As its name suggests, the research family group is like a family where our students from the LDT program and any other fields virtually gather to discuss the research and exchange any idea in our professional and daily life.
The first time I participated in the research family group meeting, I felt at home that people here were in cordiality so that I could confidently introduce myself and engage in the discussion. Besides, people here usually share some news and events to remind us of the trivial but necessary things, such as the availability of parking lots. Sometimes, academic service opportunities were posted to enrich students’ research experience.
In addition, the flexibility for team members to decide the themes of meetings provides us with learning autonomy. At each meeting in the research group, we have a research-related theme to talk about after the “family” check-in. The hosted professors do not entirely determine the theme; instead, everyone in the research group can share the interested topic and appeal to others to read and exchange ideas or start a Q&A activity.
Finally, I enjoy the atmosphere of this group learning. In the research family group, the professor and students can locate and share the literature simultaneously when exploring a new topic. Once students encounter any confusion, other family members will give immediate feedback. As a student, it’s a valuable chance to broaden knowledge capacity through this extra-curriculum learning.