During my visit to Tokyo Tech, I established the collaborations that enabled one of my first research projects in graduate school. I was also fortunate to be the recipient of hospitality that I hope to extend to future visitors at my home institution!

My research internship with the GROWTH SURF program was an insightful journey for me in various aspects both academically and professionally. The software skills that I acquired are proving to be of great value even during my current research project. More importantly, I gained first-hand experience in tackling the obstacles one might face while working in a large international collaboration such as GROWTH.

My GROWTH experience in Taiwan was the first time I had been abroad on my own, conducting research. The experience exponentiated my personal growth [pardon the pun] in terms of research, interpersonal, and presentational skills. But more importantly, it broadened my perspective on the academic culture in astronomy across the globe, and provided me with unforgettable experiences (both in research, and otherwise) that I will treasure for life.

During my internship in Germany, I gained coding experience - an essential tool for astronomy research - and also learned a lot about neutrinos, cosmic rays, and how to deal with astronomical data in its various forms. It was a great opportunity to be exposed to a field of astronomy that was unfamiliar to me. The cultural differences and language barrier can be intimidating, but I grew used to it after the first few weeks and I ended up thoroughly enjoying the time I spent in Berlin!