INTRODUCTION
I am Crystal Yuehao Chen, a Research Scientist and Instructor in Oceanography at the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (EOAS) and the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries (IOF) at the University of British Columbia (UBC).
ABOUT ME
“Where are you from?” “Where do you consider home?” To most these are very simple questions often requiring only a one word answer, but for a third culture kid like me they spark a much deeper introspective reflection.
Raised in China and Singapore, I battle with this answer as I flash back to all my memories which shape me as a person. I have always had a curiosity for nature and my parents often caught me with a hand full of soil or fist full of rocks. They would stay and observe this messy play as I would rub my hands together inspecting the composition of this terrain. Upon my tenth birthday my parents deemed appropriate to gift me a world map and a globe which sparked my passion to learn more about this massive rock that we all call home.
Needless to say, after graduating from secondary school I followed my enthusiasm for science and geology. It led me to an exchange study program in South Korea before embarking on the life-changing journey to a Bachelor of Environmental Geoscience at University College London in the UK. The exposure to true western culture and education has brought on a whole set of new challenges to overcome, but it gave me a fresh new perspective to elevate my learning to the next level. During this time I was also granted the opportunity to study and intern at the University of Tokyo in Japan which brought another unique prospect to my kit of parts. After working for a few years, beautiful British Columbia – as all licence plates here go – has attracted me to move to Canada and pursue graudate study at the University of British Columbia.
A bonus of living all around is being able to easily acquire new languages. I am native/bilingual in Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese and English, I also speak fluent Japanese, Korean and basic Swedish. In addition, I have learnt English sign language for volunteering.
As I think back to where I am from, there is no singular answer to that question, and that is okay. I am glad to say I am from earth; that I am a globetrotter. Home is where the heart belongs and I have a sense of belonging to all the places I have lived in. The combined Eastern and Western living and education experiences in Asia, Europe and North America have allowed me to continue embracing diverse cultures and blending into the bigger world as a global citizen.
I like travelling, hiking, reading (paper) books and cooking during my spare time, and I am always fascinated by this beautiful planet mother Earth, as well as its magnificent nature and breathtaking scenery. Apart from my main research topic, I would also like to explore more about what the Earth has to offer and how we Homo sapiens can contribute to the environmental sustainability and carbon neutralisation in order to tackle climate change. My research progress will be updated regularly on this website, so please stay tuned!