THUONG MAI UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH INTERNSHIP REPORT Organization VIETNAM INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY IN MATHEMATICS Student’s name Pham Anh Tuyet Class K55N2 Student code 19D170121 Super[.]
THUONG MAI UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH - - INTERNSHIP REPORT Organization: VIETNAM INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY IN MATHEMATICS Student’s name : Pham Anh Tuyet Class : K55N2 Student code :19D170121 Supervisor : Pham Quang Truc Hanoi, 2023 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS i LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS i LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .iii INTRODUCTION iv CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF VIETNAM INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY IN MATHEMATICS .1 1.1 Information and Development of VIASM 1.1.1 General Information about VIASM 1.1.2 Establishment and Development of VIASM 1.1.3 The major field of VIASM 1.1.4 Organizational Structure of VIASM .4 1.1.5 Achievements in the period of 2012-2022 .5 1.2 Information about VIASM Office .6 1.2.1 Organizational Structure of VIASM Office 1.2.2 Function and Responsibilities of the Position CHAPTER 2: INTRODUCTION ABOUT THE INTERNSHIP PROCESS IN VIASM .9 2.1 The tasks are performed during the Internship 2.2 The Difficulties and Experiences in Internship Process in VIASM Office .14 2.2.1 The Difficulties .14 2.2.2 The Experiences 15 CHAPTER 3: THE REALITY OF THE USE OF ENGLISH IN VIASM 17 3.1 Describing the using English in VIASM 17 3.2.Causes of the weaknesses in using English at VIASM .18 3.3 Some solutions to improve the use of English in the working environment at VIASM 19 CHAPTER 4: SUGGESTION FOR THE SUBJECT OF GRADUATION THESIS 20 CONCLUSION .21 REFERENCES 22 i LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS Image 1.1: Image about VIASM .1 Diagram 1.1: Organizational structure chart of VIASM Diagram 1.2: Organizational structure chart of VIASM Office .7 Table 2.1: Internship schedule in week 10 Table 2.2: Internship schedule in week 11 Table 2.3: Internship schedule in week 12 Table 2.4: Internship schedule in week 13 ii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS No Abbreviations English meaning VIASM Vietnamese meaning Vietnam Institute for Advanced Viện Nghiên cứu cao cấp Study in Mathematics Toán Etc Et cetera Vân vân No Number Số, số thứ tự NPDM VTV National Program Development Chương trình trọng điểm Mathematics phát triển Tốn học Vietnam Television Đài truyền hình Việt Nam MOET Education and Training in Bộ Giáo dục Đào tạo Vietnam Assoc.Prof Dr ND-CP 10 VNU Associate Professor Phó Giáo sư Doctor Tiến sỹ Decree of Government Nghị định Chính phủ Vietnam National University, Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội Hanoi iii INTRODUCTION In the current era of digital technology development, a prominent feature is the application of mathematical and computer science methods in different areas of life as economics, finance, science and technology, health, security Also, technological breakthroughs are mainly made possible by advances in machine learning which is tied to Mathematics Besides computer science, the role of Mathematics is always emphasized To keep up with that trend, the Government of Vietnam has decided to establish the Vietnam Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics (hereinafter abbreviated as “VIASM”) as a center of applied research to serve the development of the country VIASM is a research institute in the field of mathematics, directly under the Ministry of Education and Training The goal of VIASM is to become an excellent center of mathematics, with a working environment equivalent to some developed countries in mathematics, for academic exchanges to improve the scientific capacity of Vietnamese and enhance the position of Vietnamese Mathematics in the world In an international working environment like VIASM, the use of English is very common which requires each employee not only to know the job’s expertise but also to have a good command of English for communication and related work English is considered the official language of communication among researchers, students, and employees at VIASM After being allowed by the English Faculty of Thuongmai University, I was fortunate to be an intern at the office of VIASM in a role of an administrative specialist I chose VIASM because I find its mission to be important and relevant to my career goals After more than four weeks (from 2023/01/02 to 2023/02/09), I completed my internship and followed this report as a summary of what I gained from the experience My special thanks are due to supervisor Mr.Pham Quang Truc who give me assistance and guidance, the teachers at the Faculty of English, as well as the staff members of VIASM for helping me complete this report which I have tried to complete with full dedication Due to the limited time and my experience, the report can not avoid getting mistakes I am honored to receive comments to improve my internship report iv CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF VIETNAM INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY IN MATHEMATICS 1.1 Information and Development of VIASM 1.1.1 General Information about VIASM Image 1.1: Image about VIASM (Source: Vietnam Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics) VIETNAM INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY IN MATHEMATICS (hereinafter abbreviated as “VIASM”) is a research institute under the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) Below is the general information about the Institute Official name: Vietnam Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics Vietnamese name: Viện Nghiên cứu cao cấp Toán Tax code: 0105391985 Office headquarters: No.157 Chua Lang Street, Lang Thuong Ward, Dong Da District, Hanoi, Vietnam Institute Legal Representative: Professor Nguyen Huu Du Founding date: 23/12/2010 Telephone: (024) 3623 1542 E-mail: info@viasm.edu.vn 1.1.2 Establishment and Development of VIASM VIASM was established on December 23, 2010, under Decision No 2342/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister and officially came into operation in June 2011 VIASM was established within the framework of the National Program for the Development of Mathematics from 2010 to 2020 (NPDM) Regulation on organization and operation issued together with the Decision of the Prime Minister Decision No 2343/QD-TTg dated December 23, 2010 In 2011, the Institute used the campus of the Hanoi University of Science and Technology on the 7th floor, of Ta Quang Buu Library With the help of the Ministry of Education and Training, VIASM has moved its headquarters to 157 Chua Lang Street, Dong Da, Hanoi since April 2020 The main missions of VIASM are to become an excellent academic center for mathematicians in other institutes and universities to carry out valuable ideas and good quality research, as well as assist talent training This is a place to improve mathematical research capability in universities and institutes in Vietnam, and to be the main institution in implementing the NPDM VIASM’s strategy for the period 2010-2020 was approved by the Prime Minister on August 17, 2010, under Decision No.1483/QD-TTg The goal of the program is to find breakthrough solutions to develop a strong Vietnamese mathematics background in all aspects of research and application, meeting the country’s development needs in fields such as science, technology, education and training, economy, and defense consolidation After many years of operation, VIASM has officially stabilized with many major international cooperation activities and welcomed many domestic and foreign research groups to work As a place in charge of important scientific research, supporting and training researchers and training the team of students to participate in major competitions in the world such as the International Mathematics Olympiad 1.1.3 The major field of VIASM Support and connect research groups, research fellows, and students Most of the research fellows come to work at VIASM in research groups Research fellows are sent on secondment to VIASM to work full-time During their visits, they might organize academic activities (workshops/conferences,lectures, seminars) which were planned in their research proposals They can also ask the VIASM Board of Directors and the Scientific Council to make adjustments to their proposals (if necessary) Research fellows can also invite international scientists (mostly professors) to come to collaborate on their scientific activities Organize seminars, conferences, mini-course, and workshops Weekly seminars held by research groups are regular scientific activities Conferences and workshops have been held with topics associated with research groups’ projects This can publicize research projects as well as encourage young mathematicians, and undergraduate students to research VIASM has also organized schools (summer, autumn, and spring schools) and training courses for students, mini-courses for Math teachers, and public lectures A regular conference of VIASM is the Annual Meeting which invites five first-rate mathematicians every year to report on developments in their field of expertise, and generally not on their own work The reports are to be written by the time of the meeting and will be published in a special issue of Acta Mathematica Vietnamica Cooperation activities VIASM has promoted collaborative research about the applications of mathematics in socio-economic sectors such as telecommunication, transportation, meteorology, hydrology, finance - banking through cooperation agreements with Viettel Telecom Company; Department of Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate Change (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment); Vietnam Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology, and Climate change; FPT; Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV), etc 1.1.4 Organizational Structure of VIASM Diagram 1.1: Organizational structure chart of VIASM (Source: Vietnam Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics) Board of Directors Currently, the Institute’s Board of Directors consists of Professor Ngo Bao Chau - Scientific Director, Assoc Prof Le Minh Ha – Chief Executive Director and Dr Trinh Thi Thuy Giang- Deputy Director The Scientific Director is the head of the Institute, is in charge of all scientific research activities, and supports the training of talents of the Institute The Executive Director is responsible for all the regular operations of the Institute The Deputy Director is assistants to the Scientific Director and the Executive Director; responsible before the law The term of the Institute’s Board of Directors is three years and may be considered for reappointment Scientific Council The Scientific Council of the Institute consists of leading Vietnamese scientists and abroad, led by Prof Ngo Bao Chau The Scientific Council assists the Minister of MOET in overseeing the Institute’s activities to discuss issues such as research orientation and training, organization and review of research groups International Advisory Board The role of the International Advisory Board is to meet regularly to evaluate the performance of the institute and give suggestions to improve and develop the activities at the institute The International Advisory Board was established in 2011 and consists of six members who are Prof Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, Polytechnic University of Paris; the President of the European Research Commission, Prof Robert Fefferman- University of Chicago; Prof Benedict Gross- Harvard University; Prof Phillip Griffiths-Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton; Prof Martin Grötschel-Berlin Academy of Sciences and Humanities- Brandenburg; Prof Madabusi Santanam Raghunathan- Institute of Technology Bombay (India) Office and Research rooms Since its establishment, the Institute has only had an office due to the goal of ensuring a lean and efficient operation The office undertakes administrative work, supporting conferences and research groups Research groups are organized to carry out scientific research tasks appropriate to each stage of the Institute’s development Since 2018, the Institute has had a Data Science Laboratory with members who are collaborators from domestic and foreign universities and institutes 1.1.5 Achievements in the period of 2012-2022 Thanks to the scientific reputation of Professor Ngo Bao Chau - Scientific Director and members of the Scientific Council of the Institute including leading scientists in the country and internationally From January 2012 to June 2015, there were 91 international mathematicians coming from 14 countries and 32 Vietnam mathematicians from abroad working at VIASM In 2013, after years of operation, VIASM was recognized by the European Mathematical Society as one of the few “Emerging Regional Centers of Excellence” in developing countries for the period 2013-2017 and the period of 2019-2023 VIASM is also a member of the Asia-Pacific Association of Mathematics in Industry Scientific activities at VIASM (during the period 2016-2021) have had a significant impact on the research and application of Mathematics, facilitating collaboration between Mathematics and other sciences in Vietnam Since 2018, the Institute has expanded activities such as an Open Math Festival to many different areas outside of Hanoi Currently, the Asian region has only four recognized research institutes in developing countries, including Iran, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia VIASM also pioneered the organization and implementation of many activities such as publishing Pi magazine, organizing Math exams, and organizing CHAPTER 2: INTRODUCTION ABOUT THE INTERNSHIP PROCESS IN VIASM 2.1 The tasks are performed during the Internship I spent four weeks and worked as an administrative specialist on training in VIASM (from 2023/01/02 to 2023/02/09) My working timeline is according to the working timetable of the Institution which is according to the calendar of State officials (from Monday to Friday) Office time: - In the morning: From 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM - In the afternoon: From 13:00 PM to 17:30 PM The following are the jobs that I learn about and undertake during my internship weeks at the Institution 2.1.1 Week 1: From 2nd January, 2023 to 6th January, 2023 No Date Main activities - Monday, 2nd January Meet the director of VIASM to confirm their decision to let me become an intern - Discuss with VIASM’s Board of Directors the work I undertake during the internship - Get to know the staff in the office - Visit function rooms and listen to instructions on how to use equipment in the office - Learn information about the history, mission, development orientation, basic rules of VIASM Tuesday, 3rd January - Meet Assoc.Prof Nguyen Ha Nam was responsible for guiding me during my internship - Listen to the task and implement the bilingual Newsletter Vol design - Participated in a VTV meeting with VIASM’s Board of Directors and write minutes of the meeting - List VIASM’s special activities to send to VTV Wednesday, 4th - January Compose a Vietnamese-English bilingual press release announcing the special school and the International Science Conference - Write emails to send press releases to press agencies including Vietnamnet, Giáo dục Thời đại, Thanh niên, Dân trí - Implement a series of articles summarizing the Math program to publish in Vietnam Journal of Education Thursday, 5th January - Support for IACR-VIASM School on Cryptography and School in Group Theory and Representation Theory - Send emails to international students to notify them of acceptance of participation and funding - Email instructions for students and scientists to provide visa registration information Friday, 6th January - Attend the monthly meeting and present the work in charge, the progress of each job, and share the difficulties encountered and the work to be completed in the next week - Edit the introduction slide about Professor Nguyen Van Huyen and Professor Laurent Schwartz under the instruction of Professor Tran Van Nhung - Translation of the thematic report “Math Program 2021-2022” Table 2.1: Internship schedule in week 10 2.1.2.Week : From 9th January, 2023 to 13th January, 2023 No Date Main activities Monday, 9th January Complete the Handbook “Useful Information” in English and email students instructions on accommodation in Vietnam Email the speakers for information about flight tickets and pick up schedule in Vietnam Gather information from speakers to design biographies in English on conference screens Tuesday, 10th January Compile a list of sponsored and unsponsored students for courses in a special school List the number of funding types that students and lecturers received Send email notifications to pick up students and lecturers at the airport and answer questions from students before the special schools Wednesday, January Thursday, 12th January Complete the design of the Backdrop, Poster in English for projection on the conference screen Compile the list of 2022 researchers and send Newsletter Vol.2 Gather the list of students and lecturers,working units and coordinate with the unit to print cards Friday, 13th January 11th Support translation of self-assessment reports Send information to confirm flight schedules, and assist in arranging hotel rooms for lecturers Compile a list of hotels to send to international researchers, lecturers, and students when coming to work at VIASM Receive calls and guide international students to check-in rooms at Women’s Academy Support international students and lecturers to participate in seminars at the Lecture hall Translate Annual Report documents to add information to the website Table 2.2: Internship schedule in week 11 2.1.3 Week 3: From 16th January, 2023 to 20th January, 2023 No Date Main activities - Monday, 16th January Send an email to the lecturers announcing the projector test, asking for foreign lecturers’ materials and photocopies for students - Send invitations to press agencies and international experts to attend the opening ceremony - Support the Opening Ceremony and take pictures in Laurent Schwartz hall Tuesday, 17th January - Interpreting for VOV reporters, interviewing foreign students and lecturers, writing news articles for the VIASM website - Survey on the diet of students and lecturers - Compilation lists of allergies and vegetarians and practitioners of special religions Wednesday, 18th January - Collaborate with VNU as a secretary to support the course “Thắp sáng ước mơ” for children living in inaccessible areas - Write a press release to VOV reporters - Guiding international students to have lunch at Foreign Trade University Thursday, 19th January - Write a bilingual short biography of Laurent Schwartz, and send it to the board of directors and Professor Ngo Bao Chau for editing - Design poster backdrop for Annual Meeting - Prepare documents for Annual Meeting Table 2.3: Internship schedule in week From 20th - 26th January: Lunar New Year Holiday 12 2.1.4 Week 4: From 30th January, 2023 to 3rd February, 2023 No Date Main activities Monday, 30th January - Welcoming the guests of the Annual Meeting and prepare Lecture Notes - Distributing documents and checking in - Write an Annual Meeting article to be posted on the website Tuesday, 31st January - Translate Curriculum vitae of professors of some research institutes applying for VIASM - Support Course for high school students at Vin University and guide students and teachers to complete admission procedures - Superintendent at the contest to select excellent students of specialized math schools in Vietnam Wednesday, 1st February - Translate VIASM’s self-assessment report - Survey of international students on the quality of courses and seminars - Survey the training needs of applied mathematics at academies and universities Thursday, 2nd February - Translate the Annual Report documents - Send emails informing about the Cryptography Day event to students and lecturers and send registration forms to academics and researchers - Compile the number of people registered to attend and plan to welcome them at VIASM Friday, 3rd February - Meeting with VTV about the progress of the Mathematics program at VIASM - Translate the thematic report “VIASM’s performance results for the period 2010-2022” - Complete bilingual poster and banner design for Cryptography Day event - Interpreting for Vietnamnet reporters to interview international lecturers Table 2.4: Internship schedule in week From February 6th, 2023 to February 9th, 2023 On 6th February I attended the 13 VIASM briefing and reported on the completed work and the work in charge I will work in the following months as a VIASM collaborator 2.2 The Difficulties and Experiences in Internship Process in VIASM Office 2.2.1 The Difficulties During the practical experience at VIASM in a professional working environment that requires me to make constant efforts As an undergraduate student, I also face the following challenges Task handling skills The actual work environment at VIASM is so different from the one I learned in university so I was nervous As a student, my previous job was to focus on my studies However, during the internship, I was not only responsible for responding to researchers, lecturers, and students but also in charge of communication and translation, interpretation, and, working with relevant organizations where the event takes place As a result, I was confused with time management and work arrangement to meet deadlines in the early days Knowledge Although the university helps me get the basics of the theory in writing an email and interpreting, I realized that I need to add new knowledge and skills by learning more in the workplace to well In some interpreting for lecturers from India, I had difficulty hearing their accents especially when they used a lot of specialized terms in Mathematics and Technology In another aspect, using polite language in emails without being too formal depends on each professor’s relationship with VIASM To better understand, I have to consult with the Board of Directors before sending it Besides, the choice of sending To, Bcc, or Cc depends on the purpose and level of formality and privacy of each message Work environment VIASM attracts famous international researchers, so the working environment is professional and has high work intensity Besides, VIASM’s permanent employees are not as many as in corporations’ employees and companies, so there are times when special schools take place consecutively, creating a large amount of 14 work Therefore, each individual is required to handle work quickly and efficiently In the first week of working, I was quite surprised to be able to attend a meeting with VTV’s reporters which require I learned how to work as a secretary, write meeting minutes, and present to the editors of VTV Although I finished the speech under stress, I have learned the lessons of giving presentations in a professional environment Working time Due to the characteristics of VIASM as an organization under the Ministry of Education and Training, working time is according to the regulations of the State It means employees have two days off on Saturday and Sunday Besides, because many special schools take place simultaneously, the increasing workload of VIASM creates difficulties, and I could not complete the work on time in the early days As a result, I spent more time at home and two days off to complete the job so I could meet the deadline However, I was able to catch up with the work's requirements after two weeks and my performance in the allotted time was better 2.2.2 The Experiences After working for more than a month at VIASM, I had the opportunity to put my knowledge of English into practice The internship helps me have a broader view and deepen my understanding of the English major I have studied It also helps me realize the limitation of my professional experience and improve my skills Firstly, multitasking is an important skill that I learned during the VIASM internship I can administrative, media, translation-interpretation, and journalistic tasks concurrently Thanks to that, I have the skills to work under high pressure, know how to manage time, and prioritize important tasks to meet deadlines Secondly, VIASM’s working environment gives me opportunities to practice my translation-interpretation skills fluently In particular, working with international researchers and students helps me confidently demonstrate my communication skills in English I realized that to keep the conversation going, in addition to the basic English knowledge, I also have to understand the culture and knowledge of the field that the partner is interested in Thirdly, being a supporting secretary for several conferences helped me 15