects, such as energy efficiency, of various biological processes are made possible through quantum mechanics. **This class will not take all of 105 minutes. We will have some time at the end for discussion and questions, which you will be welcomed to stay!