#SoCaltech: Anya Mischel

“I’m paraphrasing something Neil DeGrasse Tyson said that resonated with me. It was that every scientific discovery that you can make will be made eventually, if not by you, by someone else. You wait enough time, and someone will design a similar experiment to find the answer or come up with a different model that precisely describes what’s happening in the real world. Science is an objective thing that people are discovering. But art—no one can make the same piece as you. The designs you make, and the art you create, are unique to you. They have your own little subtleties; your lived experience influences how you create things. I think that’s why art feels so human. It’s unique.

“I think being an artist also makes you a better communicator, and communicating ideas through art is important for science as well. Data visualization is very important in science because it tells a story, and big decisions can depend on data visualization that has artistic elements. I also think art allows you to become a well-rounded person—and that helps with almost anything.” 

Anya Mischel is a third-year mechanical engineering major interested in the ways art and science intersect. She is seeking a career path that will allow her to combine her interests in STEM and illustration.

#SoCaltech is an occasional series celebrating the diverse individuals who give Caltech its spirit of excellence, ambition, and ingenuity. Know someone we should profile? Send nominations to magazine@caltech.edu.