CUHK students take on the challenge for a fulfilling research experience abroad

While some students took their time to enjoy the summer break, two CUHK students, Ms. Joyce Tam from the Department of Psychology and Ms. Grace Chang from the Quantitative Finance and Risk Management Science Programme, chose to challenge themselves in an intense research experience through the 10-week Cross-Disciplinary Scholars in Science and Technology programme offered by the University of California, Los Angeles.

Joyce (2nd left) with the host research team at the end-of-programme poster session.

With a background in psychology research, Joyce spent the summer in Prof. Elizabeth Bjork’s Learning and Forgetting Laboratory to elucidate the process of inductive learning. She demonstrated the validity of the hypothesis with pilot data and contributed to building the groundwork for further studies. While Joyce spent most of her summer days on the project, she also joined excursions organised by the programme and explored the nearby cities on weekends. She found the experience rewarding and would recommend the programme to students who are interested in developing a research career.

Joyce (3rd right) spends a day with fellow programme participants at Chinatown.

Grace took part in an international trade project under the supervision of Prof. Edward Learner. She was grateful to her mentor for the guidance and insights provided. She was encouraged to explore rather than wait for direct answers and instructions. Grace believed that this experience will be beneficial to her in her future academic pursuits. Being awarded the top presenters at the Peer Results Seminar and selected as one of the outstanding students of the programme to give a speech at the closing reception, Grace surely made her summer days count and concluded the programme with flying colours.

The Office of Academic Links offers guidance for students who are interested in studying abroad for different durations. A list of options for study abroad programmes can be accessed through its website.

Grace presents her research project at the end-of-programme poster session.

Grace is selected as one of the outstanding students of the programme to give a speech at the closing reception.