In this statement, I’ll talk about how I’ve addressed the service expectations for graduate students, covering service to my professional community, the university community, and the community at large. In each case, I’ll discuss my current activities and, to the extent possible, my future plans and goals.
My journey into professional service began during my first year as a doctoral student when I had the opportunity to serve as a reviewer for the AECT conference. Although I had limited experience initially, I wanted to provide thoughtful feedback inspired by the mentorship and guidance I had received from others. This experience was not that positive, to be honest. I don’t think that I was a good reviewer at that moment. I can only “learn” from other’s work because everything is new to me. Most of my feedback centers around the topic rather than the novelty, logic, or alignment that I learned later should be in the peer review. This experience ignited my curiosity about peer review, and I realized its value both as a contribution to the field and as a learning process for myself. I have since expanded my service to several leading conferences, including ICLS, CSCL, AECT, and AERA, where I have reviewed proposals and papers. Additionally, I have reviewed for the journal The Internet and Higher Education. Reviewing for journals is slightly different from reviewing for conferences; besides the commitment of time and effort, I learned more about how journals evaluate a piece of work. I love the concept of distributed intelligence, which is the core value of peer review.
In the future, I will continue my involvement in professional service by increasing my participation in expanding my reviewing responsibilities.
At the university level, I have engaged in several roles aligning with my academic and professional interests while giving back to the community. I was honored to be invited as a guest speaker in one graduate-level class, where I shared my experience designing an interactive museum experience using Figma.
I enjoy taking photos. Taking advantage of this, I have served as an ISSA (Instructional System Student Association) reporter and social media coordinator of the program, contributing by taking photos and documenting events showcasing the program activities. These efforts help build community and raise visibility for the work being done by my peers and faculty.
As a graduate student mentor for the UROP program, I’ve had the opportunity to guide undergraduate students in their research journeys. This has involved mentoring them on how to conduct research, formulate research questions, and navigate academic resources. Watching their growth as they gain confidence and independence in their scholarly pursuits is incredibly rewarding.
I am always excited about sharing new knowledge with people. I’ve volunteered for TEDx FSU, working as a speaker trainer and assisting with administrative tasks. Through this experience, I’ve learned valuable leadership skills while contributing to the success of an event that fosters innovation, creativity, and knowledge-sharing.
Beyond my work within academia, I am committed to contributing to the broader community through my research and volunteer activities. My research on peer review aims to provide more support for novice scholars. This project helps them navigate the often challenging process of academic publishing. By examining the dynamics of peer review and identifying ways to make it more inclusive and supportive, I hope to contribute to a more collaborative and effective research environment.
I am also involved in organizing the SICSS (Summer Institute of Computational Social Science) reading group, where we share interdisciplinary literature, particularly in the field of computational social science. In this role, I organize meetings, select articles, and facilitate discussions. I enjoy these meetings, as they foster interdisciplinary conversations and intellectual exchange
Additionally, I volunteer for Ed for Growth, a non-profit organization that bridges the gap between Chinese and United States educators and educational researchers. Through this work, I contribute to cross-cultural dialogue and knowledge exchange. Specifically, I organized online and onsite workshops related to museums, AI painting, curation, and poem reading.
In the future, I plan to continue supporting the broader community through my research and volunteer work. I want to explore new ways to make my research and service accessible to a wider audience, particularly those who can benefit from educational initiatives across borders.