Meet Alina Chow. Chow is a second-year Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Chemistry at Rice University. Chow is from New Jersey and is a Rice Graduate Ambassador. Ambassadors are students who represent the university and help prospective students gain knowledge of student life as a graduate student at Rice.
Chow chose Rice as a graduate school because of her passion for conducting research.
Her research focuses on boron nitride nanomaterials, which have unique chemical properties but are very difficult to process in the liquid phase. She studies their organization in water-based solutions as well as modifying their surface chemistry to tune their dispersibility in different solvents.
When she is not conducting research, she serves in various leadership roles within the Rice community. She is a part of FACETS, Fun with Chemistry, and the Chemistry Graduate Student Association (CGSA) on campus.
Chow advises prospective students to talk to current students about their graduate school experience.
“You certainly should inquire about the environment of the university and labs with current students,’ said Chow. “They are especially helpful when picking an advisor since they have experience working in the labs you are interested in.”
Chow advises current students to make use of all the resources on campus!
“Rice has so many resources to offer that we no longer have access to once we leave,” said Chow. “Seek them out while you're here.”
Outside of academics, Chow learned how to pump gas when she came to Texas. She grew up in New Jersey, where the gas station attendants pump gas for drivers.
Graduate ambassadors can be contacted via email at gradambassadors@rice.edu. Alina Chow can be contacted directly by email at ac155@rice.edu.