UROP @ HKUST (An International Student's Perspective)

When I say I'm a full-time student from the United States, people look at me quizzically. They might try to verify if I am really an exchange student instead. And when I say nay, they might point out to me that "people in Asia usually want to go to the U.S. to study, but [I] came [to Hong Kong]."

My usual response is that I wanted to do something different and find new experiences.

This situation has happened to me so many times that I sometimes wonder if I really am doing something worthwhile. Is being unique and having unique experiences enough? What if my critics are right? And what if that legion of supporters eventually becomes disappointed with where I end up?

In recent days, that hasn't been the case since I'm doing a summer UROP project. Although I would certainly lament that the bioengineering resources at HKUST are not that glamorous when compared with CDU/UCLA, I am convinced that coming here is part of a grander scheme.

First, the negative. The lab feels crowded with a lack of desk space and it is hard to keep things organized when there is so little space to keep our equipment. Compared with UCLA, our lab has a second-rate feel when you first walk in. Part of it is because we're in Hong Kong (where we would get purchase minicentrifuges and some of our less accurate micropipettes from China) and the other, more important, part of it is that the university hasn't allotted our department a lot of space because our department is still too young to truly predict its future trajectory. We should be getting more room soon though, since my PI just got promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor.

Another thing I would lament about HKUST is that it doesn't have a medical school or an on-site hospital, which is something I think that this university sorely needs--if it wants to step up its game and live up to the global ranking that it currently possesses (#1 in Asia). Since we are in the New Territories/Sai Kung region, I can see why we wouldn't have a hospital on campus. We're not exactly in the buzzing heart of Hong Kong. Still, I wonder why I haven't heard of any forward steps towards getting a medical center.

But what's great about HKUST UROP? Of course, any research experience is specific to the PI you have and I sought out my PI's mentorship for a long time before I got a project in her lab for the summer and our final year project. She was, in my opinion, the best chemical engineering teacher (Ying Chau) with interests that aligned with mine the most. What I didn't expect was the level of mentorship I'd receive from my coworker and the level of independent thinking I am encouraged to embrace. It was a pleasant surprise and a great reward. For an undergraduate student, I think HKUST is an incredible place to start doing research, especially since the competition for research projects is not very fierce (for the moment, at least). As far as I can tell, local student culture does not place as high a value on research experience as the student culture in the United States. So it means that there is a large window of opportunity for people who are serious about exploring research.

International students in research is a hidden charm about HKUST. To note, HKUST received a huge boost in ranking largely because of its number of international students as well as our international and renowned professors. Naturally, you'd see that manifest itself more in research than within the undergraduate student body (which I and many other internationals have many complaints about). For example, there are several people in my lab, all with very distinct personalities that may or may not have to do with culture. Two other undergraduate students, one hired from MIT, a guy from Bangladesh who worked in MIT for some time and has been to more foreign countries than I can count, a few others from mainland China, and a few locals. In another lab I worked in, we had a similar mix. I'd say that the casual English-Cantonese language use ratio is about 45-55, which is pretty good.

This summer has been good so far, but there are only a few weeks left.

And I am definitely looking forward to the trek home in late August. It's been a whole year since I last saw my family and hometown!