Max Lang
Max Lang attended the Professor Harry Messel International Science School in Sydney in 2025 and wrote a trip report following his return, reflecting on how the experience has excited him for the next phase of his life at university.
Hi, my name is Max Lang. I live in Nelson with my parents, brothers, and dog. I am a year 13 student at Nayland College, a co-ed state school.
I am passionate about maths, science, and programming. I do game design and programming in my spare time. I am currently doing a maths paper through the University of Canterbury, which is awesome. It introduced me to linear algebra, which is pretty cool.
I also love music and play various instruments. I play the saxophone, piano, trumpet, clarinet, and guitar, and I sing in my school’s mixed choir. I am in my school’s orchestra, concert band, jazz band, my brother’s jazz combo, my friend’s chamber trio and am playing in my local symphony orchestra's next concert.
How has attending ISS excited you to pursue a career in STEM? Can you elaborate on what you’d like to pursue and what has inspired this?
Attending ISS has shown me that by studying the things I enjoy, I will be able to find a job that I enjoy, regardless of the specifics of my degree. My passion is for maths, and I am currently tossing up whether to do a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science or a Bachelor of Engineering. Being able to spend time in a university environment through ISS has made me excited for the next phase of my studies, and talking to the lecturers and university students about their work and degrees has shown me how varied the pathways are that university offers.
What’s the most interesting thing you learned at ISS?
Our first lecture, by Professor Katie Mack, on dark matter and the end of the universe, was my favourite of all the lectures. She explained not only what we think dark matter is, but how we know it exists, how little we really know and how it might determine the long-term development of the universe. She explained that there are a few current mainstream theories as to how the universe may end, including slowly cooling to lifelessness, collapsing into a singularity, and being swallowed by a bubble where the rules of physics don’t support life.
Did you learn or experience something unexpected at ISS?
I had some really interesting conversations about foreign politics with some of the other scholars. It was cool to see that many of them cared about the same political issues as I do and were just as politically aware and involved as I am. I talked to a disheartening number of people while door-knocking for a local politician whose attitudes toward politics were “don’t know, don’t care”, so it was cool to see that there are enthusiastic young people around the world who care about politics.
How can you use the knowledge you’ve gained at ISS to contribute to your wider community in the future?
I have written an entry for my school newsletter talking about my experiences at ISS and encouraging other students to apply. I hope that one of the students in the years below me will be able to have the same opportunity I have had. Forming relationships with students from around the world felt like a really valuable part of ISS and I will try to keep making these opportunities for myself into the future.