Assem Ayaganova
She is 22 years old, from Aktobe, studied at Nazarbayev University, is currently a student at the Tokyo Institute of Technology studying Chemical Engineering. During the summer of 2014 she did her research internship in the Laboratory of Science and Engineering at the University of Colorado in Boulder.
1. Why did you choose this specialty at the University?
Since childhood I always liked the exact technical sciences. I’ve always wondered how all those devices and gadgets work. Moreover at school I liked chemistry. And so the choice of my future profession has fallen to chemical engineering.
2. How did the selection for the internship go?
At first I thought that the probability to win a grant was quite small. But I, after all, clearly knew that I want to do research and get PhD degree. So it was not all that difficult for me to answer all the questions during the selection process and write they essay.
3. Any interesting and memorable experience from the internship?
Besides the research itself, travelling to new places was quite interesting. On weekends I was able to fly to LA and New York City and see Hollywood and Broadway. But most important, I believe, was meeting new people of different cultural background and making friends.
4. How would you describe the impact of the internship?
The internship gave me the opportunity to understand myself as a person. I grew even more confident that my choice of profession is the right one. I also now can compare my research experience in the USA to the one gained in Kazakhstan and I can see and understand that there is so much we still must do to learn and improve the management and grow professionally.
15.10.17, Stories
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