alian Summer Research Program 20

alian Summer Research Program 2005

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Research

Before heading to China, it may be really helpful to contact your mentor while you’re in the states. This way you can get a much clearer idea of what you’ll be doing once you arrive.

All of us had our own cubicles or desk space, and all but one of us were provided a computer to use at work. Depending on the project, some of us spent the majority of our time at the computer, while others had much more time in labs. The internet worked well most of the time, but it sometimes quit working and could be slow. Be prepared to see the big red China stop sign blocking you from accessing some of your favorite internet sites. We could all access our email and other necessary sites. Many of the laboratory facilities were really impressive. Some are huge, and all of us involved with experiments enjoyed them.

We noticed very quickly how different the typical day at work was for the Chinese students. Oftentimes, they came in early in the morning and stayed late at night. Their schedule, however, included many video games and movies. Most of us stuck to a pretty typical US workday schedule. Monday through Friday we went around 8:30 and stayed until 5 with a one hour lunch break around noon.

All of our mentors and graduate students were very friendly and excited to have us working with them. Sometimes communicating with them could be a little difficult. We found that they are often much better when writing and reading instead of speaking, so sending an email or talking on QQ (equivalent to instant messenger) was really helpful sometimes. Everyone was very patient when trying to explain things to us and answer questions. Just be prepared to spend more time figuring things out about your project. Many of the students had great senses of humor and were extremely helpful telling us how to get places in Dalian.

We found that much of our time was up to our discretion and that it was up to us to make the most of our experience in Dalian. This is a great opportunity for you to learn more about programming in a program new to you, running an experiment, or researching a certain material property. You’ll find that the more work you put into the project, the more you’ll get out of it.

Chris' derrick structure and Chris standing outside the engineering building

Nick giving his final presentation

Sophie's wave tank