Lehigh Graduate wins international award for undergraduate research
Tuan Pham '18 and Professor Julie Haas, Ph.D. |
written by Kelly Hochbein, University Communications
Tuan Pham ’18 was awarded the Brains for Brains Young Researcher Award from the Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience for his undergraduate work in the lab of Dr. Julie Haas.
When Tuan Pham ’18 arrived at Lehigh, he thought he might study psychology. But then he studied a chapter about neurons and the biological roots of psychology, and he was hooked. Recognizing his desire to study computational neuroscience before he knew what the term meant, he says, he found his place in the lab of Julie Haas, associate professor of neuroscience in the Department of Biological Sciences. He continued his work there through the summer after he graduated from Lehigh with a degree in behavioral neuroscience and minors in computer science and electrical engineering.
Now a doctoral student in computational neuroscience at the University of Chicago, Pham has been recognized by the Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, one of the top international organizations for computational neuroscience, for research he conducted as an undergraduate.
The Brains for Brains Young Researcher Award, which is presented on a biennial basis, “recognizes the special achievements of young scientists who have shown their outstanding potential already at a very early career stage—even before starting their doctoral studies.” Awardees receive a grant for a one-week trip to Germany for the award ceremony during the international Bernstein Conference in Berlin and visits to up to two German research institutions in computational neuroscience. Pham is the ninth recipient of the award.
“The award is an elite marker of promise for young researchers, and the competition is international and quite strong,” says Haas, who recommended Pham for the award.
“Tuan was always so inquisitive and interested in whatever he could learn,” says Haas. “He took many courses, hard courses that weren’t in his course requirements, just because he was interested in that topic. He has an unending appetite for new information.”
Haas also noted, “Witnessing what a student achieves, knowing that I mentored and developed someone to that point, is a different stage in my career.” says Haas. “Tuan’s papers aren’t my direct work, but rather my work in him… and those connections stay present for the rest of our lives.”
The Haas lab is funded by the Brain and Behavior Foundation, the Whitehall Foundation and the National Science Foundation.
Interested in supporting undergraduate research? Click here to make your gift! Be sure to designate "Biological Sciences" as the recipient! |