Charlotte Chang
About Me
I have never had a research mentor before, so being able to work with my mentor who is an expert in his field was very insightful, motivating and empowering. Even though I had never looked into Digital Twins before or had real experience with researching in science, his guidance made me feel I was capable of conducting research in STEM! I used to think that scientific research had to very specifically take part in a laboratory, but now I realise that literature reviews are valid forms of research and that researching online also counts as scientific research. Thus, overall, I feel my perception of research has become that it is more accessible than I previously imagined.
Research Experience
At the beginning, I was unsure about the topic of Digital Twins, as it was a subject that my mentor recommended to me and I previously had not be interested in computer science at all. Additionally, I found reading professional articles very challenging as I was unfamiliar with much of the jargon, thus, I felt a bit discouraged. After reading more articles that my mentor sent to me, I became faster at sifting through and understanding the material, which made me feel more confident in my ability to comprehend scientific writing and jargon - practise really does help! Furthermore, I became fascinated with the topic of Digital Twins, as I was able to combine it with my passion for astronautical engineering and the space industry. Moreover, this topic allowed me to explore HOW engineers might go about building structures and their thought processes, which I feel has enabled me to grasp a more intricate picture of the engineering product lifecycle. Whilst I have realised that academia and research perhaps is not the right path for me, participating in Talaria has solidified in me a desire to pursue a career related to STEM. Writing my research paper has only motivated me to want to pursue engineering even more!
Mentorship Experience
It was awesome! We had weekly meetings over Zoom, where he gave me an outline for what my paper might look like, sent me sample materials to read through and gave me feedback on pieces of research or writing that I did incrementally over the duration of the program. Even now, my mentor is helping me to create a Bayesian Network which would mark my paper as completely finished. He is also going to recommend some journals to me to see if I can get my work published.
Favorite Part of Talaria
I feel I have gained a lot of confidence in my abilities to write a scientific paper. I feel I can now hold myself accountable and see my goals through. Thus, my favourite part about participating in Talaria would be how much self-growth I feel I have undergone over the past few weeks. I loved meeting the other Talaria scholars online! In particular, the college grind sessions were fun, intimate and super encouraging! It was so inspiring to me to speak to students of a similar age to me with such a passion and curiosity for STEM.
Who I Recommend Talaria For
Any one who loves a good challenge, wants to learn how to write a scientific paper, undergo self-growth and meet new cool people! But I do think all Talaria scholars must have a certain amount of self-motivation, discipline, curiosity and resilience.
Advice for Future Applicants
JUST GO FOR IT!! These past few weeks have been challenging (as the research is largely independent, so I had to be very disciplined with my time management and ensure my internal motivation to do this research was steadily fueled), but also one of the most rewarding experiences because I learnt so much. My advice would be to advocate for yourself in your applications, be honest but also don't be afraid to let your enthusiasm about STEM shine through!
