Three stories of my journey in America (2023-2024)

𝗠𝘆 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮

At the end of 2024, I would like to share three stories about my journey at Boston University in Boston, MA, USA.

The first story is about research. I had the opportunity to stay in different labs since I was a freshman in Northeastern China, Hong Kong (HK), and the United States (USA). My feelings were a mix of sweetness and bitterness. Over the years, I have spent most of my time in the lab, and fortunately, with the assistance of my supervisors, I have published a few papers. I am very grateful for their supervision and help. Generally speaking, the research conducted in China, HK, and the USA is different. In China, most people emphasize the quantity of publications, which they are very proud of. They compete with one another by comparing their number of publications through a system called the Science Citation Index (SCI), created by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Things are different in Hong Kong. Researchers place a strong emphasis on the quality of their work. They tend to submit papers that excel in all aspects, including well-written English, appropriate mathematical equations, rigorous and comprehensive experimental design, and promising results. They even check that all the references are correctly formatted to ensure this paper is excellent in every aspect. That is one of the reasons why their paper can be accepted with a very low probability of rejection. This is what I learned in Hong Kong. In the United States, things are a little bit different again. Besides the quality, researchers always consider the impact and value of their work. The most common question I heard was, “What is the value of your research?” They tend to think about the social and even business impacts of their work. It also reminds me of why we are actually doing research. This is my first story of research.

The second story is about love and family. In mainland China and Hong Kong, the focus is heavily on work, almost without life and family. However, things are very different in the United States. Here, they really care about their family and love each other. In my lab, my advisor, who is Indian, treats his students like family. Just to let you know, our lab is the largest lab at Boston University. During a meeting, he stated, “You are my family, and I will do my best to support you.” Labmates here are always kind and nice to each other, and I feel very happy here. This experience is very different from what I've encountered in mainland China and Hong Kong. During one meeting, my advisor said, “Shuyue, we all love you…” while encouraging us to improve our self-introduction presentation to a chair professor from the department of medicine. This is very touching, and it is the first time I have ever encountered something like this in my entire life.

The third story is about collaboration and listening. In mainland China and Hong Kong, the population is primarily Chinese. Most of us are highly independent due to our habits and personalities, often doing things by ourselves. In the US, things are different, and it's my first time experiencing the benefits of collaboration. After more than a year in the lab, I understand why my advisor recruited students from around the world and across continents. Different backgrounds and cultures bring unique knowledge and ideas that benefit each other. You will appreciate this type of environment after spending time in a traditional Chinese lab, where almost all students are from China. The research publications successfully appeared in top-tier journals like Nature Medicine and Nature Communications, thanks to collaborations, diversity, and knowledge sharing. Due to the diversity in the USA, you will realize that in this world, it is not only about you (egoism), and there are many cultures beyond just Chinese. Listening is one of the most important lessons for those who only care about themselves. Listening to other people's words helps me develop in all aspects. This is the third lesson I wish to share after I came to the United States.