Student Profiles – November 2015

Sophie and I are happy to share our first two student profiles…this is a close look at two of our graduate students within the department.  If you would like to write and submit one for a future blog update, let one of us know and we’d be glad to include it!

Akira Horiguchi

Hi, my name is Akira and I’m a first year PhD student in statistics.

It has only been a month and I’ve learned so much from my classes. From 6910, my R skills have improved tremendously. In 6801, sigma algebras finally make sense. In Math4545, Professor deLaubenfels introduces some juicy tidbits, but has the unfortunate habit of ending class on a cliffhanger. He has done this twice now. Because of this class, I’ve been thinking of a few things in my free time: (1) the sum of all positive integers equals -1/12; (2) the Dirichlet function is not Riemann integrable but is integrable in a different sense; (3) there is a function that is discontinuous on the rationals, continuous on the irrationals, and is Riemann integrable on [0,1].

Outside of class I’ve been cooking to avoid eating out so much. To contrast Sophie’s and Justin’s nature pics, here’s what I’ve been making.

Non-math/stats books are enjoyable too. Haruki Murakami (named one of the TIME’s 100 most influential people in April 2015!) is always a fun ride. His books are like murder mysteries without the murder, so if you’re looking for a book recommendation, please ask!
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Min Ho Cho

Hi everyone! I am Min Ho Cho (or just call me MINO), a first year PhD student in Statistics. I came from Cheong-ju, which is not a big city, but located in the center of South Korea. I originally studied IT (Information Technology) and Business for my BS in University of Newcastle, Australia (2011), and Statistics for my MS in Sungkyunkwan University, Korea (2015). In 2012 and 2013, I also worked at the Air Force Academy in Korea as a soldier and research assistant. The military service is mandatory for Korean men as you know, however, it was a great experience.

a

Although I have interests in some specific research areas in Statistics for sure, I mainly focus on coursework like theory and applied statistics in this semester as a first year student. In addition, I am taking ESL courses to improve my English. For around 4 months since I arrived here, I have been very satisfied with life in Columbus, especially in the OSU Stat due to nice weather and kind people. Now I am grading homework and exams for STAT 3450 and 3470, and working as a tutor for a few hours in CH 134 on Thursday and Friday.

b

For my hobby, I am crazy about SPORTS, particularly playing soccer and baseball. When I was in Australia and Korea, I usually played as a defensive midfielder for soccer and a short stop or third base for baseball. I like Chelsea in the English Premier League though I was wearing the Man City jersey in the picture. I also enjoyed marathon (but not full course, just half) and cycling in summer and snowboarding in winter. These days, I started a new sport, squash, so I play every Tuesday and Thursday in the evening in the RPAC. Besides sports, other activities are all welcome!

My office is 420 in Cockins hall. I hope you guys have a wonderful time here and feel free to talk to me!