This year, three undergraduate students from the UNSW School of Chemical Engineering had the opportunity to work on exciting projects with experienced researchers.
The Faculty of Engineering’s Taste of Research program allows undergraduate students to work with a research group to get real hands-on experience with research. This year, three Chemical Engineering students had the opportunity to work on exciting projects with experienced researchers. We talked to student Yimeng Jin about her experiences.
Tell us a little bit about the project you have been working on through the Taste of Research program.
I did my Taste of Research Project with A/Prof. Jason Scott and Dr. Cui Ying Toe (Now at the University of Newcastle) on the topic of investigating the photocatalytic behaviour of Bismuth Ferrite thin film and tuning its behaviour towards an n-type material.
Why did you apply for the program?
I’ve always been very interested to get a hand-on experience on research during my undergrad years. I think it is a wonderful way to apply what we learnt in class and build connections with academics and PhD students.
What were/have been your biggest learnings? What skills and experiences did you gain?
I guess the biggest thing I learnt from this experience is to reason from the fundamentals. Instead of being results-oriented, I think it’s more important to understand the fundamental truth of why the specific phenomenon happens. This brings unbelievable fulfillment.
With regards to skills, I’ve gained lots of experimental skills such as UV-VIS spectroscopy and many other photocatalytic analytical methods. Furthermore, I also saw a big improvement in my data analysis, communication, and presentation skills.
Has this experience influenced your career aspirations at all?
I’ve always wanted to conduct R&D as my future career. This experience has made the plan more solid.