Today, a letter arrived from Stanford University, containing a card with a single sentence:“I am an engineer. The way I serve humanity is by making dreams come true.”
The origin of this quote is unknown, but coincidentally, someone we recently interviewed said almost the same thing. Perhaps this is a common “belief” among engineers.
The Path of an Academic Superstar
Kitty Yeung attended Shenzhen International Exchange College, the most prestigious international high school in China. After completing her undergraduate and master’s degrees at the University of Cambridge and a PhD at Harvard University, she joined Intel as a research and design engineer. With her tall stature and striking features, she embodies the grace of a Northern woman; yet, she speaks softly, her eyes always sparkling with joy, reflecting the elegance of a Southern girl.
Kitty was born in a Northern city and moved to Shenzhen and Hong Kong with her parents for school. She attended an international school in high school, allowing her to directly apply to universities in the UK. Kitty applied to six universities and was accepted by all, ultimately choosing the University of Cambridge.
Kitty Yeung
UX Designer at Intel
Former Optical Chip Component Engineer at Intel Data Center
PhD in Applied Physics from Harvard University
Master’s and Bachelor’s in Physics from the University of Cambridge
Over ten years of research experience, crossing into art, music, fashion design, and technology.
Now, you have the opportunity to interact with Kitty and hear from this academic superstar from Cambridge and Harvard as she shares“How to Create High-Tech Products? How to Become a Silicon Valley Maker?”” If you are interested, please refer to the end of the article for registration information.
She has been interested in art since childhood, passing level ten piano exams early and singing soprano in a choir. During her PhD, she also self-studied the harp; in her spare time, she loves painting. Additionally, Kitty has been curious about physics since middle school, which made her course choices in high school quite challenging.
Recalling her parents’ teachings, “Whatever you do, you must contribute to society,” she decided to major in natural sciences with a focus on physics: “Because I believe that working in science definitely allows one to contribute to society; and physics is the foundation for understanding nature. I want to comprehend the mysteries and laws of nature and the universe; ultimately, while studying science, I will still devote my spare time to my artistic hobbies.”
During her four years in university, her life was not as colorful as others might expect; she immersed herself in her studies and often worked in the school laboratory during holidays. In her last two years, Kitty was almost oblivious to the world outside. This diligence paid off; besides receiving academic awards every year, she recalls, “As I learned more, there was a feeling of clarity emerging from confusion. Suddenly, I felt I could connect knowledge and form a systematic understanding, and I felt enlightened.”
At that time, Kitty aspired to become a scientist, which meant continuing to climb the academic ladder. She hoped to conduct applied scientific research and see her research results reflected in tangible products, so she went to Harvard University, which excels in applied sciences, to develop 2D plasmonics circuits.
Five years of PhD studies flew by, and Kitty graduated with a doctorate. During this time, her experience as a TA (teaching assistant) led her to rethink her career choices: “Teaching in class didn’t seem to suit me; I might spend most of my time unable to focus on research.” Additionally, her summer internship at IBM in Silicon Photonics was fantastic: “IBM has a strong academic environment; and I could see where my work was applied in real life and think about its existence in reality.”
Based on these experiences, she chose to work in the industry after graduation. Since her main research direction is hardware and she enjoys the Silicon Valley environment and style, Kitty found a perfect match with Intel, moving from the academically rich Cambridge (home of Harvard) to the bright and open San Francisco Bay Area.
How is a Maker Cultivated?
As mentioned earlier, Kitty hopes to maintain her artistic hobbies while working in science, such as playing the piano, painting, and fashion design. During her time at Harvard, she took time to self-study sewing; upon arriving in Silicon Valley and Intel, she discovered that fashion could also collide with new technologies. Kitty enthusiastically became a “maker” (developer).
Wikipedia defines a maker as “a group of technology enthusiasts who are passionate about practice, sharing technology, and exchanging ideas. Maker communities have become carriers of maker culture.” It can be seen that makers’ work is closely related to cutting-edge technology, and they create products/models using technology, requiring both mental and physical skills, and they often enjoy sharing and communicating in communities/forums. This is a very loving and creative group.
Comparison of standard Arduino size with a coin
Is it difficult to become a maker? — Actually, it is easy for the public to get started, thanks to the trend of “modularization.” Arduino (an open-source electronics platform) provides hardware modules that can perform various functions (such as sensing), along with the Arduino IDE software package. Essentially, with some self-study over time, you can set commands, modes, functions, etc., through the software, and create product components with hardware. Intel’s “black technology” Curie module is specifically aimed at makers in “fashion, sports, and lifestyle.”
The Curie module, the size of a button
Kitty’s design utilizes these modules to give clothes very “cool” functions. Because she is quite famous in Silicon Valley, she was invited to participate in the 2016 San Francisco Fashion Week. Kitty showcased twelve outfits she designed, all made from fabrics created from her paintings and enhanced with technological features.
This “Dandelion” themed dress utilized hardware modules from Microduino and the Arduino software system. By defining commands in the software system, the dandelions on the dress can bloom and sway based on the wearer’s specific movements (e.g., walking ten steps or raising the left arm) as if a field of flowers were blooming. Makers only need to learn certain programming commands and how to assemble hardware modules to achieve the desired “input conditions — output results.”
All images of clothing and drawings are from www.kittyyeung.com
The lotus skirt in the right image also uses Microduino’s maker products:
When Kitty made her appearance to speak, she wore the Focus1 headband product from BrainCo. This product can detect brainwave intensity and trigger corresponding results. For example, if you find that your brainwave intensity is highest when you are excited about something, you can set the Focus1 headband to change the color of your clothing from black to red once it detects this high-intensity brainwave. This headband can help users learn how to control their natural reactions.
Take a look at Kitty’s beautiful official brochure on her website www.kittyyeung.com:
“Makers” are not geeks, but can be very artistic
Earlier, we mentioned that another major hobby of Kitty is painting. She described a comic she created about traveling through time and space and encountering her past and future selves; exploring the impact of technological development on human progress. She said that this comic might take her a lifetime to complete, as her thoughts on nature, life, and the universe evolve over time.
We particularly like the following illustrations.
“Are we merely a continuation of past civilizations, or are we built upon their ruins?”
“We know of a dark age when all data on Earth was completely erased.”
“In this century of rapid technological change, most of the planet has yet to be developed… but that’s not such a bad thing, is it?”
Even more wonderfully, Kitty prints these paintings digitally onto fabric and uses them to create dresses, adding the whimsical ideas of a “maker” — it feels as if wearing the clothes transports you into a magical world.
For example, this Earth illustration was made into a dress, and the hem titled “Chaotic Earth” can change color. The theme of the dress is “the chaotic and unordered planet,” which instantly adds depth to it.
This newly released dress, the “Intel Curie tinyTILE Accelerometer Dress,” can emit different colors from LED bulbs and optical fibers in various parts by rotating the arm, appearing like fairies against a dark background.
The strongest feature of the Curie module is its “neural network learning capability,” which can be applied in wearable devices to remember the meaning of each action, triggering corresponding programming results. For instance, raising the “right shoulder to the left” can correspond to “the white LED light on the right shoulder lights up,” and “raising the left shoulder” can correspond to “the blue LED light on the waist lights up,” etc. The learning ability of Curie can change not only the appearance of clothing but also incorporate other modules, such as measuring heart rate, temperature, and humidity to monitor the user’s health patterns or adjust comfort levels.
In a demonstration video, Kitty wore this dress while cosplaying the character Chitose from Culture Japan.
Next week, Kitty will bring her recent works to the International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles and the world’s largest maker fair, Maker Faire, in the Bay Area.
“I am the luckiest, as what I am doing now is my childhood dream.”
In the early stages of Kitty Yeung’s “maker” works, she purchased materials herself, and the hardware modules required for makers, apart from collaborative projects and Intel Curie, were also self-purchased. Initially, this could be time-consuming and labor-intensive; for example, a specific optical fiber fabric (used for the Cinderella dress at the 2016 Met Gala) with an area of about 40*70 cm cost about $40, and could only make a small part of a dress. However, if such special materials are not required, making clothes yourself may not be much more expensive than buying them directly. Moreover, being driven by interest and developing high-tech functions makes it all worthwhile. Once the initial development is successful, it may even lead to marketable products.
One of Kitty’s first marketable works
The key to becoming a “maker” lies in the hardware modules and programming software, which are actually quite affordable. Arduino modules vary in price based on functionality, ranging from a few to a few dozen dollars, with the most expensive not exceeding $150; the Intel Curie module costs about $30. Coupled with various enthusiastic maker communities that share ideas and provide hands-on teaching, people with various ideas and creativity can now take action to realize their dreams. From this perspective, it truly is a beautiful era~
Arduino Forum
Moreover, when you put your ideas into practice, what initially began as a hobby can yield returns far beyond expectations.
When Kitty first joined Intel, she worked on optical component design in the Silicon Photonics group, using her spare time to paint and make clothes. However, as more friends learned about her works, someone recommended her to join Intel’s Modular Innovation group, which perfectly aligned with her interests. The manager of this group loved her “finished products” and immediately recruited Kitty to work full-time on developing works that combine science and art using maker modules.
Kitty said, “My greatest fortune is that what I am doing now is my childhood dream.” Being in Silicon Valley, where the male-to-female ratio is 4:1, she is undoubtedly labeled as “rich and beautiful” and a “goddess.” When asked about her views on these labels, she thought for a moment and smiled, saying, “I actually prefer ‘academic superstar’ and ‘maker’! Hahaha~”
Finally, let’s conclude with a painting I particularly like. May our pure childhood dreams come true through the test of time.
Kitty will come to Silicon Valley Live on May 13th, Beijing time, to share about “How Harvard Superstars Teach You to Create High-Tech Products.”
The opportunity has arrived!
In this Silicon Valley Live, you will hear about:
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Why Silicon Valley gave birth to Google and HP? Discussing garage culture and the spirit of makers.
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Why can anyone become a maker? The relationship and differences between makers and entrepreneurs.
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Where does innovative inspiration come from? I’ll tell you four key phrases.
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What resources do makers need the most? Which big names can they lean on?
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What challenges do makers face?
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What challenges does the Silicon Valley tech industry face?
Scan the QR code to register for payment.
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Silicon Valley Live is a voice interactive knowledge sharing platform under Silicon Valley Spy, aiming to help global Chinese enhance their innovative capabilities.
If there are payment issues, you can also scan the QR code below, follow「 Silicon Valley Live」 service account, and reply “registration”, to get the Live registration link:
Even if you miss the live broadcast, it’s okay. After payment, you can listen to it repeatedly, and the audio and PPT will be permanently stored in 「Silicon Valley Live」.For more questions, feel free to add 「Silicon Valley Live Assistant」 (ID: guigulive) for consultation.
(The only official WeChat account of Shenzhen International Exchange College “Shenzhen International Exchange College” ID: SCIE-2003, please indicate the source when reprinting)
Recommended Reading
Initial Experience of a New Engineer (In-depth Reading)
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