Ask a big, bold but practical question - and then dedicate years to it.

A research internship in Brown University was an invaluable experience for me. I have spent summer developing a possible application for the MTJ sensor technology in well bore defects sensing, which potentially could alleviate the problem of oil spills and currently does not have any commercially available analogues. The project not only encouraged me to learn new techniques and software, but also allowed me to better define my future research interest and find out more about problems requiring solutions. 

I have also used the time in Brown to meet new people, ask them about their life and work. I was particularly glad to meet CUHK Physics alumni there in Brown. I joined a small but great team  of graduate students working on spintronics challenges, and felt lucky to be a part of such a united and harmonious group. I talked to students and professors, strangers and Uber drivers because I believe that an overseas internship is more than a chance to learn useful skills. It is a chance to know a different world.

I have particularly enjoyed the conversations on scientific career and future plans with my supervisor, as well as great advice and his own experiences he has shared to me. He once mentioned, that an aspiring researcher should "ask a big, bold, but practical question - and then dedicate years to it", and such a philosophy greatly appeals to me. Despite I have not decided yet, whether the spintronics research is my "big question", I can surely say this summer has a life-changing impact on me.