Gleb Vizitiv
Class of 2017
A recipient of the C. Prescott Davis scholarship, Gleb Vizitiv was a rising star in his native Moldova ("A small but beautiful country in Eastern Europe," he explains) long before he came to New York City.
He invented a smart heat-filtering glass, which placed at the Intel International Science and Engineering fair in 2015, and, after having witnessed a car crash, developed a magnetic safety car system using an electromagnetic-layer to produce a field that can reduce kinetic energy in a collision. He also co-founded a program called Smart Physical Approach out of Chișinău, Moldova’s capital, offering free physics tutoring for high schoolers across the nation.
“I love theoretical physics, but sometimes feel that if my formulas remain on the blackboard then my scientific work might lack applicability,” Vizitiv says. “That’s exactly why I chose engineering: physics provides the black and white sketch, while engineering gives the color.”
So far at Columbia, Vizitiv has worked on a project, “Regulation of radiation transmittance through electro-optic technologies,” intended to reduce the energy consumption of air conditioning systems. His favorite first semester course is Lecturer David Vallancourt’s intro to electrical engineering.
In his free time, Vizitiv enjoys teaching, photography, and exploring the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He hopes for a career in teaching and circuit design, especially developing next-generation batteries.
“You never know what amazing discoveries can be made tomorrow,” he says, “and that’s beautiful!”
Student Spotlight You never know what amazing discoveries can be made tomorrow and that’s beautiful!