Tran Bui

About Me

Participating in Talaria has shifted the obstacles between me and scientific research. Although the problems of costs and guidance will remain after the program ends in some parts, I was glad to be able to conduct research through Talaria without having to consider my obstacles at every moment. What’s more, the absence of guidance and feedback in research without Talaria was extinguished by my mentor, and costs associated with traditional research became nonexistent. Through this experience, I am now more knowledgeable about how research is structured and written so that I may conduct research by myself. In a way, Talaria has not completely erased my obstacles but has provided me with a way to bypass them while still conducting great research.

Research Experience

In the first 1-2 weeks of the program, I felt really motivated and excited about research and my project because I was learning about a topic I hadn’t known existed even though its global impact was huge. I am also a person who really enjoys diving deep into the tiny little details about a topic and understanding how it works from the very core, so conducting scientific research was exhilarating! Those feelings didn’t change very much, but I did get a little less motivated near the end of the program because I got sucked back into video games and K-dramas (which I put on hold temporarily back when the program started). I was still really excited about the topic nevertheless. Participating in Talaria made me realize how much I really enjoyed science and biology! I am now even more dedicated to pursuing it in the future.

Mentorship Experience

Working with my mentor was really amazing! Rupinder (Dr. Rupinder Kaur) is super kind and helpful in guiding me through the process of research and making sure that I was comfortable. We initially communicated through emails, then we moved to Zoom calls every week to discuss our plans. There, she offered me choices and a loose outline and structure on what I should focus on in my research. I could also ask her about anything that was troubling me or anything that I did not understand about my topic. Rupinder’s edits and feedback after I completed my writeup were really insightful as well! They made me realize the gaps of knowledge in my brainstorm, outline, and writings; I am now better at identifying them! (Thank you so much, Rupinder!!)

Favorite Part of Talaria

My favorite part about participating in Talaria was learning about new topics in biology that I did not know about before. In my case, it was about Wolbachia vector control, and I really enjoyed it! My experience in connecting with the rest of the Talaria participants was that it was easy and fun. I was able to talk to a few of them about shared interests and their research topics through the Discord server. It offered me a lot of insight into other people’s experiences in research, helping me to better myself and my project! I also got a lot of advice on how to find more research opportunities and how to create connections with professionals in fields I wanted to study.

Who I Recommend Talaria For

I would recommend Talaria to any student looking to expand or explore their interest in STEM while also wanting to conduct research. I hate to use terms like hard-working, smart, or motivated because that shouldn’t determine someone’s worth or potential. You can be none of those characteristics and still make it far :)

Advice for Future Applicants

The advice I would give to someone who is just beginning their application is to be authentic. The two most important parts of the application are the questions about your desired STEM field research and obstacles that stand in the way between you and that desired STEM research. These two questions are very personal, and they should absolutely be written that way. After all, everyone has different experiences that make them unique so portray that in your application to stand out! For example, I wrote my desired STEM research about biology and discussed biology means to me and why I hold it so dearly (it allowed me to understand the little yet crucial processes in our daily lives).