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Shirley Sui,
Undergraduate student, Medical School
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“I learned what it is like to do research in a lab in Beijing - which is not all that different in most ways - and what it is like to live in Beijing. PKU's students are not unlike my peers at UCLA, and conducting research at PKU has rewards and frustrations much like those you would experience in a lab at UCLA. I've learned a lot about through PKU-UCLA JRI's Summer Research opportunity, and I am extremely grateful for this chance to experience both aspects of being a student on the other side of the globe. “ |
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Katherine Rosen,
Undergraduate student, Biochemistry
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“I would highly recommend this program to any student who has been dreaming of travelling abroad, but doesn’t want to sacrifice a summer’s worth of research! Over the summer, I learned what it was like to live in a country where I did not speak the primary language (at all); however, I was able to do so in a supportive environment since the other UCLA students in the program and the students in my lab at PKU spoke English. Through conversations with my lab-mates, I was able to learn about Chinese culture not just from a textbook but from students my age who have lived there their entire lives. Trying to interact with people in shops and restaurants while not speaking the same language was also a humbling experience, but I was able to get around and am pleased to be coming back with the confidence that I could live happily in China if job prospects take me there. In either case, I will definitely be making a return trip! “ |
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Allison Wong,
Undergraduate student, Biochemistry
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“I had an amazing experience, both culturally and with my research. I really appreciated the cultural exchange aspect. I cannot emphasize enough how enriching and valuable I found the language skills and cultural experience to be- that's a type of learning I could not really experience at any research institute in the US.” |
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Sheng Wei,
2nd year PhD student, Computer Science
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“I think this is a great program. I would like to participate if there is another chance, and I would like to recommend this to my friends, especially those who want to do a great research project during summer, and who want to learn more about PKU and China.” |
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Robert Cunningham,
Undergraduate student, Physics/Applied Mathematics
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“The experience of being in such a different social context for such a duration allowed me to learn so many things that there is no way I can begin to recite them here. It’s such an incredible experience.” |
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Peichi (Justin) Liu,
PhD student, Materials Science & Engineering
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“The academic atmosphere in scientific research in PKU and the impressive improvement in Beijing city impressed me a lot. It's awesome and unforgettable journey to me, and I hope everyone can share our experience there.” |
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Zhanyong Wang,
1st year PhD student, Computer Science
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“The lab I stayed in is an open lab and we have many opportunities to communicate with pioneer scientists from all over the world. My advisor is a preeminent and nice professor. She gave excellent guidance to the students. All the students are working hardly and freely. The research topics here are interesting and practical. My research area is bioinformatics, which is an interdisciplinary of biology and computer science. In the lab in PKU, We focus on proposing and solving real biological or clinical problems; while in my lab in UCLA, we focus on developing efficient theories and algorithms to solve problems. I think these are two major directions of research. We have lots of real data from patients in PKU, and we develop efficient algorithms in UCLA. This also provides great opportunities for our two labs to collaborate in the future.” |
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Chunyi Peng ,
PhD student, Computer Science
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"It is a great program. I appreciate such opportunity back to China and work with PKU professors. The project I was working on during the summer is related to my research direction and helps me to go deeper into my research work."
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Drew Morton ,
Undergraduate student, Neuroscience
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"This program offers a truly insightful adventure, both academically and culturally. I was welcomed with open arms into an exciting and very well run lab with passionate professors and knowledgeable students eager to engage in conversation not only about the international scientific community and recent progress but also cultural differences. Given the English proficiency, overwhelming hospitality, and shared interests of those in our labs, the university setting offered a wonderful base for UCLA students hoping to experience Beijing. I applied to this program on a whim and was rewarded with new perspective, friendships, the confidence of knowing I can hold my own in any setting, and an abundance of stories. The Joint Research Institute has provided me with perhaps the most defining episode of my collegiate experience."
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