12-year old me would spend her summer days in the garden reading books on astronomy and the universe. I had already Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time under my belly and was well versed in reading the sky with all its constellations. But it turned out that Michio Kaku’s In Hyperspace was a different calibre.

I remember struggling to understand what Kaku, physicist and science communicator, wrote about higher-dimensional spaces and string theory. Yet, reading about worlds beyond space and time, I was more intrigued than ever. 12-year old me had set her mind on becoming a physicist to study the structure of the universe. Well, life takes funny turns. I did study physics and learned about the dynamic fabric of spacetime and the weirdness of our quantum world. But little did I know about where this journey would take me. And that I would end up living in Australia and meeting one of my childhood idols in person.

Untangling the conundrum of string theory

Not long ago I found myself in the concert hall of Perth. I was excited to meet Michio Kaku who would talk about his latest book The Future of Humanity. Indeed, the evening promised not litte: "The Future of Humanity will untangle the brain-wrinkling conundrums of string theory, astronomy, futurism, and interplanetary colonisation. World-renowned physicist and futurist Michio Kaku explores in rich, intimate detail the process by which humanity may gradually move away from the planet and develop a sustainable civilisation in outer space."

Suffice to say that I was not disappointed. It was a surreal experience listening to one of the faces of modern science that I had grown up with watching on TV or reading popular science books. Kaku is an excellent speaker who delights his audience with colourful metaphors. Far more than just being a theoretical physicist, Kaku paints visions of the future that will inspire future generations to reach for the stars. It was wonderful!

Celebrating intelligence in all its diversity

Physicist Michio Kaku left Magdalena Kersting inspired . Photo: Magdalena Kersting

The event was organized by This Is 42, a newly founded organisation that aims to connect and educate people. This Is 42 celebrates intelligence in all its diversity. Holding events that explore new horizons in fields such as art and science, the group wants their audiences to leave smarter, sharper, and more inspired than when they walked into their events. Pretty awesome initiative, right?

I definitely left the evening feeling inspired. Still, life takes funny turns sometimes. I didn’t end up becoming a string theorist like Kaku. Instead, as a science educator, it is now my turn to inspire young minds and to foster the next generation of big thinkers.

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