#tamug

Energy and enthusiasm; two traits that make a person stand out in life.  Most people need a gallon of coffee in the morning to scrape together some of either. That’s not the case with Michelle Nguyen, the Texas A&M University at Galveston student that just had the summer of a lifetime.

A Marine Biology student pursuing a double-minor in Diving Technology & Methods and Oceanography, Nguyen has hit the ground running in this new semester, despite the fact that she got zero rest over the summer.  Michelle spent 12 weeks as a National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) fellow at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science program, based at the Horn Point Laboratory in Cambridge, Maryland.

The program is extremely competitive.  Of the 350 applicants, only 17 were selected to participate.  When asked about what made her stand out, Nguyen modestly explains that the program was looking to pull people in with a variety of backgrounds from all over the country.  “The program wanted to have lots of diversity in order to foster a uniquely collaborative environment” she explained.  “I was one of two people that came from a genuine Marine Biology program like what we have here at Galveston.”

Surrounded once more by Galveston, Nguyen has some advice for her fellow undergraduates.  “They’ve got to do undergraduate research, volunteer, directed studies, work or even one of the many programs” she insists.  Undergraduate students can gain valuable opportunities to learn from experienced researchers about thesis writing, presentations, lab experience, insight into graduate schools, and networking.  Nguyen highlights the importance of networking and getting to know your professors, and her approach isn’t overly complicated.  “Go up after lecture and talk to them, go see them in their office, ask questions.  They get it! That’s how I got to know Dr. Quigg. I talked about my goals, and I was pointed in the right direction.  I got to work with her and her mentorship has made all the difference.  By applying myself and showing my professors what I was capable of, I was able to rely on them for letters of recommendation which really helped my application to the program in Maryland.”

Not every student is willing to apply themselves to the extent that Nguyen clearly is.  Accepted on her merit, she departed for Maryland at the start of the summer, which is quite a leap for someone that has spent her whole life in Texas.  “It was nice!” Nguyen insists.  “It was nice not being in excruciating heat!  It was in the mid-50s when we landed.”  As for the atmosphere at Horn Point Laboratory, Nguyen’s tone becomes very serious and almost reverent.  “It was unique.  There aren’t usually undergraduate students present there.  We were treated like genuine graduate research students.”

Nguyen’s focus at Horn Point was in investigating the potential effects of hatchery conditions on oyster restoration.  With a marked global decline in marine species, controlled cultivation of certain species have increased in an effort to reverse the effects of the human element on the environment.  Studies have been conducted on the effects of these hatchery programs, particularly in regards to salmon.  This study, however, was different in that it sought to understand the effects of hatchery conditions on the success of oyster larvae, along with any changes to the oysters’ durability.

Nguyen confesses that studying oysters was not her intention.  “Due to my background, I was originally hoping to work with phytoplankton in some way” Nguyen says. But Dr. Louis Plough, her mentor, had different ideas.  “He gave us a bunch to read and were told to become experts and formulate a hypothesis with a very short turn-around” Nguyen explains.  “It was stressful, but it was nice to switch things up.  The way I saw it, the more I diversified myself now, the more I’d know what I wanted to pursue in graduate school and the more marketable I became.”

It could be argued that there was a certain degree of luck with Nguyen’s experience, but it could also be argued that she created her own luck with her work rate. “I was fortunate to work with Dr. Katherine McFarland of Cornell University, who has a background in bivalve physiology.  I got a lot of one-on-one time with her, which was great.  We were learning something new every day, working together 12 hours a day, and we were totally exhausted at the end of every day.”  With Nguyen’s energy levels, there was no chance that this would put a strain on the working relationship.  If anything, it was the opposite.  “She became a great mentor.  She really helped guide me in what I should be doing going forward.”  

Maryland’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates program differs from many comparable programs in the way that the undergraduates are utilized.  “We were treated as if we were graduate students with our own projects and theses,” says Nguyen.  “Getting up at ungodly hours to do all the prep work, it was all-hands-on-deck making sure everything got done.  We had to research previous methods to know what we could and would do. We had to write a proposal like we were seeking funding, which is great practice.”

With a program as immersive and thorough as this was, it’s obvious Nguyen learned loads over the summer.  From writing proposals and forming a research hypothesis to working in a graduate-level lab environment and dealing with data collection, the amount that Nguyen learned in a 12 week period is almost incomprehensible and certainly invaluable. But the lessons she learned about herself are not to be overshadowed.  “I learned that I actually like serious research!” Nguyen laughs.  Having been set on becoming a Marine Biologist since she was a young child, this certainly came as a relief.  Nguyen also learned what to look for in a faculty mentor in graduate school.  “I need someone present in the lab and my research.  Dr. McFarland was always available.  My mentor, Dr. Plough, was too.  That makes such a huge difference.”

Perhaps the biggest take away, though, is the importance of enthusiasm and energy.  “Dr. McFarland told me that graduate programs don’t want someone that will be whining out in the field because they’re cold and wet.  Everyone is cold and wet!  Group morale is everything,” Nguyen says.  “I learned that I’m great at keeping spirits up on those really long, exhausting days. I helped keep things on track, which Dr. McFarland really appreciated.”

After such a successful summer, it’s obvious that Nguyen is going places.  The research results are being prepared for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, and she is going to present at the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Portland, Oregon in February of 2018.  “I did not see this coming,” Nguyen explains.  After presenting their findings at the end of the summer, the head of the program was sufficiently impressed with Nguyen’s work and recommended her for ASLOMP (the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography Multicultural Program), a highly respected program that provides mentorship opportunities and covers all expenses to attend the Ocean Sciences Meeting. “It’s a great opportunity,” says Nguyen. “It’s still all very surreal.  I would never have imagined presenting at a conference before I get my bachelor’s degree.  I have to pinch myself.”

It’s a safe bet that this is not the peak for Michelle Nguyen.  Once the conference is done and the bachelor’s degree is in the bag, she will be a shoe-in for some of the best graduate programs in the country, and she’ll have a plethora of options.  While she has had support along the way, Nguyen’s competency has never been in doubt.  What has taken her to the next level, though, just might be that precious mix of energy and enthusiasm.

I went to a job fair this morning up at TAMUG (Texas A&M University at Galveston). They’ve been making a lot of changes since I was there last time. First thing I noticed is that they’ve started charging for parking. It cost me $6 for a couple of hours. :-( Next was the construction. They’re building a huge new “Academic Complex” right in front as you drive onto campus. There was already a big…

I went to a job fair this morning up at TAMUG (Texas A&M University at Galveston). They’ve been making a lot of changes since I was there last time. First thing I noticed is that they’ve started charging for parking. It cost me $6 for a couple of hours. :-(

Next was the construction. They’re building a huge new “Academic Complex” right in front as you drive onto campus. There was already a big…