Honors student Duc Vu joined a robotics club in high school in Andover, Massachusetts, and enjoyed it a lot. He figured he would pursue a career in engineering.
But a funny thing happened along the way. The research he learned to do in the Andover Robotics Club inspired a love of reading: 鈥淚 like learning deeply about different topics,鈥� he says.
At the same time, he enjoyed his English classes. He also loves movies and television series, especially ones with strong, science-related story lines, including 鈥淛urassic Park鈥� and 鈥淏reaking Bad.鈥� He spent a lot of time reading and watching videos about storytelling.
Late in his senior year of high school, he watched the PBS documentary 鈥淭he Poisoner鈥檚 Handbook鈥� for the second time, and it struck a chord. He began reading everything he could about the chemist Alexander Gettler, who helped the chief medical examiner of New York City pioneer the use of forensic science in the criminal justice system.聽
Shortly before starting at UMass Lowell, Vu decided to switch his major to chemistry.
鈥淚 felt a really strong connection to it,鈥� he says. 鈥淐hemistry just clicked. I said, 鈥榃ow 鈥� that鈥檚 something I really want to do.鈥欌��
His experiences in the robotics club also inspired Vu to join UTeach, an education minor for students majoring in science, technology, engineering or math. Vu learned about the UTeach program, which leads to initial licensure as a science or math teacher, at student orientation before freshman year.
鈥淎s part of the robotics club, you had to transfer a lot of what you learned to underclassmen, and I really enjoyed it,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd in class, when I had to make a presentation, I enjoyed that, too. I have a knack for presenting a lesson or a project, so I thought I鈥檇 try UTeach and see where it takes me.鈥�
So far, he鈥檚 enjoying his education classes, which 鈥� until the COVID-19 shutdown 鈥� had him and other students going into the Lowell schools to present lessons and lead hands-on math and science activities. He looks forward to resuming in-person teaching.
Vu also joined UML鈥檚 Honors College, which got him into smaller classes, he says, including Honors Chemistry, Honors Calculus and the First-year Seminar in Honors, which introduces students to Lowell鈥檚 history as an industrial city and a home to immigrants from around the world.
鈥淏ecause I was in the Honors College, I was dealt a great hand with incredible professors,鈥� he says.
As a sophomore, he took a new, interdisciplinary honors seminar, Graphic Science and Medicine, that combines two of his main interests: storytelling and science. Assoc. Prof. of Art Karen Roehr helps students analyze graphic novels and nonfiction works 鈥� and then create their own. Vu says he learned skills that could help him as a classroom teacher someday.
鈥淭he skills I learned as a storyteller in that class might help me prepare for teaching a lesson,鈥� he says. 鈥淪omeone once told me that teaching is joke-telling and storytelling that conveys a message.鈥�