Name: Helal Uddin

Home Country: Bangladesh

Attends: University of Nevada, Reno

Studies: Pursuing his PhD. in Chemical Engineering

Favorite Music:  It may sound old fashion but I love classical music and country songs. ‘Country Road Take me home’ by John Denver and ‘Summer of 69′ by Bryan Adams are two of my favorite songs.

Food he Craves: I believe Bangladesh is one of the few countries where all kinds of spices are available. So any kind of spicy food is delicious to me!!

A little about my country…

Do you know anything about Bangladesh? Where is it on the map? How big or small is it? I am pretty sure that you don’t know.

I am from Bangladesh, a tiny deltaic South Asian country sharing borders with India, Nepal and Myanmar. In size, it’s half of Nevada! The sweet story about my country is that we have the world largest seashore and the Mangrove Forest. And don’t forget the warm hospitality from our common people. We were one of the strong contenders of the ’7 new wonders’ in the world. There are 160 million people and we are the world’s densely populated country! This is in brief about my country. If you wanna learn more then go here!

How I ended up studying in the USA…

After completing my undergraduate in Chemical Engineering, I was looking for higher studies in Chemical Engineering from a country like U.S.A. I started to email different schools and their faculties about my ambition and most luckily I got a positive response from the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) and they offered me RAship (Research Assistant position). That was really exciting and memorable for me but coming to the U.S.A. was not a good story for me because I faced my visa interview pretty early. But I got visa just right before the end date of my I-20!

I came at UNR in the Fall of 2011.

There is a famous moral anecdote “Go to China for learning.” It does not mean to travel to China, but rather to search for knowledge at various places!

That’s why, when I see someone from another country I try my best to talk and learn about their cultures and heritages, and eagerly await to share my cultures and traditions. I don’t wanna miss any chance of knowing and learning.

The tour was led by this lovely and fashionable student…She is a junior at the University of Nevada, Reno and loves her school.

When I first stepped off the bus onto the campus, I struck by how new and modern the facilities looked. Our guide took us through the lower quad that was bustling with students on their way to their next class…

The tour was then led to the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center, one of the most technologically advanced university libraries in the United States. I have to say that I was really envious of the students who have access to this library. At the entrance of the library is a screen that indicates how many computers are available and where they are located. Having attended one community college and two universities in my time, I can tell you that this is amazing! There is nothing worse than hunting for an available computer when you have an important assignment.

One the library’s coolest features is MARS! No, not the planet. The Mathewson Automated Retrieval System, better known on campus as MARS, “houses more than 700,000 items from the Knowledge Center collections. The 3-story high system features 6 cranes and 25,000 storage bins in various sizes.”

Like me, you are probably thinking this is an extremely modern, cutting edge campus. Well it is, but don’t forget it was founded in the 1800s. As I crossed the quad, I was completely surprised by the other part of campus. The colonial architecture and big lawn made it seem like we were on a campus near Washington D.C.!

I also visited the Intensive English Language Center, where I met a couple of students and instructors. The class sizes are limited to about 15 students, so each student receives the attention they need. Once their English is good enough, most ESL students begin attending university classes. That is the case for Maiko Otsuko (pictured below). Maiko is from Japan and began her studies learning English at the Center. She currently works part time in the Center and is working towards her degree.

Here is a board full of photos of students enjoying the many activities sponsored by the Intensive English Language Center…The Center matches international students with friendship families, so the student can learn about American family life and have a “home-away-from-home” for the holidays. Maiko said that Thanksgiving was her favorite American holiday to spend with her “friendship family.”

To my surprise, I saw a student I interviewed for the blog! Can you spot Veronica?!

I left the University of Nevada, Reno campus completely impressed. Everyone I encountered, students and professors, seemed to feel the same way. Here are some more facts from the University of Nevada, Reno…

• Full-time faculty holding highest degrees in their fields: 93 percent
• Degrees offered: A comprehensive selection of degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral level.
• Colleges and schools: Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources; Business; Education; Engineering; Journalism; Liberal Arts; Medicine; Graduate School; and the Division of Health Sciences.
• Mascot: Alphie, the wolf.
• Nickname: Wolf Pack
• Colors: Silver and Blue

I offer you one of her grammar challenges! Can you tell me which sentence is false (incorrect)? Post your answer if you dare…

Views from the Whiteboard grammar quiz

As a student, there may be times when you’re pocket book is on the lighter side and you have just the weekend to go on a mini-vacation. A great mobile app to fuel your adventure, keep your spontaneity and not empty your wallet is the Hotel Tonight app.

The app alerts users to last minute hotel room deals in major metropolitan cities such as, San Francisco, New York and Chicago. Deals are always nice, but what makes the app extra user friendly is the hotel descriptions. Obviously, the user is going to be making a last minute decision and so they don’t have time to decipher flowery or vague hotel descriptions. The app gives a few reasons why they like the hotel and then straightforward information about the hotel.

Read reviews of Hotel Tonight for yourself  here and here.

NASA/GSFC

Many of you ask me about scholarships and financing your education in the USA. This is a question that knows no country or language—everyone wants to know how to pay for school. When it comes to scholarships, especially ones that apply to American universities, you have to start thinking outside of the box. One avenue to explore for scholarships are private companies.

Technology giant, Intel, holds “the world’s largest pre-college science fair competition” to encourage young innovators. Every year 7 million science savvy students from around the world compete locally in hopes of being a finalist at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). Finalists’ projects are evaluated by thousands of science, engineering and technology professionals. The lucky winners might be awarded one of the following prizes…

Two runners-up receive USD 50,000 each.

An all-expenses paid trip to attend the Stockholm International Youth Science Seminar (SIYSS), including attendance at the Nobel Prize ceremonies in Sweden, is awarded to three finalists.

Best of Category projects, selected from each of the competition’s 17 categories, receive a USD 5,000 award from the Intel Foundation. USD 1,000 grants are also awarded to the winners’ schools and the affiliated fairs they represent. Best of category winners become eligible for the Gordon E. Moore and Intel Foundation Young Scientist Awards.

The Intel Foundation provides Grand Awards for first, second, third and fourth places in each category. Awards are USD 3,000, USD 1,500, USD 1,000 and USD 500, respectively.

This couldn’t be more true for studying abroad! So, thanks to the US-UK Fulbright Commission, I give you fellow international students…

by Mo Riza

Freshman are pouring into colleges and universities around the U.S. right now. Excited, nervous and feeling very grown up, they are attending their first lectures uncertain of what to expect. One thing they can expect is to be ready to discuss their required summer reading.

Highlighting the trend, NPR reported that one of the more popular books this year is Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Society. NPR:

“In it, Diamond explores why some civilizations became more economically and politically dominant than others. He rejects the idea that racial superiority or intellectual ability enabled the West to triumph over other civilizations. Instead, Diamond argues that the hegemony of the West can be attributed to the confluence of certain geographic and environmental factors.”

I have to admit that I have only seen the PBS television series hosted by the book’s author, Jared Diamond. But, it is utterly fascinating and I would highly recommend it!

Other schools’ lists include American classics such as, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Frankenstein, while others choose a cultural theme to explore such as, racism or environmentalism.

You may be thinking, “I don’t know English, so how can I read one of these?” and I don’t blame you! These books are not exactly light reads. So what can you do with this information…

• If you’re proficient in English, read the book
• Find the book in your language
• Read about the book and find out: why was it written…what are the book’s major themes…how did it influence culture then and now…etc.
• Just know it exists!

Here are some samplings of required readings that I found here, here and here

• “This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women,” by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman

• “Enrique’s Journey,” by Sonia Nazario

• “Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman’s Quest to Make a Difference,” by Warren St. John

• “Winning: Reflections on an American Obsession”, by Francesco Duina

• “The Glass Castle”, by Jeannette Walls

• “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”, by Rebecca Skloot

Our friend’s over at the VOA Student Union blog posted this awesome video about getting your U.S. student visa. I’m not going to lie, the video is a bit cheesy but I’m all for injecting a little humor and fun into something less than thrilling.

Produced as a spy thriller, the video takes you through each step of the process, but remember that this was produced in London, so you will need to find the contact information for country.

Fireworks at the Space Needle!

Space Needle!! A Seattle landmark and major tourist attraction, the Space Needle was built for the 1962 Worlds Fair hosted in Seattle…which inspired a movie.

Original It Happened at the World's Fair poster

The film didn’t get great reviews, but for us Seattleites it’s just fun to see a celebrity dancing and singing around our city.