(Dan Tri) - Traveling a lot and learning a lot, Dr. Duong Thi Hong said she was "transformed" when acquiring knowledge from leading scientists . This is also the secret that helps lecturers receive many prestigious scholarships.
Dr. Duong Thi Hong - lecturer at the University of Science, Thai Nguyen University (Photo: Provided by the character).
Efforts from monthly tuition debt
Dr. Duong Thi Hong - lecturer at the University of Science, Thai Nguyen University - has just finished her journey to attend the Heidelberg Laureate Forum in Germany.
She is one of 200 young researchers in mathematics and computer science from around the world attending this annual event since 2013.
She said that on this trip, young researchers in mathematics and computer science have the opportunity to meet and be inspired by leading scientists in the field, many of whom have won the prestigious Nobel, Abel, Turing, Fields, and Nevanlinna awards.
This is also a great opportunity for young researchers to connect and learn from each other through short reports, conversations and exchanges.
Dr. Duong Thi Hong (fourth from right) is one of 200 young delegates attending the Heidelberg Prize Forum in Germany (Photo: Provided by the character).
Sharing about her journey to becoming a teacher, the female doctor born in 1989 confided the story of rising from "poverty". Born and raised in a suburb of Viet Tri city, Phu Tho province, her unforgettable impression was the times she asked for debt for tuition fees.
"When I was young, my family was so poor that I couldn't even pay my high school tuition on time, I had to keep "postponing" it," lecturer Duong Thi Hong recalls.
That's why, after graduating from high school, the young girl chose to enter the University of Education - Thai Nguyen University, a university model favored by the State with no tuition fees, to satisfy her strong passion for mathematics.
During her 4 years of university, with a small amount of money of 800,000 VND/month borrowed from the Policy Bank for poor students, Hong took advantage of the opportunity to tutor to cover her student life.
Circumstances could not stop her love for science. With tireless efforts and high determination, right from her second year of university, she excellently won third prize in the National Student Mathematics Olympiad and won second prize in the following two years 2010, 2011 - extremely encouraging achievements for young students.
Thanks to her impressive achievements and efforts in training, the young female student was admitted to the Party in her fourth year.
After graduating from university, she continued to study for a master's degree and was recruited as a specialist in charge of scientific research at the University of Science - where there is a good scientific research movement of Thai Nguyen University.
Under the dedicated guidance of Dr. Mai Viet Thuan, from 2018 to present, Dr. Duong Thi Hong has had 8 international articles (Photo: Provided by the character).
Although her professional job is stable and not too stressful, her desire to teach and research is still burning within her.
"Many people said I could settle down, work as a specialist, and take care of my family. However, the desire to do research and teach students motivated me to continue my graduate studies. And I found that I was "transformed" and changed significantly during this process," Ms. Hong said.
The female lecturer shared that although she always achieved good academic results in her bachelor's and master's degrees, when she studied for her doctoral degree, she gained more knowledge, truly changed in "quality" and became confident with the knowledge she had acquired.
Despite her determination, the young officer often felt stressed when facing many difficulties such as studying and working at the same time, low salary, no financial support, small children... Besides, mathematics is a science that is considered quite dry and difficult.
"There are times when I feel a lot of pressure. But I love math, I love numbers. In my work unit, there are many very good scientists, including Professor Le Thi Thanh Nhan - the second female professor of Mathematics in Vietnam after Professor Hoang Xuan Sinh. The teachers are all examples of their efforts in science for me to strive to follow," teacher Duong Thi Hong shared.
Taking advantage of all her free time to study and research, the female lecturer teaches math in English at FPT University to both improve her knowledge, gain experience, strengthen her English skills and earn extra income to pay tuition and cover her graduate studies.
Appreciating Hong's ability, enthusiasm, and efforts, in 2021, the International Mathematical Union awarded her the "Postgraduate Breakthrough Scholarship" for outstanding PhD students in developing countries.
This is a very difficult scholarship to receive because the annual quota only fluctuates from 3-5 places worldwide. That prestigious scholarship is not only a great honor but also a great encouragement and motivation for Hong.
In December 2022, Ms. Hong defended her PhD thesis on time with excellent results and was considered one of the doctoral students with the best scientific achievements among the doctoral students who have defended at the University of Science - Thai Nguyen University.
Dr. Duong Thi Hong received her PhD degree from the University of Science (Photo: Provided by the character).
In October, she continued to receive a scholarship from the Vingroup Innovation Fund. Dr. Hong said that this was a great motivation both materially and spiritually so that she could wholeheartedly focus on scientific research, contribute to education , and especially the field of applied mathematics.
The secret is to travel a lot and learn a lot.
Sharing the secret to studying well, the female doctor said that it is to travel a lot and study a lot.
"From university until my master's degree, then my doctorate, I studied and worked part-time to cover my tuition and living expenses. Life was difficult, but I always set aside a portion of my budget to attend national scientific conferences.
I travel a lot to have the opportunity to learn from great scientists. At the same time, I also take advantage of the opportunity to report and discuss at this conference to receive more feedback," said the female lecturer.
She always remembers a saying that she really likes: "Every drop of sweat I shed today is a brick for a solid foundation in the future." Every time she encounters a difficult problem, she takes time to reflect and motivates herself to try harder.
The deeper he goes into research, the more Hong longs to stand on the podium to pass on to generations of students the knowledge he has and the passion that is boiling inside him.
Understanding that desire, in 2022, according to her personal wishes, the school transferred Ms. Hong from an expert at the Institute of Science and Technology to become a lecturer at the Faculty of Mathematics and Information Technology.
Dr. Duong Thi Hong (red shirt) with students (Photo: Provided by the character).
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Dang - Principal of the University of Science, Thai Nguyen University - shared that during her time as a graduate student, young female cadre Duong Thi Hong not only completed her specialist work at the school as well as her study tasks well, but also actively participated and reported at national and international specialized scientific conferences.
"Duong Thi Hong is a young lecturer who has made many efforts in scientific research, a field that is the school's strength. The school also has many policies to encourage and create the best conditions for young staff to participate in scientific research and attend conferences and seminars to report their research results," said Mr. Dang.
Under the dedicated guidance of Dr. Mai Viet Thuan, from 2018 to present, Dr. Hong has had 8 international articles, of which 5 are the main author or corresponding author, published in prestigious international scientific journals in the ISI/Scopus category.
When asked about her example of overcoming difficulties to excel in studying and scientific research, Dr. Duong Thi Hong replied: "I do not dare to claim to be an example because around me there are many excellent teachers and friends. But I hope that my efforts and achievements will be the motivation to ignite the passion for science in students and young cadres."
Dantri.com.vn
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