Graduate Student Profile - Juan Hu
Written by: Meghan Honerlaw, M.S. candidate in Statistics
Juan HuJuan was born in Ezhou, China, a small town along the Yantz River; the third largest river in the world. In China, there are two options for youth after high school; they may continue on to college or attend a trade school. Even though graduating from a trade school ensures early financial stability, Juan’s mother and father encouraged her to go to college and continue her education in the sciences.
Juan attended Wuhan University located close to her childhood home and studied Geographic Information Systems (GIS). She graduated in May of 2002 and wanted to continue her studies in the U.S. at Purdue University. She chose Purdue because two of her uncles are alumni of Purdue’s Department of Chemistry. Since she graduated shortly after September 11, 2001, Juan was denied a VISA to study in the U.S. So she altered her plans and decided to intern for six months at Wuhan University and apply to the Chinese Academy of Science.
Juan enrolled in a three year program at the Chinese Academy of Science. The first year consisted of course work, and the second and third years were more research oriented. While doing research on radar data, she learned something valuable about herself and her interests. Juan realized that she needed and enjoyed more creative thinking, and therefore decided that her enthusiasm was in the field of statistics.
Once again, Juan applied for a VISA to the U.S. She began at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana where she earned her Masters in Statistics in August of 2005. While at Ball State, Juan met Professor Dale Umbach who encouraged her to continue her passion for statistics. Juan decided that she too would like to become a professor of statistics and show the same support and encouragement to other statistics students. With this goal in mind, Juan applied to Purdue’s Department of Statistics PhD program, and was admitted in the fall of 2007.
Since coming to Purdue, Juan has taken advantage of every opportunity presented to her and has excelled in the PhD program. This past summer she began working as a consultant for the Statistical Consulting Service in the Department of Statistics. The Statistical Consulting Service offers free statistical consulting to Purdue faculty, staff, and students. Juan enjoys consulting because it allows her to think creatively while working on a wide range of projects. She has especially enjoyed the work she has done using computer graphics techniques. Consulting has given her the ability to apply her statistical knowledge in creative ways.
This semester Juan is deciding on a dissertation research topic for her PhD. She is also a representative for the Department of Statistics on the leadership team for the Women In Science Program (WISP). As a member of the leadership team, she helps plan monthly events and makes requests to professors and scientists to give talks to women in the College of Science.
Juan is a great inspiration for everyone who wishes to study science, and for all students who face challenges in achieving their goals. Juan has remained determined to achieve her goals despite being denied a VISA after 9/11 and being far away from home and her supportive parents. Juan continues to focus on her goal of becoming a statistics professor and making a difference in the lives of others.
October 2008
