Pinky Liau

Meet Pinky! She thinks everyone should recycle, has been doing environmental microbiology research in a Rutgers laboratory for years, and is the president of two student organizations! 

Name: Pinky Liau 

Year: Senior

Major: Environmental Science 

Hometown: Matawan 

What are you involved in on campus?

I’m the president of Students for Environmental Awareness at Rutgers. I’m also president of one of Douglass Residential College’s clubs called STEM Ambassadors through the Douglass Project. We’re a club focused on advising female researchers and science majors. I’m in an honors service fraternity, Alpha Zeta. I’m also really interested in research, so I work in an environmental microbiology lab. I’ve been working in the lab since my sophomore year, and now I’m working on my George H. Cook thesis.

You mentioned a lot about the environment in your response to my last question. What got you interested in that field? 

I came into college undecided between Environmental Science and a Biochemistry track, but then I noticed what was going on around the world. Global warming and climate change made me angry, so I got really interested in that and started taking classes that were more environmentally based. In class, the professors would talk about the problems in the world and how to go about fixing them. I want to contribute more. I want to look into more sustainable practices. I also joined SEA (Students for Enviornmental Awareness) and everyone in the club was so passionate about making a change in their hometown, or on campus, or globally. Their passion influenced me.  

You also mentioned that you’re the president of two clubs and have been doing research for a while. What advice would you give to underclassman who are looking to take on the same sort of leadership roles on campus? 

Find what you like to do. If you’re passionate about something and you’re doing what you love, then it’s not really work. Have good time management skills. You have to be able to balance your social life with your academic life, and with your extra curricular activities too. Manage your time well to be able to fit all of these together. It’s really important to not just focus on your academics; its’s essential to partipate in extracurricular activities because that way you can network with people. By networking with people, you can learn more, see other perspectives, and you’ll just know more people! They can be your connections in the future. 

What are some of your goals for this year and the future? Where do you see yourself heading?

I want to complete my thesis. That academic stage is very, very important to me right now. I’m also applying to graduate schools for Environmental Science. Hopefully I’ll get into a PhD program and I’ll be able to do research from there.

What’s your favorite animal?

That’s hard because I love all animals! If I had to pick one that I’m obsessed with I’d say baby sloths. They’re so cute! Look up baby sloth videos! They’re adorable. People don’t like adult sloths because they look kind of creepy, but the babies are so innocent and so cute.