Alexis: 0:01

Hello. Hello everybody and welcome to the Smoko Podcast. My name is Alexis Armstrong, your host. Nice to meet you. The Smoko Podcast is the place to celebrate and highlight women, trans women, and non-binary folk working within STEM and trade occupations. So please tune in, take a break, join us. We are on smoko, and today we are extremely lucky to be joined by the lovely Santi Dava, who is a quantum intern. Her background is in computer engineering from North Carolina State University. She's currently working at IBM as a quantum intern in design research. I can't wait to have this conversation because she's gonna talk to us today about all things quantum computing, which is a field that I don't really know that much about, and I've already kind of nerded out researching it, and I, I can't wait to talk more and for her to explain kind of this field. Her experience working within, within this field. So that's gonna be part of our conversation and I'm gonna bury the lead a little bit, but our second part of our conversation is gonna be about her work with the United Nations. So she has an insane, mind boggling resume is honestly, I, I can't believe it. So we're gonna talk about all things her work with the UN and with an organization called Harvard's We Code, which is Women Engineer Code. So I can't wait to talk about that as well. Santi, it is so lovely to have you on the show. Thank you so much for coming out. It's so nice to meet you.

Sanskriti: 1:28

Awesome. Well, thank you so much for having me, Alexis. It's truly an honor and I'm so excited to talk about everything. Your introduction was so sweet. But yeah, no, I'm super excited and sorry in advance to all the listeners for the bird noises in the background. The York Camp Heights campus that I'm at has a lot of cool nature features, so.

Alexis: 1:49

Yeah. No, it's all good. I actually kind of like the bird sound. I think it's gonna add something. I think it's gonna be a little bit like a meditation in this one. We're gonna learn about quantum computing, but it's also gonna be very zen. So, all good there about being outside. So Sanskriti, I was wondering if right off the bat, if you could maybe define the field of quantum computing. Like what is this field, what are the typical occupations that are associated within this industry? And then what are the roles and responsibilities of someone within this space? What does that

Sanskriti: 2:20

look like? For sure. So quantum computing is this new type of computing that's emerging. I like to compare it to. Being someone who is creating the internet or help creating modern internet, in the early two thousands. So cool. Quantum computing is super duper new. The first quantum platform I believe was released in like 2016. So it's a super exciting space to work in. And pretty much what quantum computing is, is, our computers today are made up of binary code zeros or ones in the code. So our phones, our laptops are just all a series of zeros and ones. But quantum computing takes quantum mechanics and it applies it to this binary code. And one of the principles in quantum mechanics is something called wave particle duality, which sounds really fancy, but I promise it's super easy to. Pretty much, they did an experiment where they found a wave and a particle can be the same thing at the same time. So they're not two separate things as we previously thought. And that opens this whole can of worms called quantum mechanics. And so we apply that principle to binary code. So instead of it being a zero or a one in the code, it's a zero and a one at the same time. Yeah. And that's a quantum bit, and that creates this whole new type of technology that's really cool to work with. And then to answer your second question what does a profession in quantum computing look like? Well, I would like to divide that into like two different things. The first part of it is definitely the people who develop the technology. And those people usually have a physics background, computer engineering, electrical engineering, comp sci. Kind of more technical. And so they work on these giant quantum machines. Quantum machines are really cool because they look like chandeliers. Oh, cool. Okay. It's made of gold and diamonds and it looks like a chandelier. I always joke that I joined quantum computing because I'm a material girl, and not gonna lie, how shiny the computer was, definitely helped. But these computers are really sensitive and the quantum bits need to be kept super duper cold. And so, those scientists work on figuring out how to make this technology viable. And then outside of that, there's a lot of people working on the outskirts on the business side, where you don't necessarily need a technical background at all. For example, my manager right now, she majored in library sciences in school. Okay. So there's all different types of careers to be had. Very, very

Alexis: 4:51

cool. And, Oh my goodness. I can't believe that that technology, that the first quantum platform wasn't came out in 2016. I mean, it's not even 10 years old, which is just insane that, that it's so new. There's probably so many different avenues yet that we haven't even taken this technology of where it's gonna be used. And I love that I, I'll put up an image of water quantum computing. I'll grab that to see that beautiful material girl chandelier. I love that answer. What is this technology since kruta, is it gonna be used as kind of a replacement of everyday computing and everyday technology, or is it only gonna be used in niche spaces to start? What does that look like?

Sanskriti: 5:30

Yeah, that's a really good question. So at first it's gonna be only used in niche spaces and we can kind of see that happening right now with it being used in optimization, kind of simulating natural processes, and also things like encryption. And then eventually it's going to become hypothetically slowly embedded into our current technology. So it's never gonna completely overtake our classical computers now, but it's gonna be very beneficial in certain use cases, which is really cool to see. And a lot, a big question that I get is if there's ever gonna be like a quantum laptop or something like that. Yeah. And the truth is, quantum bits need to be so cold that that might not be possible, at least in our lifetime. But right now, what a lot of companies are doing, including IBM, is they have a series of quantum computers that you can access through the cloud. And so you can actually go and like Google IBM Q experience and you can access quantum computers through the cloud and code your own circuit and you can even drag the gates onto the circuit composer, and just play around with it and see what it does, and then access actual quantum computers across the world. Whoa, that's very

Alexis: 6:40

cool. That's, that's fantastic to kind of get over that one hump that it has to be so, so cold. Like that barrier to use case that like, it has to be so cold, so it's gonna be really hard to have it as like a normal computing and in people's home, but that you can access it through the cloud and. I have one kind of follow up question on the difference between a normal computer system, so this binary system versus this kind of shorteners cat situation almost that it's both. What does quantum computing give us versus regular computing? Is it better power, is it better, information? Like why are we moving towards quantum computing? That's

Sanskriti: 7:20

a really good question and one of the reasons is it hypothetically is supposed to have better efficiency. Okay. And so theoretically, based on simulations that physicists have done, it's predicted to have better efficiency. The point where this better efficiency is going to come has not occurred yet. Okay. A lot of people refer to it as quantum advantage, but there's a lot of other use cases where it's really cool. For example, a quantum bit can hold two bits of information. Wow. And so for information processing it could be really cool. Another use case is something called quantum teleportation. So another I guess, quality of quantum bits is that they can be entangled. So that means if I have a quantum bit here in New York state where I am, and you have a quantum bit in Vancouver where you are. Mm-hmm. If I change my quantum bit in some way, let's say I change it from a zero to a one, your quantum bit would also automatically change. So Oh, cool. Regardless of distance, that would happen. So let's say I'm in space and you're on earth and I'm millions of light years away, we could technically communicate through these quantum bits regardless of distance. So, Use cases like that. It's really exciting. That's

Alexis: 8:34

so exciting. That's so cool That like two systems with a huge distance can still be in sync and still together. That's a fantastic kind of use case and that's really cool. And thank you since goodI for going through what is quantum computing and kind of what is this field and what are the roles of, I like how you broke it down to like technical and then to the business side of it as well with your manager being a, a library science and kind of library, background. I think that's very cool that those are the kind of the two aspects for, for jobs. I was wondering on your side, cuz you're on the technical side, I was wondering, could you kind of discover or walk through how you discovered this field? Like what drew you to this specialty? How did you decide that you were interested in it? Have you always been interested in it? Have you always had access to this type of technology? How did that happen?

Sanskriti: 9:23

Yeah, for sure. So I definitely didn't always have access to it. Yeah. I think the first time I heard the word quantum was like when I was watching a Marvel movie, and I'm a huge Marvel fan. And so I was like, huh, like, I wonder what this word means. And so I like Googled it, learned a little about it, and then like a lot of like sort of Google, I guess. Sink holes you go through, you forget about it a day or two after. Like I know I'm an expert in a lot of things now, including like Disneyland disasters and all this other things where I just went through like a YouTube rabbit hole. So that happened. So I knew a little bit about it, but just the bare minimum. And then in high school I was fortunate enough to be a visiting student at Duke University. So I was working in this physics lab and one of the PhD students looked really stressed out. And so I like was like, oh no, like let me go up to him, ask him how he's doing. And believe it or not, he was working on quantum computing. So we ended up talking about it for a couple hours and I was like, wow, this is super cool. And I'd always wanted to build a career in technology. I think it was because growing up in the early two thousands, you kind of see how technology impacts you. Like I had an Instagram account when I was 13, which I'm not sure was allowed. But, I've always had technology. And so I really wanted to build a career in that cuz I felt like it was the best way to have an impact. Mm-hmm. And so when I found out about quantum computing, I realized that it was at the perfect intersection of kind of building that technology to make the world a better place, and also understanding our universe and figuring out, different realities of it. Like for example, why do quantum bits act like they do? And so I became interested in it and I applied to colleges. And then I got into NC State and NC State has a quantum institution. Amazing. And I got in right during Covid. So my entire freshman year was online through Zoom. Kinda like goodness, how we're, video chatting right now. And so that was quite interesting. But I had a lot of time on my hands because I didn't have to physically go to classes. So I decided to cold email a bunch of NC State professors and be like, Hey, my name is Reedy. I'm interested in quantum. I don't know anything, but I am a sponge and I'm willing to learn. And one of the professors who was actually the head of the Quantum Institute, Dr. Stanzel reached back out and was like, for sure, and I was, when I emailed him, I was just asking for recommendations on books and stuff, but he ended up also having time because of the pandemic. And we ended up having weekly chats about quantum computing. And I kinda fell in love with the field. And so that's kind of how I came upon it. Definitely by chance. But I'm very lucky to find it when I did. Oh my

Alexis: 12:01

goodness. I love that answer so much. I love that you guys had weekly chats about quantum computing and that he became this beautiful mentor. And I love when I ask this question to women who are working within STEM and trades, it's usually such a serendipitous answer of just being like, I found this one person. And like, I like that you approached that one grad student that had a bad day and he completely changed your life because he introduced you to something that you, you fell in love with and. I think that your description of what drew you to quantum computing, the fact that it's kind of at this interface between physics and understanding the universe and understanding like the mechanics of it, of how does this actually work. It's like a beautiful combination of physics, chemistry, math, and engineering. And then technology of having that, it has to be technology forward, and that's gonna be kind of how we make the biggest impact going forward is gonna be through technology. So I love that. I love that you had a mentor at NC State, and I just think that that's a, a beautiful story. So thank you for telling it. How did you go from, now that you've discovered kind of quantum and you, you know, a little bit more about it, how did you go from that to then your job now as an intern at ibm as a qu kind of within quantum researching? I was wondering if you could explain your job, what does that look like? What are your responsibilities and then what are your tasks? What do you do on like a day-to-day? What are you assigned?

Sanskriti: 13:27

Yeah, for sure. So right now I'm a quantum software engineering and design research intern, which was a really cool role and I was really excited when I got it. Because I'm at the Yorktown Heights campus in New York, which is like pretty much the place for Quantum, I believe. So I'd actually never seen a quantum computer before until this summer because again, they're accessible through the cloud. Mm-hmm. And so most researchers even only access it through their computers. And so it was definitely surreal to be here in person, see the quantum computers, and then also kind of meet the people behind that. So I've kind of been fangirling for the past couple of weeks. Like I see someone in the cafeteria and I'm like, oh my goodness, like you're from that video that was on IBM's page. but my day-to day is really cool because I get to work kind of at the intersection of. Technicality and also business. And I'm kind of interested in both right now. Mm-hmm. And so it's super exciting. I'm working on figuring out, how to kind of give one of IBM's quantum products a facelift. And so that includes kind of doing user research and looking at ui ux design, which I've never done before. So it's definitely really cool to dive into. And then also having a deep technical background of quantum computing, and also quantum computing learners. And so it's been really cool to kind of work on that and dive more into this like corporate world of quantum. Yeah, so far I've only been in like the hardcore academia research side, and it's definitely a whole new like fast paced world.

Alexis: 14:57

I could imagine that, I could imagine that all of a sudden, because academia is so beautiful, but it's all, about research and technicality and kind of theoretical side of it. And I feel like I could get lost in the theoretics and that, that side of academia forever. But when it becomes put into practice and put into every single day society and like, how's it actually gonna function for a regular user? It's a complete different thing. When you talk about facelift, what does that look like? Are you trying to make it easier access for like, is it a platform, is it for a specific thing? What, what goes on there?

Sanskriti: 15:30

Yeah, so it's for a platform and it's going to kind of make it more accessible and easy to use. IBM's platform was one of the first ever platforms to exist for Quantum, and since then a lot more have come out and innovated. And so now we're trying to keep up with the mark and make sure that now that the quantum community worldwide has grown and so has the number of use cases that we're keeping up with that. Cuz back in the day when I think IBM's first version of the platform came out, it was, for quantum researchers, people who knew what Quantum was. Yeah. And now, We have high school students doing quantum, which you know, I'm very familiar with cuz I actually teach high school students quantum. And so I've taught over 10,000 plus students Wow. Quantum from high school to graduate level. And it's super cool to see how that worldwide community has grown. Mm-hmm And so we're trying to kind of keep up with that, make sure the language is accessible and also the pathways. So it's a super exciting thing to do because it's very full circle. Cause I learned Quantum on IBM's platform and now I'm help helping create the next iteration of it. And it's definitely gonna be really cool to like point to things and be like, oh yeah, like I made this and to have millions of people use it.

Alexis: 16:45

Oh my goodness, that's so beautiful. And it is such a gorgeous like full circle moment of that's how you started and now you get to help, make it better. But it's also, that's why you're probably the perfect person for the job, that this is how you started and this is also teaching, the new use case and these new kind of. Target group that's all of a sudden gonna be able to use this platform with high school students, that it's not gonna be just quantum researchers. And that's kind of lovely that you've been this mentor for that many students. And, and that brings me to kind of our next one and the next chunk of conversation that I really wanna dive into is your work with the United Nations, because you are the youngest elected United Nations representative, which is insane. Congratulations. Thank you. It's like mind boggling. That's, you must be so proud. And that's just so lovely to hear. I was wondering if you could speak to your work with the UN and with Harvard's We code, because your work has really been focused on, on teaching and teaching, kind of the younger generation about quantum computing. And I know that a lot of your work is focused on changing legislation related to school funding, marginalized communities, and access to innovative technology. I was wondering if you could explain your work, how you got involved with the UN and, a little bit more about this purpose, this purpose of teaching the next generation.

Sanskriti: 18:04

For sure. So I got involved with the UN kind of by happen chance. I was scrolling on Instagram one day, when I was in high school and I came upon this profile called US Youth Observer. And I had only heard about the United Nations, in history class when we were talking about World War ii. It was like a sentence. Then the United Nations was formed and there was world peace. Yeah. And I was like, ok. Didn't really think too much about it. I imagined like a bunch of like people in business suits who had like 30, 40 years of experience. Definitely not like the path I wanted to go on While I was really passionate about teaching people and advocacy. I didn't wanna major in poly science. Just cause it wasn't my thing. Then I came upon this Instagram profile and I saw this Youth Observer, which is a young person that, every country who's associated with the UN usually has a program for. And so this was the US Youth Observer, and so they kind of go around and support the UN and also are the youth representatives for the United States to the un. And I became really interested because I was looking forward to kind of becoming more involved with advocacy and activism. My journey with that kind of started with my own high school that was, really low resource. And I wanted to bring resources to my high school to increase retention rates for graduation and other things. And so I was kind of doing that work. And so I went on the website that was linked on that US Youth Observer account, and it was called U N A U S A. And through a little digging, I found out that every single country or most countries associated with the United Nations have their own sort of supporting chapter within their own countries. And for America it was U N A U S A. And. There was a button called Start a chapter. And so I decided to start a campus chapter at my high school. And for about a year and a half, I, was the chapter president at my high school, the North Carolina School of Science and Math. And then I was really excited to kind of bring that programming for the United Nations into your local area. And so we did a lot of work with the sustainable development goals in Durham, which my high school was located in Durham, North Carolina. And we were able to make a lot of change. And so through that I also got connected with a lot of U N A U S A staff members. And one of those staff members one day reached out to me and was like, oh, you should run for this position. and it was for the National Council of the United Nations. I was kind of like awestruck that she thought that I should run because I was only 17 at the time and I also felt really unqualified. Again, I imagine people who were like leaders in the UN as very experienced in business suits. I don't think I even owned a business suit at that point.

Alexis: 20:47

No, you're 17. No, you shouldn't have owned a business suit at 17. Yeah, of course.

Sanskriti: 20:52

Exactly. So, at first I was leaning towards telling her no, but then she said something to me that really struck with me, which was, if you run other young people are going to be motivated to run as well in the future and it's really important for young people to take up space. Yeah. And. I realized how important that was. I'm super introverted actually, and so I kind of like to keep a low profile. But that kind of stuck with me because the power of taking up space as a young person is truly amazing, especially as a woman in stem, for example, like when I see a girl in my class raising her hand to ask a question, something very simple, I realized that it's like a safe space for me to also ask questions because mm-hmm. A lot of my classes are like 90% men and less than 10% women. And so I decided to run and somehow I won for the southeast region and I've been serving on the national council since, which has been such an honor to represent the southeast region and also do really cool things like meet with activists from across the world and be the chair of conferences. I've truly been lucky with that.

Alexis: 22:00

Oh my goodness. No, it's absolutely insane. And. I love that she convinced you to say yes, because I could see the initial near knee jerk of being 17 to be like, oh my goodness, no. Like they can't be asking me, especially when you do have this kind of older view of the UN and you view it as truly like politics, and you're like, well, I'm not a politician. I'm in quantum computing, or I'm in technology and, and I'm in computing. So like this, this doesn't really make any sense for me. And I love that, that she convinced you past that, that she was like, Nope, this is for you. You need to take space. Because it's such a powerful thing as a young woman, and it's such a change of mindset that you have to be like, okay, yes, that this is allowed. I, I'm allowed to take space. I love that she was able to change your mind and to get you to come on for the UN and to join the national representative. What are you guys working on right now? What is the big kind of mission or change that you guys are working on at the moment?

Sanskriti: 22:57

Yeah. So right now, I think we're, there's a phrase that I would use to describe it. It's called, think globally. Act locally. Okay. And so a lot of people, I believe, believe that, the UN is like this very far away thing, which I also believed because, there's not a lot of transparency with that. And so we're trying to motivate more people to become change makers in their own communities. Kind of like how I did with, at my high school. Yeah. With the UN sustainable development goals. And they can also like start a chapter within their own area and kind of start making that change. And so that's kind of our mission right now. And we're also focusing on other issues. There's different committees that you can be on, like women's rights, human rights, and stuff like that. So it's definitely like an exciting time to be in the

Alexis: 23:42

un. Oh my goodness. No, it's, that's amazing. And that's lovely that it kind of has this local aspect to it because I do think that you're right. I also think of the UN as a global entity that's not within our, our local community. So that's beautiful that it has a think global, look, local kind of viewpoint on it. And I love that it was similar to your experience of trying to bring access to technology that you didn't have growing up at your high school, that you didn't have kind of this access to this tech that you wanted to be involved in. So bringing in early education and early access to different technology and structure, I think that's a fantastic thing. And I know. Kind of on that, like one thing that you're really passionate about, and I know that this is also kind of a goal with the UN with their sustainability initiative, is this kind of interconnection between sustainability and quantum computing. And I was wondering cuz on the surface, maybe someone who's not within this field, they don't sound like they could be linked. Could you kind of explain how these two are linked, how they're interconnected, and then what are the projects in this space that you're the most excited about?

Sanskriti: 24:51

For sure. Yeah. I think, quantum computing is a really exciting tool and kind of like how you mentioned, we're very much in the infancy or the newborn era even of quantum computing. So we don't know how it's gonna grow, but there are already really interesting applications within sustainability and climate change. And one of those applications is with optimization. Quantum computing is super good at kind of predictive models, and there's a lot of potential with optimization and. For those of you who might not know, optimization is this field where you're trying to figure out the most efficient way of doing something. So industrial engineers focus on optimization and a lot of computer scientists do as well. And so one of these, ways is climate change models. It's super important for accurate climate change information. To be available worldwide. And that includes predictive models of future air quality, future water quality, and future deforestation. And so quantum computers are surprisingly really good at modeling these things. Another kind of application is within the renewable technologies themselves, which I think I'm most excited about. So a lot of like carbon sequestering, systems and also a lot of, water power and solar panels have the potential of being incorporated with quantum computing for more efficiency and less. And so that potential is really exciting. And I think the third sort of, application that we know of right now is within chemical systems. So like batteries and stuff like that. A lot of quantum computers are really good at kind of modeling, different chemistry, as well as like simulations for photosynthesis, which we don't fully understand, which I didn't know that we didn't fully understand. Yeah, we don't, yeah. I'm not, I'm not a chemistry person at all, but, I thought like, oh, I learned about this in eighth grade. We probably know everything about it by now, but we do not. And so, kind of sustainable batteries is another big question with quantum computing and how we can like, figure out the chemical makeup of it. So there's so many different applications and there's so many cool people working in these fields. It's really exciting to kind of, hear about.

Alexis: 27:08

Oh my goodness. No, that's, that's so wonderful. And thank you for the answer because I do think that like on the surface you're like, how is sustainability and computing linked? And I, I think that you brought it back of being like, this is such a new, new technology and new age. And because of that, it's such a wonderful tool that we have yet to explore. And I think that it's going to explode in the field of sustainability. I mean, what you all described as being a geologist, I mean, I. Climate models are very, very hard to predict and they're hard to create because it's a natural system. And same thing as photosynthesis. It's a natural system that is so complicated. And just having that extra kind of oomph in computing and have that ability for optimization, I think would be a wonderful thing. Cuz that's hard for us to create. I mean, for us, we've been manually creating model systems, based on our, our data that we've collected. But it's, it's really hard to make it just as, as one person or as a group of people and as doing it manmade as far, far harder than quantum computing. So that's really cool that quantum computing can step in and really help with these models. That's absolutely wonderful. And is there kind of a favorite, do you have a favorite thing in these three batteries? Renewables and then climate, is there something that most excite you, most excites you? Is there something maybe like a, a technique or a process or a type of quantum computing that really gets you to nerd out on

Sanskriti: 28:32

Yeah. I think I'm super excited about anything that sort of simulates our natural processes. Okay. Which are a lot of these technologies. Just because I feel like nature is, our first teacher. And for us to be so technologically advanced, or at least in my head, I feel like we've come a far away. And to still be uncovering like mother nature's truths is so cool. And I feel like those are like facts that people could use throughout centuries. Or like, you know, a fourth grade class could be learning about, oh, this is actually how photos and this is occurs. And for like that technology to have that impact is really powerful to me. So I would say anything that sort of simulate natural processes and helps us uncover more things about it.

Alexis: 29:13

No, I think that's beautiful and I think that's probably, from my point of view, that's what I'd be the most interested in as well is, is how do you take what we know about a natural system and how do you model it and add a computer kind of technology and knowledge to that that's going to increase it, and that's going to maybe uncover those secrets that we don't know through computing. I think that's, that's beautiful and probably has the most impact too, right? Like it's, it's how our world works. And as our world is rapidly changing, we're gonna have to understand the foundations very, very well before we can actually predict what's gonna happen in the future. So that kind of check and that balance of using that tool. It's really cool. On, on the flip side, since Sanskriti, is there anything that we don't know about quantum computing? Is there something that's like currently a mystery or people are trying to figure it out? Is it maybe how to get it to function in regular temperature? Is it maybe a, a theoretical base of quantum computing that we still don't know? Is there a big mystery that you're interested in?

Sanskriti: 30:14

Yeah, so I would say all of the above. There are definitely more questions with quantum computing than answers, which is kind of what attracted to me at. Attracted me to the field as well, just because there's so much to uncover. One of my professors said something to me about quantum computing, which was super exciting, which was, there could be a computer engineering professor who's worked 50, 40 years in the field, and then there could be a student who's just getting into computing, learning what bits are learning how to code, and they would have the same threshold of knowledge of quantum computing. And so that was really cool to hear, because it was definitely a strange statement to make. But the more you think about it, the more you realize, oh wow, there's so much we don't know. And there's so much possibility to uncover that even if you're a beginner in the field, you could possibly make a breakthrough. And actually a lot of scientific breakthroughs are made by people who are beginners or young people because they're able to look at the problem through another lens or another perspective, which might not have been looked at for people who are older in the field or more traditional. And so, I think what I'm most excited about is seeing where this field goes because we don't know if it's gonna exist in the next 20 years, for example, or where it's gonna be. And so to just be able to be at that precipice is really exciting. It's kind of like being, in machine learning in the early two thousands. It's this sci-fi thing that a lot of people talk about. I'm thinking like the early two thousands, every movie was just saying machine learning or AI or bot. Yeah. Yeah. And now it's like coming to be, and so being ahead of that curve is super duper exciting, especially with something as fast as technology.

Alexis: 31:55

No, that's, that's insane and that's a crazy statement for that professor to make. But like you guys are in the wild west of discovery in this technology that like, yes, you're right. Like someone who's just starting probably has the same probability or a very similar probability of making a huge discovery as someone who's known and has background within it. Just because it's so new and you don't know where it's gonna go. Is there kind of a general consensus of the future of it? Because I was shocked to say, to hear you say, Hey, in 20 years we don't even know if quantum computing is still gonna exist. I think that's, that's crazy when a, a technology is not even 10 years and like, Hey, maybe it is only gonna have a 30 year lifespan. Do you kind of know the future or is there a next generation of quantum computing? What does that look like? If you can.

Sanskriti: 32:40

Picture it. Yeah. So there is no general consensus I would say. Okay. I think also I've realized it depends on like where you're asking within like the quantum world, if you ask a physicist by nature, I think they're like really skeptical people, which they should be. Cause they're Yeah. Kind of discovering things about the universe. It's in their nature. But most businesses that I've met at least have said, oh yeah, quantum computing, is, might not be a thing in 20 years. Wow. And then there's a lot of engineers and people working on the business side, that are very much having a different view, which is that it's going to be the next big thing. And so in my personal view, I do believe that there's like a hype bubble around it specifically because of, The media, Marvel movies. Yes. Yes. A lot of other different things. Which is really funny because I think by definition, for example, a quantum leap is like the smallest type of leap you can make. Cuz it's very, very small. That's the word. Quantum it small. Yes. Tiny. Yes. So I think that it's definitely over-hyped, but there's still a lot of potential and a lot of people don't realize how many different use cases are being applied and are profitable today. And so a lot of people ask me, oh, why are you, you know, in quantum you could be doing so many other, like, things like software engineering, which makes a lot of money. If you don't know, this field's gonna exist in like 20 years. And I think, there was this other, there was a speaker that came to my high school. His name's Dr. Collins. He was the head of the n I H for a while, and he, was the person who pretty much did the Human genome project. Oh wow. He came to speak at my high school because his grandson, went there for some reason. But it was really exciting to hear him say, how he got to be the head of the Human Genome Project. And it was, no one else wanted to do it because it was too risky. Yeah. But he had nothing to lose because he had, he was young and, you know, he didn't have a family to feed and stuff like that. And so he told us, always go with the thing that you would have less regrets about. Like, would you regret not taking that more or would you regret taking it more and seeing how it pans out? And so, when I thought about quantum computing, it excites me so much that I would probably regret in 20 years not trying it out. Rather than trying it out. And so that kind of is why I'm in the field. And I also feel like no one's gonna be like, oh, you were in quantum computing. You're not smart enough to be a normal software engineer. So I feel like either way I'll be okay, Uhhuh, but it's definitely a really cool place to be because there is no consensus.

Alexis: 35:12

That's crazy. No, and that's wonderful advice. And I, I think that almost any single young person or, or someone who's interested in maybe something that's a little bit niche or a little unsure, and I think that's very common in science. Cause we don't really know where it's gonna go, when we don't know the, like, longevity of technology or of systems even, right? To be like, oh, in natural resources, like we might stop using those, we might move to renewables. Like, you don't really know where we're gonna move as a society in, in science and technology. So, and like anyone who's listening that maybe has that decision, I think it's wonderful advice to be like, go where you, you need to go, go where you're kind of, your heart's driving you to go and don't worry about the risk. Basically is like the, the sum of it of, of go where you're not going to regret your decision that you're so interested in it, you might as well try. Right. You might as well try to learn something new. And I didn't realize that being such a new technology that quantum computing could potentially still not exist within 20 years. But I don't think that it's a huge risk for you, for your career of working at IBM and quantum computing. You're, you're gonna be fine. You're gonna be able to find another job. Yeah, exactly. Like it's, it's completely Okay. On, on that side, on kind of a career in professionalism is, do you think that it's just gonna disappear or is it gonna go back to computing? Is that kind of the idea? Or is it going to be a new generation of quantum? Why are physicists so skeptical? Other than it just being their nature?

Sanskriti: 36:38

Yeah. Well, hmm. So I think like, Technology has sort of, waves and peaks and troughs. Mm. So like, for example, with AI and machine learning, if you look at the trends and the hypes, there were like, I thi I would say like two like waves where AI and machine learning was super duper big and nothing really came out of it. In terms of technology or like very minuscule gimmicky things came out of it. And then there was sort of like troughs where everyone was like, oh, machine learning is a fad. Like it's not going to be anything big. And now it's, it is the next big thing. Yeah. And so I think something similar might happen with quantum computing just based off of that, where there might be like waves of interests and then troughs. Just because I feel like in the age of the internet, you can only hold the world's attention for so long. Yeah. And so I feel like I am hopeful that there will be one day a breakthrough with quantum advantage, and there are little breakthroughs coming along. Like I believe last week, there was a cover story in nature about how IBM reached, quantum utility, with certain use case. And so there are little breakthroughs that are coming along, but I do feel like it's going to be sort of hype. Peaks and then hive troughs. But yeah, the researchers are gonna continue to work on it. I don't think anyone's gonna jump ship anytime soon. But it might be a little bit until we kind of see it in, in the general public. Mm,

Alexis: 38:05

yeah. That's fair. I feel like that's kind of, Technology, the systems of technology and the structure of it is always gonna take a little bit longer. There's gonna be a lag between like theoretical and like to be like, this could be the new thing. And you're right that there is going to be that hype in, in technology and kind of that hype cycle. And we're probably right at the very top of the hype cycle. It's probably at its peak right now of being like, this is, this is gonna change the world and it's gonna take a little bit of time for structures and for the market to catch up to it. So I, I do think that that's kind of right. But you're right with the machine learning of being like, yeah, people thought that it was gimmicky and now it's, it's all the rage. And I was wondering if we could speak a little to that because I know that quantum computing and machine learning and AI is, is different. But I was wondering if you could speak to AI because I think that's what a lot of people know. They've heard AI in the news, they've heard a lot of kind of different opinions on it and I know some people are really interested in it, but also concerned. And I was wondering if you could kind of speak to that. Are you excited about ai? Is there something that gives you pause? Being a quantum computing researcher, are you like, nah, that's old technology, we gotta move to quantum computing? Do you mean as completely separate? What are your thoughts on that?

Sanskriti: 39:13

Yeah, I think like any technology, it's a tool and I think there's this, giant problem we have, within like the media and also science communication where we kind of put an innate, good or bad to technology. And I think at the end of the day, it's just a tool. And so it's really up to us as, a society to figure out how to use it. And the thing I'm most worried about is that our societal and our political institutions won't be able to keep up with the technology just because, oh, sorry. No, you're good. Yeah, the thing I'm most worried about is that our societal and our political institutions won't be able to keep up with the technology. For example, with social networks, at first it was just, you know, a way to kind of share what you're doing or what you're eating for breakfast. And then it became this huge privacy thing. And this huge thing about, voting rights and biases and stuff like that. And our social and political institutions, in a way weren't able to keep up To policy these new technologies. And so what I'm worried about really is that I think I'm also very excited about AI and machine learning. Because it's gonna help our world in so many ways and, help us and make our lives easier. But at the end of the day, it's just a tool and it's our responsibility as aci, as a society to kind of make sure that it's being used correctly.

Alexis: 40:35

No, I think that's a wonderful answer and, and a good callback to the fact that it is a tool, that technology is always gonna be a tool and it's gonna be in the kind of hands of man. And so it's really our decision and our responsibility of how it's gonna be used, if it's gonna be used for good or bad, and what are gonna be the long-term impacts to it of. Making this decision or using this technology, what are gonna be the consequences of it? So I think that that's a wonderful call out, that it is going to be just how we, how we decide to use this technology and use AI and machine learning. But I do think that you're right, that there is always also a gap of legislation and of how it's being used and the policies based on it be either local or national or international of how are we gonna use this technology? Because I do think that there's, that's a bigger problem in our society is a gap of, of communication between science and scientists and maybe people who are within the public that they might not understand it. So there might be just a gap in legislation of boots on the ground, what is changing that's changing at such a high speed compared to law. And unfortunately I think that's kind of a, a thing in tech, but fantastic answers of, of why it's so exciting and, and maybe what. What are the big risks of AI and machine learning and a callback to yes, we do have this bias, I think, of putting technology as good or bad or, or final, that there's only one. It's either bad or good and there's nothing. Whereas like all technology is a decision and a tool and there's gonna be a gray zone in between it of, of how you use it. So wonderful and wonderful work that you're doing in general of quantum computing. Your work with the un, you're teaching students, bringing kind of that access to technology, everything that we've talked about. It's been so lovely since Sanskriti. Thank you so much. My next one is a little bit of a shift and it's a little bit of a change going from quantum computing and your work with a UN to just your experience in general as being a woman in STEM and mm-hmm. I know we talked a little bit, before this, and. You mentioned that this is something that you've struggled with and I was honestly blown away because I was like, there's no way that she's struggled with this. Not someone with like her background. But that's kind of the whole point is that it doesn't really work by background or or how much you've accomplished. It's just something that kind of unfortunately comes with the fields of being a woman in STEM and that is imposter syndrome. I was wondering if you could kind of speak to your experience of this and then maybe what has helped you, when it's more of an imposter day, what helps you get through it?

Sanskriti: 43:12

For sure. Yeah. No, I have faced imposter syndrome since I kind of was taking STEM classes in high school and it was mostly guys in my classes. And I think like my first sort of experience with it was like in a high school CS class where I was in a group project and I was assigned the PowerPoint and I was like, okay, first time around, that's fine, maybe. No one else wants to do the PowerPoint. And then third time around I was like, why am I doing the PowerPoint? Yeah, I know how to code, that's why I'm here. I wanna code. And so it's something I still sort of face every single day, depends on a day-to-day basis. But things that have helped me are definitely creating that community and helping others, because I realize that there's a lot of power in. Motivating other women in STEM and talking to them about your experiences because it's another form of taking up space. And when you're able to hear that other people are facing the same thing and it's not just you, it's really, really helpful and impactful. And so that's kind of why I started speaking more about my experiences in being a woman in stem. And like, for example, you talked about how I went to Harvard, we code. Mm-hmm. And talked about it. It was so cool to meet Harvard students who were facing imposter syndrome because in my head you're Harvard students. Yeah. You just to be there, you know? Yeah. And they were saying the same thing about me. They were like, wow, you're on the un, you do all of this stuff. Like, how are you facing imposter syndrome? Yes. And was kinda like that, spider-Man meme. I don't know if you, you've seen Spiderman like other. And so I found a really great method of kind of facing imposter syndrome with building community, helping others, and giving women in STEM voices, I think. At the end of the day, that's why I teach Quantum as well. Because it's so great to see someone, especially a high school student, go from being like, this technology seems really hard, let me just dive in and explore it. To doing a quantum project by the end of the semester that's high level. Just the joy on their faces is something that I could relate to cuz I also started in the field with little to no knowledge and felt like an imposter. And then seeing them kind of go from that to feeling like an expert is really cool to see and helps with my own imposter syndrome. Yeah, and I think the second way I sort of battle it is definitely, Journaling and kind of having that introspection over the past couple of years, I've like realized a lot of the imposter syndrome is internal sometimes. And so kind of doing that inner work has helped me build my confidence and my presence and enabled me to take up more space in my classes. Or for example, on campus. I'm president of women in ECE and a lot of, I think students in my major would rather overlook the problem that it's like a nine to one ratio of men to women. Or would rather not talk about it. But that self work and that introspection has allowed me to stand in front of a room with mostly men and be like, Hey, our major has a problem with women in stem. You have the worst retention rate out of any of the majors. These are the problems. Why make sure you're, being vocal or letting women in the room speak, during group projects and stuff like that. And so it's definitely daunting cuz for some reason the guys just kinda look at you like with a blank stare. Kinda like this. There's like, yeah. And you're just kinda like, this is the problem.

Alexis: 46:35

Please listen. Yeah.

Sanskriti: 46:38

Please motivate women in stem. And they're just kinda like, yeah. So it's, it's definitely interesting to see, but that work is super important and that introspection has allowed me to have the confidence to take up that space. So those are kind of the two things I've been doing so far and they've worked pretty well. Yeah. If you have any tips as well, let me know. Cause I'm always looking to incorporate more techniques into my daily routine.

Alexis: 47:04

No, I think you nailed it. And honestly, I think like my tips might be the same as your tips. I like. I think for, for me, when I go through imposter syndrome, I think the first one is probably introspection. And I think that is also so powerful of doing that internal work and, and journaling and thinking about it and maybe having like a heart to heart about it. Because I think a lot of imposter syndrome is coming from, from internalized bias, even maybe against yourself, right? That example when you were talking about the PowerPoint, I think almost every single woman in STEM and trades, they can relate with that to be like, all of a sudden I was getting all of the administration tasks and there's no, no insult to the task or the importance of them, or the necessity of those tasks. But why do I have to be the one person doing it every single time? And why is there that bias that this is in my wheelhouse and it's not in the wheelhouse of others, whereas I have the same qualifications in the same background that I can do the coding or I could do the field work or whatever, what have you in your, in your own field. I think that's an internalized bias that men have, but it's also maybe an internalized bias that we have that we also have to kind of work through and be like, where's that coming from? How do I feel about this? What am I gonna do differently? And how am I gonna take up that space? And I think two things have come through through this interview that have been kind of consistent. One is that you are a huge Marvel fan. You did not like Li, you did not limit that. There's been so many Marvel drops this entire time. So that

Sanskriti: 48:32

is definitely like

Alexis: 48:34

real is a hundred percent real. But this kind of full circle moment, the second time of like your, your work of how to get through imposter syndrome is also the same thing that drew you to working for the UN and starting your local chapter and starting community and starting trying to bring others up with you and have that conversation of taking up space and that idea that that. Advice that was given to you by that wonderful woman who said, yes, you have to accept this position. You have to become our national rep. That idea of taking up space and, and having a voice, and maybe it's gonna be a little bit uncomfortable and you're gonna have deadpan faces in the audience from these guys because they've probably have never heard it either, or it's not been something that they've really had to think about. It's not something that they've had to live, live through. It's not their lived experience. So it is gonna be maybe a little bit awkward on the other side to be like, okay, all of a sudden I have to take space and I have to, to say this. It might not feel, feel, comfortable at first, but it's so necessary. And, and I love that kinda idea that it helps you of like, if you build it, they will come. And I was wondering if we could, if I could ask maybe a follow up question on teaching, because I think that's something that you've talked about a couple times. When you teach these high school programs, how, how does that work? Are you going in yourself into these high schools? Is it through the UN as well and through kind of like local chapters and what has been obviously like one of the most rewarding is seeing them grow and seeing them learn. What has been something that you've loved about teaching? Maybe what's something that's challenging about teaching and maybe that

Sanskriti: 50:11

experience? Yeah, for sure. So, I. Primarily teach through this nonprofit organization Okay. Called the Coding School. And they have a lot of different programs, to kind of get students, especially students that might be international, that might not have the same access to the technology to learn things like quantum computing, ai and machine learning. And then outside of that, I also, go in on my own into high schools and teach, as well as, I'm president of the Quantum computing Club at my university. And so we're actually starting a flagship sort of workshop program for undergrads to learn quantum computing because there's, I think at my university, like one 400 level, which is like a senior level class That you can take. And by that point you already kind of know where you wanna go with your career. Yeah. And you're not gonna explore quantum computing. Mm-hmm. And so those are like the kind of main avenues that I've been, fortunate enough to discover. And I think the experience has been, Probably one of the most life changing experiences for me so far. Even with all of the other things that I do. Yeah. Because I think teaching is the best way to learn something and it's really, really cool to see like how motivated, the younger generations are to dive into a field that they've never heard of before or like only heard about in certain places. Like Marvel movies. Sorry for that.

Alexis: 51:34

No, I love it.

Sanskriti: 51:36

But yeah, it's been really cool to kind of see these students grow and also become more sure of themselves. A lot of them probably won't go into Quantum, which is totally fine, but they're gonna go in knowing that they can learn anything they put to put their mind to, because they learned quantum computing in high school. Yeah. and they were able to dive into something that they'd never done before. And a lot of these students, it's their first time programming and quantum computing is their introduction to programming. So it's also super cool to see them become more familiar with technology. And think more about how it works, because I think there's a certain power in knowing how things work. And it makes you more confident as a user. And so that's been, I think, the most exciting part. The hardest part has definitely been, motivating students to be more confident within themselves. Mm-hmm. Cause you can tell a student that they're good enough and they're smart enough, but to motivate, I think is a new challenge that leaders have in the current world. You have to kind of like motivate your staff to do like mm-hmm. Their best work. You have to motivate, your coworkers to do their best work, for example. And so that was kind of a learning curve for me at first because, You don't know, sort of like where people are starting from and you kind of need to like be very empathetic to like be able to teach. And have a language that kind of is very simple to understand cuz you don't wanna scare someone away. And that was really helpful in the long run for me because now I'm able to explain quantum computing in simple ways. Yeah. That are hopefully easy to understand. And it was able to give me mastery of the field as well because I think if you can't explain it in simple terms, you're not an expert. So yeah, I

Alexis: 53:19

kind agree more with the being able to teach it and being, teaching, being the best way to learn yourself because I think. The beauty of when someone's first learning something is they can kind of poke holes in your knowledge without you even realizing, because they can ask that kind of like simple broken down question and you're like, oh, I've never actually thought about it like that. Like, do I actually understand this? Where can I learn? Like you do learn so much about your own field through teaching. And I think what you touched on, one part that you touched on that I think is really beautiful and true is that this, even if they don't go into quantum computing, that this is such a confidence build and it's so wonderful that they have mastery of technology in something new. But I also think it's a bigger problem of how we view science and I think that we view science and engineering and technology as very unaccept. Inaccessible for most of the population to understand because we view it as very high brow, that you have to be a certain level of intelligence to understand. You have to have a certain kinda background in mathematics and chemistry. And maybe when you're first learning, you don't have that background. And, and math can be very scary. And we already know that women don't enter STEM fields because they're scared of math and they can become scared of math and think that they're bad at math as young as seven years old. Like it's this kind of intrinsic bias about. The fields of technology and the fields of science. So I love that they have access to it at high school and they can kind of break down that bias that they have of themselves to be like, you know what? I can do this and this isn't that complicated. I learned it, I learned this new technology, and I'm now able to do it. And that's gonna be so impactful for the rest of their lives. And I also think that it's gonna change their kind of internal bias and, and for women. I think that's, that's wonderful. This kind of breakdown of the difficulty of, of science that it's made for you.

Sanskriti: 55:10

I was gonna say, yeah, no, it's super important to do that. And I am someone who definitely has, a fear of math still sometimes. So it's really cool to be on the other side of that and also experience that, oh, this isn't too hard. Mm-hmm. Like if I can see one of my students do quantum computing and dive into it and challenge themselves even though they don't have to, I can also sort of dive in and do this as well. So it's definitely taught me to push myself as well, cuz I see these younger people pushing themselves and so it's been really motivating and inspirational.

Alexis: 55:44

Ah, no, it's, it's so gorgeous and it's gorgeous. The amount of work that you give back to the community and, and creating these communities. I think it's, it's so impactful. It has a lot, it changes representation, it changes their viewpoint of what, someone in quantum computing looks like. It changes kind of their idea of what their, what's possible for them and what's gonna be kind of the future of technology. And it's, it's just so wonderful. And I was wondering if you could speak maybe being a teacher and being kind of a mentor to these students. I'm sure you give them advice and I was wondering if you could give our listeners advice as well for any young people that are kind of entering e engineering in the technology space, what would you tell them when they're first kind of starting their career?

Sanskriti: 56:26

Yeah, for sure. Well, I'm definitely I young person as well, I would say so. I would tell them to take up space, which I think has been a big theme of our conversation today. And to not be afraid to take up space as someone who's super introverted, that can be super daunting. especially because it seems sort of selfish in a way. Mm-hmm. But taking up space is the opposite of selfish. Cuz someone's gonna see you taking up space and they're going to be motivated and they're gonna be like, wow, someone like me is able to do that. I can do that as well. And that is so powerful. And then the second tip I would say is definitely reach out to people nine times out of 10, especially in stem. A lot of people are willing to help. Yes. And as you've heard, so far, a lot of people help helped me throughout my journey. So reach out to people on LinkedIn. Feel free to like reach out to me, for example. Yeah. And be like, hi, like this is my background. I would love to schedule a coffee chat. Remember to be genuine with it because people can kind of see through if you're not genuine. Like for example, if someone's messaging someone who goes to Harvard and is like, oh, like can you please get me a spot at Harvard? That's not gonna work. No. But as long as you're super genuine. Yeah. There are people out there willing to help. Even if you don't know anything. Mm-hmm. Like I did not know anything when I started. I probably still don't know a lot of things. Well, I know, I don't know a lot of things and reaching out has really helped me kind of create that network of community. Mm. And the third thing I would say is that everything is doable, which means no subject is too difficult for you to learn or get into. I would've never thought that I would be a quantum computing engineer and the youngest selected official on the United Nations Council. That's a weird, weird phrase. But because I was able to take that chance on myself, I realized that any big problem can be broken down into smaller bits and can be easy to understand. And so if you're excited about a field or excited about a research topic or wanna do a major that might be harder than the others, go for it. Dive in. Yeah. Cause you never know where it'll take you. And worst case you fail and you learn. And then I guess, One more thing would be don't be afraid of failure. I feel like social media and stuff can be like sort of successes after successes, and you're seeing people post about like, the things that are going well in their life. But I can tell you for everything that I've posted where I've been like, oh, I'm so excited to get this opportunity or win this. I failed a thousand times more than that. Which, you know, you don't often see on social media. Yeah. So don't be afraid to fail. Like, I failed exams, I failed other things. It's totally all right. And it's part of the process.

Alexis: 59:09

Oh, amazing advice. And, I love ending it on kind of don't being afraid to fail because I think that that was gonna be my only kinda add-on would be that it doesn't have to be perfect. That I feel like what has been so beautiful about your story is this like, Kind of what's the worst that could happen mentality, as you might as well try and this like ability to keep trying and like, it doesn't have to be perfect, but you can be willing to be to, to learn and willing to grow. And this kind of. Beauty in understanding that you don't have to be perfect. You don't have to know everything right now. You don't know everything right now. And, and that's why it's so fun and exciting and that kinda following that excitement. And I, I love that goes back to like what you said to that one professor to be like, Hey, I know nothing about quantum computing, but I'm gonna be a sponge and I'm gonna actually try to understand everything. And I think that's wonderful advice when you're first starting because I think it can fall into a trap, especially now with social media and everything being online of it has to be perfect. It has to be success after success. You have to come already with all this pre-established knowledge and expertise, which is just not possible. Whereas the opposite, you just have to be willing to try, willing to maybe get down and and fail a couple times, but that's gonna be fine. You're gonna keep going. And willing to take up space and I think. I've struggled with taking up space as well. And one thing that has helped me is sometimes putting myself in the position of I'm not advocating for myself. Imagine that you're advocating for your younger sister or a friend, like put someone else in your position and then what would you do if you were fighting for them versus fighting for you? Because that could be a, a new mindset That kind of helps. I would do anything for my sister. I would do anything for my friend. So maybe put her in your position and how would you speak if you were speaking for her? You'd probably speak a little bit louder. You'd probably take up a little bit more space. So if you're struggling there, maybe advocate for somebody else that helped

Sanskriti: 1:01:10

me. Yeah, no, I really love that. It's a great way of looking at it cuz I think, I think a lot of women put themselves last also in a way. And so it's so important to put yourself first and. Because putting yourself first again, seems like very inherently selfish. Yes. Yeah. But then you realize, oh, like if I serve myself really well, I'm able to serve everyone else around me and then kind of become a leader in the space. And that's so powerful to be a woman in STEM and to build those communities and to find power within yourself. And no, that's, that's a really beautiful thought. I like that. I'm gonna use that. Think about what you would do for your sister. Yeah, you're

Alexis: 1:01:53

welcome. You can steal it. I got it from a professor that was like, Alexis, you're a little bit of a people pleaser, so it's gonna be hard for you to like take up space. So just pretend like you're taking up space for somebody else, because I think you are right as being like a woman. Sometimes we don't put ourselves first and it feels kind of culturally selfish and it feels a little bit maybe new and, and different. So, But it's so important because I think like representation is so important and has such a big impact. And Sanskriti, thank you so much for this conversation. It was so lovely to meet you. I learned so much about quantum computing. Thank you so much for explaining it. And again, your work with the un, your work with community, your work with all of these nonprofits and, and teaching, young high school students and, and giving them advice and making that next kind of generation into technologists. It's just so empowering and so wonderful. And thank you for all the work that you're doing in the community.

Sanskriti: 1:02:47

Well, thank you for having me so much, Alexis. This was such an honor and yeah, no, the work you're doing is also amazing. Science, communication and giving a platform to women in STEM is truly, truly important. So continue doing that as well. It was truly a pleasure. Yeah,

Alexis: 1:03:04

it was so lovely meeting you. And thank you very much for those very, very kind words. and thank you for everybody for listening. I hope you enjoyed this episode. I certainly did. It was amazing. Can't wait to see you guys next week and thank you. Thank you. Bye guys. We are smoko. See you later.