Alumni

Student Participants
Student Comments and Contacts
Student Advice

  

  

  

Student Participants:

2006 Meghan Belinski Nicholas Dovidio Michael Gilbert Amanda Harsy Guangming Lang Jonathan Mack Andrea Martinez Michael McCourt Samantha Summerson Chelsea Weitzel

2007 Eileen Bassiri Alysin Burchardt Elizabeth Cheever Tyler Drombosky Ashley Meyer Christopher Phillips Bryan Romero Mindy Schockling Ely Spears Jeremy Sherman

2008 Claire Curtis Samantha John Thomas Jones Sarah Khasawinah Cole McGee Anna Meade Eugene Milman Jason Pearson Tim Penderghest Kirstin Reinertsen

 

-- return to the top --

  

 

 

Student Comments and Contacts

Tyler Drombosky
I am currently finishing up my third year of school at Youngstown State University.  This summer I have a position in the National Security Agency's Directors Summer Program. The REU in Hong Kong is pretty amazing.  The people you work with are all very friendly and knowledgeable.   Make sure to explore as much of the city as possible.  There is a ton of stuff to see, do, learn, and most importantly... eat!  Be sure to take advantage of the free museums visits you get with a student ID.
--- Contact Me

Guangming Lang
I am currently working as a Consultant for Fair Isaac. Daily tasks: data analysis and preparation, clustering projects and modeling projects. This was the best REU experience ever. Since the classes I took in my college were most theoretical stuff, this REU really helped build credentials in my applied side. I worked on a subspace clustering project, which helped me get a job at Fair Isaac right after graduation. The trip itself was awesome. Beautiful beaches, delicious seafood, clean hotel, slick bars and night clubs, giant Buddha, hospitable hosts, interesting students, convenient access to Macau and mainland China, which is ideal for travel after the program is over.
--- Contact Me

Jeremy Sherman
I'm currently finishing up my (110 pages and counting!) thesis on compiling functional programming languages in preparation for my public baccalaureate exam and thesis defense. I expect to graduate 23 May with a BA in Mathematics/Computer Science, after which I'll leave the state of Florida and take a job wherever it is I happen to find one. This summer, then, I'll be beginning my career; by fall, my fiancée and I should have begun planning our Sept. 2009 wedding in earnest. Depending on how the working world suits me and where my interests lead me, grad school in computer science might be in the offing a couple years down the line. The US–HK REU was one of the most memorable, exciting, fun, and rewarding experiences of my undergraduate years. I worked with a partner on an interesting problem to produce new results. Our mentor was always available when we asked for help and otherwise let us work things out for ourselves. (He also showed us some really great places to lunch.) The things you learn through the US–HK REU you would be hard put to learn in any other environment. Hong Kong plays an important part in teaching those lessons, and I could not imagine a better place to hold such an REU.
--- Contact Me

Mindy Schockling
This summer, I am doing an REU in imaging and computer vision at Montclair State University in New Jersey.  I plan to stay at Capital University in the fall and (hopefully!) study abroad in the spring - possibly with the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics program. As for my thoughts on the REU program, I would say that it provided me with one of the most valuable and enjoyable experiences I have ever had.  I learned so much not only from my project but also from the other participants and the experience of living in Hong Kong for two months.
--- Contact Me

 

-- return to the top --

 

 

 

Student Advice

Advice from Eileen:

1. ASK QUESTIONS. It won't make you seem stupid, it will make it seem like you care. My bosses have always thanked me and complimented me for asking questions. It's better than wasting everyone's time being lost!
2. If you are lost, or feel that your project isn't going the right way, or have ANY concerns ask Graeme! He is an amazing guy and a wonderful resource and can do a lot for you, from giving advice to talking to your mentor. Use him!
3. If you wouldn't walk a mile in the shoes without blinking, don't bring them. It is HOT and HUMID in Hong Kong, so bring cool clothes. All fabrics that can breathe (i.e. cotton, linen), girls: skirts are great because they're so much cooler and you can wear them while sweating! Also, tank tops are really good. Maybe bring one jacket for inside work, but there's no reason to take up extra space bringing more.
4. Bring an extra suitcase for souvenirs/gifts if you like shopping at all. Haggling is strangely addictive, and things in Hong Kong are so cheap you'll want to buy them! You can get anything you want/need in Hong Kong. There's no need to bring a medicine kit, every medicine in the US is available in HK, and people in the program will take care of each other and go get someone medicine if they need it. You can also always easily get more clothes or shoes, so don't worry about bringing *enough.* You're more likely to bring too much!
5. Get out and do things! Avoid the "I can do it next week" mentality or the time will just fly by and you'll have regrets at the end. Don't bring outlet converters, just head over to the night market and they're around 1USD.

Advice from Ely:

1. Get most of the sightseeing done as soon as you get to the city.
2. Utilize the Chinese students assistance in seeing different stuff in the city.
3. Finish up all gift buying before week 5 or 6, so you don't have to rush at the end.
4. Use that city bus website extensively to find the bus routes, it's very easy.
5. Eat at the cafeteria early and often, so you can afford to spend more on meals later on.
6. Make all travel plans BEFORE going. Don't even email the travel agent at all durin the trip or else you could wind up getting stuck in HK with no ticket home for a while (like what happened to me)
7. Consider carefully before leaving whether or not you will stay for any extra days; keep in mind that you'll be in HK without some good friends who may leave early. Perhaps try to coordinate departure dates.

Advice from Bryan:

1. Clothing: Wear what you are comfortable wearing. People in Hong Kong wear everything from polos and khakis to shorts and t-shirts. Sandals are really good to have. Keep in mind though that it is ALWAYS hot and humid: day and night. Although most buildings are air-conditioned. Also make sure you are comfortable with your shoes because you will be doing a lot of walking! You will probably never need a jacket, but you may have some occasions to dress up(it is nice to have a tie for your final presentation). Oh yeah! you should take an umbrella with you everywhere you go if you can. They're great for rain and sun.
2. Navigating: Hong Kong is very easy to navigate with the help of maps; it is a really good idea to carry a map with you at all times if possible. Google Earth is really nice to have. Also you can find a much more detailed map than google Earth with vector map: http://www.vectormap.com/eng/english.htm. You will be using the MTR and KCR a lot so make sure to learn how to get around on them; it is very easy. Also, the buses are very convenient to ride at times. However it is a bit difficult to know which bus to catch where and what path it takes. Some bus stops have route listings next to them, but a lot of them don't. A good way to find out though is just to ask someone; don't be shy. Most people in Hong Kong are very friendly and will go out of their way to help you.
3. Research: Don't expect everything to be completely spelled out to you. The mentors are very helpful, but they do expect you to learn a lot of things on your own. Also, most partners have different backgrounds. Don't stress out if there is something you don't know; it is very likely that your partner may know what you don't. You shouldn't get stressed out at all with your project! Push yourself to learn as much as you can, but there are some things that you just may not understand. Also, don't feel that your partner is superior to you just because your partner knows some things you don't! There seems to be a pattern of sophomores getting paired with juniors. Sophomores, your partners have had a year more of schooling than you have; and the junior year is the year where you will pick up most of what you will have learned as an undergraduate.
4. If you have time before the program, try to learn MATLAB and LaTeX; chances are you will be expected to know both of these. We will try to get some helpful information and tutorials in case you need any help with it. The best way to learn both though is just to dive into a project and pick things up on the way with online tutorials and the help menu.
5. Entertainment: There is plenty to do in Hong Kong and there is no way you can do all of it. However, don't let time pass you by thinking that you have plenty of time. Eight weeks isn't as long as you would think. Get a guide book--Graeme will probably have some and I will give mine to him--and go see a lot of the things in the book. Make sure to take a ferry ride, get your pictures taken on Victoria Harbour, take the tram up to the top of Victoria Peak. You can find some of the best international restaurants here; I recommend Taco Loco if anyone is having a craving for Mexican and Archie B's Deli if you want a good sandwich), go to Ocean Park if you have the money, and go spend some time on the beaches and islands(I am regretting not having done more of that; they are very relaxing). Getting off at a random stop and exploring is always fun too. Oh yeah, Chinese food is much different in HK than it is in the US. My advise is to try everything. Even to those who have a hard time with some of the Chinese food, you will kick yourself if you don't try things(I am kicking myself right as I type; ouch!!!)
6. Shopping: You can find some of the most unique stuff in Hong Kong at the street markets. Take advantage of bartering! You should ask for what you are comfortable paying even if it is ridiculously cheaper than they ask. Example: Graeme talked talked a merchant down from $160 HK to $50 HK just by being persistent and walking away if necessary. You should definitely let Graeme show you how to barter if you are not comfortable with it; he is an excellent teacher!
7. Groups: Don't attempt to go everywhere with the whole group. It is fun when the whole group goes places, but it is very difficult to coordinate and people in general don't agree with everything. You will cluster into groups naturally and go a lot of places with your little group. However, you should definitely invite others outside your "group" to go places; it's nice to get to hang around with everyone from the group if you can.
8. Graeme: Become good friends with Graeme Fairweather. He is the one of the most down-to-earth, fun, most resourceful professors you will ever meet. Oh and make sure to ask him to tell you some Irish/Scottish jokes! Ask him about Alyson's jokes too; they are some of his favorites.
9. Pictures: Take a camera everywhere and take as many pics as you can. I am going to try to make a template for a website for you to put your pics on, but I am making no promise. It is hard to post pics online in HK because the connection at the NTT is very slow. If you want to post pics, go to one of the universities and do it; their connection is often much faster. In the end you will probably want to burn your pics onto a couple of DVD's(it will take 2-3).
10. Have fun!!! I hope you all have as much fun as I did; this will be one of the most rewarding experiences you will ever have!

 

-- return to the top --