Our student, Chhetri Geeta (enrolled in the Combined Master’s and Ph.D. program, Department of Life Science), won a Graduate Academic Award (First-Ranked Outstanding Research Award) at the 114th anniversary ceremony of the university on May 8, 2019. She surprised her colleagues with the news that five of her research papers on bacteria had been published in Science Citation Index (SCI) journals. We met and talked about her research activities and life as a graduate student.

▲ Meeting with Chhetri Geeta in her Lab

Q. You studied and wrote about bacteria extracted from gardens, rice paddies, and oceans. What motivates you to study bacteria?
I think that we, as human beings, do not know enough about bacteria yet. It may well be that bacteria, not dinosaurs or humans, have dominated the earth. We continue to find new, mysterious bacteria around us and study their ecology. Bacteria, such as penicillin and other antibiotics, can bring significant benefits to human life. I want my research to be part of achieving this goal. I find new bacteria in the ground and plants in the surrounding area, name them, study their ecology, and let the world know about them. Each of the new strains is unique, so I conduct my research with a sense of pride, as it provides information necessary for future studies and lays the foundation for microbiological research.

Q. What is the most memorable paper you have written so far?
That would be “Pontibacter oryzae sp. nov., a carotenoid-producing species isolated from a rice paddy field.” When experimenting with bacteria, some of them give expected results, whereas others do not. I do feel pressure when dealing with such bacteria that are challenging to study. Any graduate student waiting in the lab, hoping to get expected results, should relate. Thus, I am grateful that I repeatedly got the same, expected outcomes with the bacterium named Pontibacter oryzae in over 10 experiments. I found quite a few unique characteristics of this bacterium and received the Best Post Award and Best Presentation Award at the General Meeting of the Microbiological Society of Korea. As the bacterium made these awards possible, this research is the most memorable one.

Q. You published five papers in academic journals in 2019. Do you have any tips?
My graduate life passed quickly. I was a teaching assistant and taking classes each semester, so my to-dos always piled up like a mountain. Thus, I made a detailed timetable with a certain amount of time regularly dedicated to my research; I was committed to this schedule. I think this was the key to publishing multiple papers. In fact, it took me a while to write my first paper, but I picked up speed with my second and subsequent papers because of my past experience. It was also beneficial to read lots of existing papers.

Q. In what way was Dongguk University most helpful in your research?
When students publish a paper in an SCI journal, the university gives them a grant for each one as an acknowledgment. The school grants 1 million won per article, which is more than what my friends’ schools give. This made my friends envy me. I think this certainly encouraged me to publish many papers.

Q. What would be your advice for students who want to go to graduate school?
First, when you enter graduate school, it is more important to know “what fits you,’” rather than “what you want to do.” In fact, you never know what to expect in the lab, so it will take time to get used to the environment until you enjoy conducting research and gain some confidence. What you want to do will change more than a dozen times as you acquire more laboratory experiences. Second, it is critical to know whether your advisor is a good match for you. With a mentor you can trust and respect, you are more likely to stay focused during your research. Similarly, maintaining a good relationship with your lab colleagues typically leads to better research outcomes and papers. It is absolutely true that two heads are better than one. I would like to take this time to thank Professor Seo Tae-Keun, senior student Kim Ji-Yeon, and my colleagues, Kim In-Hyup, Kim Hyung-Dong, and Kang Min-Jeong. Finally, a piece of advice to international students: it is a lot easier to adjust if you know the Korean language well. I hope you put great effort into practicing your Korean.

▲ The Graduate Academic Award Ceremony

It is our hope to see more researchers like her. At the end of the interview, she said she wants to continue her research in the US or Australia after completing the Combined Master’s and Ph.D. program. After I wished her success in achieving her goals and going out into the world as a proud Dongguk alumnus, we ended our short but memorable interview.

Web Reporter : Hwang Hae-Soo