A university student pursuing coursework in linguistics and literature, Matt Kafker also enjoys learning about physics, math, and computer science. Matt Kafker is currently taking classes in differential equations, special relativity, and quantum physics. At the most basic level, quantum theory deals with our physical understanding of things that are very small: atoms, subatomic particles, and waves. As the particle in question becomes smaller and smaller, the way we understand it changes fundamentally. Energy and mass appear to behave quite differently at macroscopic levels, but that distinction becomes significantly less clear with small particles. In practice, quantum physics must consider the properties of both particles and waves at the subatomic level. From a mathematical perspective, quantum physics relies on probability functions when determining the outcomes of an experiment. Simply put, it is impossible to predict with 100 percent certainty the outcome of an experiment within a quantum system. In chemistry, the position of an electron cannot be determined with precision; it can only be expressed as a probabilistic wave function. This leads to theoretical concepts such as the notion that a particle occupies more than one state at a time, as evidenced by thought experiments such as the famous Schrodinger’s cat.
An accomplished university student, Matt Kafker currently studies physics, math, and computer science. Enthusiastic about the natural sciences, Matt Kafker enjoys reading books by Richard Dawkins, Richard Feynman, and Steven Pinker. Pinker is a Johnstone Family Professor at Harvard University’s Department of Psychology. He was born in 1954 in Montreal, Canada. He studied experimental psychology at McGill University before moving to the United States. In 1979, he earned a doctorate from Harvard and went on to undertake a postdoctoral fellowship at MIT. He spent many years serving in the psychology departments of various institutions including MIT, Stanford, and the University of California, Santa Barbara, before settling in at Harvard. An experimental psychologist, Pinker is one of the most well-known writers on the correlation between language, the human mind, and human behavior. Some of his most popular books include The Language Instinct, How the Mind Works, The Sense of Style, The Blank Slate, and Words and Rules: The Ingredients of Language. A regular contributor to the New York Times, Pinker has won several prizes from institutions such as the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, the American Psychological Association, and the National Academy of Sciences. He has been named among Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World and Foreign Policy’s 100 Global Thinkers.
A former high school student at the Middlesex School, Matt Kafker accomplished a great deal as both a student and a cross-country runner. In addition to receiving multiple honors for his academic and athletic achievements, he performed community work with a number of charitable organizations. Matt Kafker volunteered five days a week at the Open Door Food Pantry in Gloucester, Massachusetts, during summer vacations. The Open Door Food Pantry has served families and individuals on Cape Ann for nearly four decades. Over the years, it has significantly expanded operations to support additional services, which range from SNAP food-stamp prescreening to the Second Glance Thrift Store. It also distributes fresh fruits and vegetables through its Mobile Market program.Qualified households receive access to free produce on a weekly basis through the Mobile Market. The project erects small, temporary markets at 10 different Gloucester-area locations each week. These locations include Riverdale Park and Willowood Gardens as well as the Rose Baker and Ipswich Senior Centers. In addition to offering produce from food banks, grocery stores, local farms, and wholesale markets, the Mobile Market provides free samples, presents cooking demonstrations, and distributes recipes.
Dedicated to giving back to the community, Matt Kafker donates his time regularly to Pine Street Inn, a shelter for people in need in Boston. On a weekly basis, Matt Kafker travels to the shelter to help serve food and deliver meals to people with disadvantaged backgrounds. Pine Street Inn provides a wide range of services for the Boston community, including street outreach programs.Since their inception in 1986, the outreach programs have operated every day to provide individuals in need with blankets, clothing, food, or simply caring human contact. Because of various challenges, many people in need choose not to go to shelters for assistance. Street outreach teams build trust with these people to help ease them out of their current situation and create a sense of self-sufficiency. Currently, the shelter has daytime and nighttime outreach programs. Weekday mornings, the outreach team leaves the shelter to venture to surrounding neighborhoods and build relationships with those in need. During the night, teams consisting of counselors and nurses patrol the city in vans. The shelter invites people to call if they see someone in need of assistance day or night.
