Thun An Nguyen, BS ‘12, MS ‘16, is known for her curiosity and energy. Those traits served her well at UMD as she worked in many labs and took part in various research projects.
Nguyen arrived in Duluth with support from the UMD Ronnie Lindstrom International Student Scholarship. She was interested in many areas of science, ranging from cell and molecular biology to reproduction and embryology. She worked in a UMD biology lab, in the medical school, and in pharmacy. She even co-authored a paper in the journal Nutrition Neuroscience. Professor Caple was impressed, “An was a stellar student.”
Nguyen received a B.S in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2012 and an M.S. in Integrated Biosciences in 2016. Nguyen went on to do research at the University of Minnesota Medical School, and she studied embryology at the Center for Reproductive Education in Singapore. She currently works at the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, “primarily with microbial DNA,” she says.
Professor Caple and Nguyen stayed in touch. He hosted Nguyen’s parents when they came to Duluth for her graduation, and twice Professor Caple visited the Nguyen family in Hanoi. “I have great memories of my time in Duluth,” Nguyen says. “UMD was really important to me, and I’m so glad I was able to study there.”