Posts by Hong Tran

Hong Tran

What Comes Next: To Be Continued…

May 7, 2012 | By Hong Tran, Ph.D. Student, Chemical Biology

This question makes me think of those old “Choose your own adventure” books. So first before we choose what comes next, maybe we should do a quick recap of the past. Work and life balance: My work and life balance was completely off balance throughout my first and second years of grad school, with too much emphasis on the former and very little of the latter. I think I’ve been improving gradually, learning from experience that emphasizing the importance of life makes work more productive, and importantly, more fulfilling. Faculty connections: I’ve made errors, but mistakes are to be learned…

Published in: Student Voices

Hong Tran

Defining Success: Still Under Review

April 3, 2012 | By Hong Tran, Ph.D. Student, Chemical Biology

I think I rewrote this blog post about 3 times before I realized this simple truth—I don't HAVE a definition for being a successful practitioner in my field. Sure, I think the short answer most people would give for a successful scholar in science would be one who has obtained a Nobel Prize for their efforts, but I don't really think that defines "success." I also thought of numerous qualities and accomplishments that would be involved in becoming a successful professor, but having all those requirements is not only unrealistic, it also conjured a picture of a king in my…

Published in: Student Voices

Hong Tran

Science, Sciencey Stuff, and One’s Favorite Beer

February 10, 2012 | By Hong Tran, Ph.D. Student, Chemical Biology

If I had to answer why I chose U-M in one sentence, it would be my program. U-M is one of the only schools in the nation that offers a Program in Chemical Biology (PCB), is one of the most competitive schools across the nation in biochemistry research, and has an impressive list of faculty who could accommodate almost any research interest. Naturally, considering my background in biology and chemistry and little understanding of how to connect the two, Michigan ranked pretty highly solely because they offered a program to accommodate the category-less oddballs like myself. For Ph.D. programs in…

Published in: Student Voices

Hong Tran

Winter in Ann Arbor: There’s a bunch of this white stuff falling from the sky!

February 2, 2012 | By Hong Tran, Ph.D. Student, Chemical Biology

As a bred and raised southerner, winter in Ann Arbor to me conjures up images of snow! I still get giddy and exclaim, “There’s white stuff falling from the sky!” every time it snows. And although it may be a pain to constantly be cleaning and digging my car out of the snow, I still love it. I made my first real snow angel last year after we got a foot or two of snow, went sledding for the first time (with cardboard boxes), and got out to some nearby “large hills” for a snowboarding trip or two. So far…

Published in: Student Voices

Hong Tran

Candidacy Survival Guide: Tips From the Presently Submerged

December 14, 2011 | By Hong Tran, Ph.D. Student, Chemical Biology

Author’s note: Most Ph.D. students have to go through a candidacy examination sometime during their second year. In science, this means writing a proposal and then defending it in front of a committee in the form of an oral presentation. For my program in particular, I have to write and defend on my own project. Tips for surviving second year trauma candidacy from someone currently going through the experience: Start as early as possible. This mainly means reading relevant literature and really thinking about your project, but getting started on the writing and/or presentation is always good. Do not be…

Published in: Student Voices

Hong Tran

Faculty Connections: It’s Not Always Easy

November 21, 2011 | By Hong Tran, Ph.D. Student, Chemical Biology

I wanted to say something first, before you read the rest of my blog entry. To be honest, I really struggled with writing this month’s topic. My first year in graduate school was rough primarily because I struggled with faculty connections and was unable to find support for myself when things had gone awry. I do realize that the politics can be somewhat skewed in the sciences due to the stressful nature of the field, especially with cuts in funding across the nation, and that they may not reflect experiences in other departments. I do not blame anyone in particular…

Published in: Student Voices

Hong Tran

Balance: Work and Play is Like a Sandwich

October 17, 2011 | By Hong Tran, Ph.D. Student, Chemical Biology

Dear Reader, A long time ago, when I was 5 or so, my dad used to always tell me this piece of advice: “Work and play is like a sandwich [He then places his hands together like a sandwich]. You can’t eat a sandwich with just bread [He waves his right hand]. You can’t eat a sandwich with just meat [He waves his left hand]. Same thing for work and play. You can’t play too much [Right hand]. You can’t work too much [Left hand]. You have to have equal [Hands together as a sandwich].” At the time, he was…

Published in: Student Voices

Hong Tran

Meet the Bloggers: Hong Tran

September 18, 2011 | By Hong Tran, Ph.D. Student, Chemical Biology

Dear reader, I am glad to have you in my company for the duration of this entry, and hopefully for following posts. I am a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in Chemical Biology (which is indeed different from Biological Chemistry, please see Wikipedia for details), finishing my first year and entering my second year. I was born in Plano, a small suburb just twenty minutes north of Dallas in Texas. My parents settled there after moving around the country in search of a job and an affordable place to live. You see, they are one of the many “boat people”…

Published in: Student Voices

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