Gun Yi Park

Where did you complete your undergraduate degree?
 National Taiwan University

Are you performing any research in a lab?
I am currently in Environmental Nanochemistry Laboratory, and my advisor is Dr. Jun. I am currently investigating the nucleation behavior of highly soluble salts in Reverse Osmosis Concentrate in the presence of antiscalants.

Did you participate in summer research prior to your graduate degree? If so, when and where did you complete your research?
Yes. I did Summer Internship at WashU in 2023 (McKelvey International Student Research Internship Program).

What made you want to pursue a graduate engineering degree?
At that time when I join the summer internship, I did not know a lot about graduate school. When I did my internship, I learned more about the experiences of graduate students, for both personal and academic aspects. It was not just about doing research and publishing papers. Beyond that, investigating something that is not known for everyone yet seemed interesting and fun to me. 

Why did you choose WashU?
I am a student who has a bachelor degree in chemical engineering. But I always wanted to do something related to environment and chemical engineering together. Most of other school had a program which is civil and environmental engineering, but one of the few schools that had environmental and chemical engineering program!

What is your favorite thing about St. Louis?
As a person who is not a huge fan of big cities (like NYC or LA), I love how calm St. Louis is. It is a calm and peaceful place with pretty convenient transportation. 

What advice would you give to a new student?
Stay curious and open to learning. Not only just in the classroom, but from every experience and person you meet. Time management is key, so develop a system that helps you stay organized and balanced. Don't hesitate to ask for help to professors, TAs, and cohorts can be great resources. Lastly, invest in building relationships, where your network can support you both academically and professionally in the long run.

What campus activities or groups would you recommend to a new student?
I personally don't join much of the campus activities, but I do recommend to participate the department activities with other student. That way you can share your thoughts and discuss a lot with senior students and your own cohort members.

What are your plans for the future?
I would like to focus on my research and graduate with PhD first (of course). For the life after graduate school, I haven't really think about it in detail, yet I want to go either industry or in National Lab. if possible