Female computer science students have to read about 40 pages of a book before each class.

Le Pham Nhat Quynh, a student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Science , won the 2023 Vietnam Female Science and Technology Student Award for her outstanding achievements in studying, training and scientific research.

As one of 20 faces receiving the Vietnam Science and Technology Female Student Award in 2023 , Le Pham Nhat Quynh impressed with her excellent academic achievements, achieving a GPA (average score) of 3.71/4 up to now.

In addition, Quynh is also the co-author of many articles and awards in the field of science and technology.

Le Pham Nhat Quynh (middle) received the 2023 Vietnam Science and Technology Female Student Award

NVCC

“In a class of 40 members, there are only 7 female students. The reason is that female students have less interest in this field, but in terms of learning ability, there is no difference compared to male students. Currently, in universities or research institutes, there are many incentives and motivations for women to participate in this field, typically the 2023 Science and Technology Female Student Award,” Quynh said.

Once a chemistry major at Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted (Binh Dinh province), Nhat Quynh gradually realized her passion for applied mathematics and programming. In 2020, Quynh took the entrance exam for the Computer Science major at Ho Chi Minh City University of Science, with a score of 27.1 in block D07 (math, chemistry, English).

“Since childhood, I have loved natural subjects such as math, physics, and chemistry. In 8th grade, I won second prize in the Youth Informatics Competition of Quy Nhon City (Binh Dinh Province) and from there gradually realized my passion for programming. In high school, I majored in chemistry but loved applied mathematics, so I decided to choose computer science. This is a major that uses both programming skills and advanced, advanced mathematical knowledge, with theories close to real-life applications,” Quynh shared.

The female student said that when she first enrolled in computer science, she had difficulty with the knowledge gap compared to her classmates. According to Quynh, most of the male students in the class majored in information technology while the female student chose chemistry. Realizing her own limitations, in addition to focusing on studying in class, the female student researched more textbooks and practiced on websites specializing in programming.

“One of the most difficult subjects in computer science is database. There are a lot of exercises and the learning model is new. Students have to read the materials at home, then the lecturer asks questions, summarizes the problems they have learned, and finally takes the test and answers the questions. Each session has to read about 40 pages of the book in advance, which contains a lot of new and difficult knowledge,” Quynh shared.

Le Pham Nhat Quynh

KIM NGOC NGHIEN

Currently, Quynh is doing an internship as an artificial intelligence researcher at VinAI Research ( VinGroup ). When doing research at school, the female student was used to working in groups, but with this internship, she has to work independently from the instructor, so there is more pressure. This requires Quynh to spend more time comparing and checking the finished product.

“If you want to pursue computer science, you must really love it because it requires a lot of self-study knowledge and high discipline. Every day, I spend about 8 hours researching documents and practicing. Making a tight plan and prioritizing things to do during the week will help me achieve my best learning goals. I often entertain myself and balance my life by practicing the guitar,” Quynh shared.

Master Hoang Thanh Tu, Deputy Head of Information and Communication Department, Ho Chi Minh City University of Science, said: “To me, Nhat Quynh is a girl who makes a strong impression with her courage and confidence in an environment with many men and few women like the computer science industry. She actively participated in activities right from her first year at school, especially research and competitions in the fields of science and technology. With her achievements in studying, Quynh also had the opportunity to intern at VinAI Research”.

Thanhnien.vn