NASA Research Internship for Zhen Yap

Trinity undergraduate Zhen Yap has been awarded funding to take part in the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Visiting Student Research Program. His grant from the Newton-Ungku Omar Fund awarded by the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT) will enable him to spend three months researching machine learning, additive manufacturing, and computational materials as part of NASA’s highly competitive research internships for students.

The JPL Visiting Student Research Program, or JVSRP, offers research opportunities to students who have a compatible research interest with NASA/JPL and have secured funding from third-party sponsors. Zhen is being funded by the Newton-Ungku Omar Fund, a science and innovation partnership between the UK and Malaysia aimed at promoting the prosperity and wellbeing of the Malaysian people through fundamental and translational research.

Zhen is studying for an MEng in Materials Science at Trinity on the Jardine Scholarship, and will work with Dr. Richard Otis in the Materials Development and Advanced Manufacturing Technology Group at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He says: 'This opportunity is beyond conceivable for me as a Malaysian kid curious about technology and always inspired when fondly looking up to the stars. Malaysia made it happen! I am looking forward to facing fascinating challenges with outstanding researchers at one of the most innovative institutions on this planet. Thank you to my tutors for always emphasising the fundamentals, providing me with a solid foundation in materials science for research. Thank you to the college for facilitating the award! You all made this dream possible!'

Zhen also hosts a podcast on science, technology, and entrepreneurship (https://rss.com/podcasts/zhens/) available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. He plans to record more sessions while he is at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.