ESP Biography

ALEXANDER SIEGENFELD, MIT physics PhD student studying social systems

Major: Course 8

College/Employer: MIT

Year of Graduation: G

Brief Biographical Sketch:

Born in New York City and raised in Connecticut, Alex Siegenfeld developed early interests in chemistry, physics, and math. As an undergraduate at MIT, he majored in physics and mathematics and conducted theoretical research on a variety of solid-state systems. Alex is currently pursuing a PhD in physics at MIT. Originally interested in combining chemical intuition with mathematical rigor to further the understanding of materials with exotic and useful properties, he spent his first graduate year working on topological superconductors and Fermi liquid theory. He has since shifted his focus to applying concepts and methods from statistical physics to further the understanding of social and political phenomena. He is conducting research at the MIT Media Lab’s Laboratory for Social Machines and the New England Complex Systems Institute; his current projects include researching spatial variation in political polarization, and studying the mathematical properties of political representation in democratic voting systems.

Past Classes

(Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

X12408: Understanding Complex Social Systems in Splash 2018 (Nov. 17 - 18, 2018)

How do we begin to understand systems--political, economic, biological, social--whose complexity is beyond the limits of human comprehension? Standard academic assumptions fail for complex systems, resulting in inaccurate predictions and an underestimation of the probabilities of extreme events, such as the 2008 financial crisis. Nonetheless, these false assumptions are often used, due to the human tendency to prefer a pretense of knowledge to a knowledge of uncertainty. This class will teach you how to approach understanding systems with many interacting components, using a rigorous framework that combines concepts from information theory and physics. Topics include the basic principles of complex systems science and their applications to hierarchies, economic crashes, ethnic violence, the evolution of altruism, urban planning, and pandemics.

S8903: Energy, Entropy, and Chemical Reactions in Splash 2014 (Nov. 22 - 23, 2014)

So perhaps you've heard of the terms energy and entropy and how you can use them to predict which chemical reactions are favorable, but do you really have an intuitive understanding of them? Come to this class to learn what energy and entropy really are on a microscopic level, and how one can relate thermodynamic statements about reactions to the microscopic principles behind their kinetics.

S7379: Electrochemistry Done Right in Splash! 2013 (Nov. 23 - 24, 2013)

Ever wondered why if you stick two different metals connected by a wire into a frog, an electric current (and a dead frog) will result? Or why lithium has a more negative reduction potential than sodium, even though sodium reacts far more violently with water? Or why metals have the oxidation states that they do? Come to my class to find out and to learn about many other subtleties of electrochemistry that are glossed over in high school chem classes.

S6967: Electrochemistry Done Right in Spark! 2013 (Mar. 16, 2013)

W6205: Play Go! in Splash! 2012 (Nov. 17 - 18, 2012)

This walk-in seminar is run by the MIT Go Club. Go is a truly great game with simple rules but endless complexity, so whether you are a complete beginner or an expert or anywhere in between, you should stop by and learn/play some go! Some info about Go: Go, also known as Weiqi in Chinese and Baduk in Korean, is a game that originated in China about five thousand years ago. Two players, black and white, take turns placing a stone on a 19 by 19 board. The objective is to control a larger territory than the opponent. The rules are so simple; yet from simplicity comes endless complexity and strategic depth. Whereas the strongest chess programs can routinely defeat grandmasters, the strongest Go program can be defeated by a strong club player.

S6224: A Deeper Look into Chemical Reactivity in Splash! 2012 (Nov. 17 - 18, 2012)

Have you ever wondered why elements react in the way that they do? If your answer is that atoms "want" to achieve full or empty energy levels, then you have been misled by your chemistry teacher, for the true answer is a lot more subtle. In this class, we will examine the fundamental parameters that determine whether or not compounds are stable in order to get a better picture of the delicate interplay between the many factors that contribute to chemical reactivity.

S5980: True Chemistry in HSSP Summer 2012 (Jul. 08, 2012)

Unlike most high school chemistry classes, this class will discuss the true explanations behind a variety of chemical phenomena. Chemistry is not just a random collection of facts that one has to memorize—everything in chemistry does have an explanation, and it is my goal to reveal these explanations and show the true beauty of chemistry. We will start with the basis for all of chemistry, quantum mechanics (don’t worry, no difficult math will be used), and from there we will consider electron configurations (with a special focus on electron configurations of the mysterious d-block elements) and use them to explain some basic principles of reactivity that are exhibited by the elements of the periodic table. We will also discuss basic molecular orbital theory to explain different types of bonding (including metallic bonding). If we have time, we will discuss acid-base and oxidation-reduction chemistry, as well as some thermodynamics (including an explanation of what entropy really is!).

S5667: True Chemistry in HSSP Spring 2012 (Feb. 18, 2012)

Unlike most high school chemistry classes, this class will discuss the true explanations behind a variety of chemical phenomena. Chemistry is NOT just a random collection of facts that one has to memorize—everything in chemistry does have an explanation, and it is my goal to reveal these explanations and show the true beauty of chemistry. We will start with the basis for all of chemistry, quantum mechanics (don't worry, no difficult math will be used), and from there we will consider electron configurations (with a special focus on electron configurations of the mysterious d-block elements) and use them to explain the wide array of reactivity that is exhibited by the elements of the periodic table. We will also discuss basic molecular orbital theory to explain different types of bonding (including metallic bonding). If we have time, we will discuss acid-base and oxidation-reduction chemistry, as well as some thermodynamics (including an explanation of what entropy really is!).

W5821: Play Go! in Spark! 2012 (Mar. 10, 2012)

Go is a truly great game with simple rules but endless complexity, so whether you are a complete beginner or an expert or anywhere in between, you should stop by and learn/play some go! Go (known as Weiqi in Chinese and Baduk in Korean) is a game that originated in China about five thousand years ago. The objective is to control a larger territory than the opponent. The rules are so simple; yet from simplicity comes endless strategic depth. Whereas the strongest chess programs can defeat grandmasters, the strongest Go program can be defeated by a strong club player.

S5076: What You Won't Learn in Chem Class: The True Explanations Behind Chemical Phenomena in Splash! 2011 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2011)

Ever wondered about why mercury is a liquid at room temperature? Or about the real reason why elements tend to react in such a way so that they achieve noble gas electron configurations? (The answer is far more nuanced than "noble gas configurations are stable.") Tired of having to accept chemical principles and observations without explanation? Then come to my class to learn the real reasons behind why substances behave and react in the way that they do; afterwards, you will understand and appreciate chemistry in a much more nuanced and accurate way.

W5077: Play Go! in Splash! 2011 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2011)