Introducing the Electrified Weekly

A weekly bite-sized knowledge and exploration pamphlet covering exciting power electronics and power systems topics — with the occasional musical glitters.

Hello World!

My name is Mark, your nerd-in-residence with the personality of a German cuckoo clock. In the wake of my fully developed pre-frontal cortex at the age of 25, I have decided to start this weekly pamphlet to accompany the start of my graduate school journey at the University of British Columbia (UBC). (You can read more on my background in the About page!)

Rekindling the love for genuine learning

For the last 5 years, I have lived all my days as a so-called “academic weapon”, graduating at the top of the Engineering Physics program at UBC. However, I have also learned that there is inherently more to one’s venture in the art of knowledge acquirement and realization than the neatly organized column of numbers on a University transcript — or even a successful career. In the engineering world, knowledge is often equated to the potential of earnings, and the value of learning is often regarded as no more than the economics of the followed opportunities. This picture is nonetheless consistent with the global shift towards commercializing education and scholarship, where knowledge is merely part of a transactional chain of commodities: students pay universities for knowledge, companies pay students for skills, and the customers pay companies for products.

Now, it is practically wonderful (and privileged) to have knowledge as a valuable resource in advancing one’s life. This accepted interpretation of the pursuit of knowledge leads to a singular consequence: learning for many has become so directed, clear-cut, and siloed that it is boring at best and existentially demoralizing at worst. The art of appreciating knowledge as an enrichment for the soul, to quench and satisfy the relentless curiosity of humankind throughout time, seems to concentrate only in the minority of non-depressed graduate students, a handful of professors, and some quirky professionals. The intrinsic satisfaction of learning has long been replaced by the insatiable greed of the career ladder, the ever-inflating h-index, and the debilitating race of artificial social image.

My blog and the Electrified Weekly pamphlet thus have one goal: Electrifying knowledge, one Watt at a time. I want to invite us all to rekindle our flame and genuine love for learning. I want my own graduate school days to be filled with amazement and curiosity. I want to be led by joy. My success will be defined by how much I have grown as a thinker and a depth-invested person. My papers will only be the inevitable side products of such genuine and liberating achievement.

Electrified Weekly^(TM)

Enough with the philosophical pep talk! What will Electrified Weekly involve anyway? Here is the breakdown:

• One pamphlet per week.
• Each pamphlet contains bite-sized interesting pieces of knowledge I learned over the week.
• Focus will be on power electronics, power systems, or electrical engineering in general.
• Other random topics might also be included — all knowledge is knowledge!
• Occasional musical theatre and choral digs shall beg the forgiveness of the reader for their inclusion.

To be frank, this project also serves an arguably selfish reason: helping me keep up with and deepen with my graduate studies. That said, wherever you are in your learning journey, and in life, I hope you would consider joining me over the next two years by signing up for the e-pamphlet here.

Warmly Yours,
Mark Phung.