Interview with Yuxuan Luo

Interview with Member Yuxuan Luo

Thank you for agreeing to this interview. I understand that although you are from Mainland China, you did much of your schooling in Singapore, then came to The University of Melbourne to study for your Bachelor degree in Chemistry, and now you’re enrolled in a PhD in Chemical Engineering. How many years were you living in Singapore? My parents, who live in Guanzhou, wanted me to study in Singapore and I was there for eight years, from 2008. I remember that I arrived just three days after the beginning of the Beijing Olympics in August of that year. I was enrolled at an English-speaking school, but my English was poor and I initially found it hard to fit-in because communication was not easy. But I came to enjoy it. I completed secondary school and then enrolled in a Diploma in Applied Chemistry (Pharmaceutical Science) at the Singapore Polytechnic. After graduating I worked for two companies, both of which were involved in research. One was with MSD pharmaceutical making drugs for Type 2 Diabetes. I then came to Melbourne in June 2016 and enrolled in a Bachelor of Science with a Major in Chemistry. I was given exemptions in six subjects, so completed my degree in two-and-a-half years. My parents came here for my graduation. I had planned to get engaged to my girlfriend (also from China, but she studied in Singapore as well) and we were going to work in Singapore. But The University of Melbourne offered me a scholarship to do a Master by Research degree – and they gave me a stipend as well which was supported by a company called Ixom.

You must have been an excellent student to have been offered such a scholarship. These are only given to outstanding students. I just worked very hard. At first I didn’t want to take the scholarship because of the plans my girlfriend and I had. But her parents and my parents encouraged me to continue studying in Melbourne. So too did my girlfriend, so our plans were put ‘on hold’. Our parents are friends and all of them live in Guanzhou, including my girlfriend.

Yuxuan Luo

That was a very big decision you made. And now you have another scholarship with stipend to pursue your PhD? Yes, I’m very grateful to have a stipend for this as well. And I’m still working as a consultant with Ixom, the company that supported my Master’s project.

What are you researching for your PhD? I’m working on a project involved with mineral processing. The aim is to produce dry stackable mineral tailing that is geotechnically stable. Mineral tailings sometimes have properties of high water content which may lead to the collapse of the storage facility. Our research is trying to prevent this from happening. We are hoping to complete the experimentation within the three-and-a-half years of my PhD studies and produce some relevant publications.

How did you get involved in Graduate House? I’m not living here. I have a friend, Kushimoto Kizuku, a visiting Assistant Professor from Japan, who is living in Graduate House. He is working in our laboratory and we have become close friends. Earlier this year he took me to Graduate House for lunch and dinner and I thought that the food is good, and I liked the people – they are very friendly. So I started eating here and made friends with some of the other residents. I have lunch here almost every day – and I have brought many of my friends and colleagues here. These are friends from chemical engineering, chemistry, aeronautical engineering – most of them studying for a PhD.

But you are not living here? No, I am living by myself in a flat in North Melbourne. I share it with my dog and pet rabbit.

I’m most impressed that you have introduced many friends to Graduate House who, like you, are not residents but come here for lunch or dinner. Yes, they love the food here. Also, I organise some events. I’m the co-ordinator of the Postgraduate Association of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Researchers (PACBER), We’re planning a lunch for the PhD students later this month – a group of 35 to 40 people.

You are such a good publicity agent for Graduate House! I would love to bring more people here. Graduate House has nice food and it’s a good place for people to socialise. But I don’t think that many students know about this place.

This is something that we are trying really hard to address. We want university students like you to visit us and see what we have to offer. And hopefully many more students will want to use our services. Some of the students I have introduced to Graduate House are now considering taking out a membership – which for graduate students is extremely cheap. And then lunch or dinner is even cheaper! And I also use the car park sometimes; it is much cheaper than the university parking. I also socialise sometimes with residents on weekends. For example, we have gone on road trips. At other times some of the residents have come to my place and we have all cooked together. Several of my colleagues from the university laboratory have also joined in. I know that the residents at Graduate House also have their own sporting and other activities and I’m looking forward to becoming involved in some of them.

You are a wonderful example of what Graduate House offers to students who are not residents. I wish that more postgraduate students like you knew about the things we offer. Thank you. And sometimes I have both lunch and dinner here. I was surprised at first that many of the friends I had introduced to Graduate House had never been before. But I have discovered that the reason is they didn’t know anything about it. They didn’t know how affordable the meals are. And many thought that it looks a bit ‘fancy’ from the outside and the price for lunch or dinner might be too expensive. You need to have a sign that encourages them to come in and look around. Most students just walk straight past. I have also brought students here who are studying at other universities but live close by. Some of them, for example, are studying at Monash University.

I think we should appoint you as a publicist for Graduate House. What else could we do to make Graduate House more welcoming to people who just normally pass by? I also think that Graduate House should promote some of the activities and events that it offers. This needs to be seen by people as they walk past. For example, some of the lunches that feature special speakers, or some of the student activities that have the potential to involve non-residents. There are many possibilities. Even the car parking is cheaper than the university car parking! But I don’t want to say this too loudly in case it becomes difficult for me! [Laughs] Basically, there are so many good things about Graduate House. We just need to get people to come in through the front door and it will be easy to convince them of the benefits it offers. I had walked past here hundreds and hundreds of times during my years at the university, and I had no idea of what it offered. There is the challenge. A banner alone is not enough. Show people the menu – and the pricing. We have a group chat at the university for our PhD students and most days I check what the luncheon menu is and I circulate it to the 27 members of our group. Several of us eat here every day.

Thank you Yuxuan. You’re a wonderful publicist for Graduate House. I wish you every success with your PhD and your future. You are indeed a special person.