Coming to America, having worked many jobs, at times thinking that his dream would collapse, Dr. David Vu realized that 'only the path of education can change the present' and that's when he came to research.
In late 1991, after completing his major in Hydrogeology at the University of Natural Sciences in Ho Chi Minh City (now part of the Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City), David Vu followed his family to Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. His limited English made it quite difficult for him to survive. Initially, he worked for a frozen meat company, but soon realized that hours of manual labor in a cold environment did not bring a future for the small and ambitious 23-year-old man.
To improve his English and earn money to pay for his studies, David Vu became an assistant at a local veterinarian clinic. Due to economic difficulties, he often skipped breakfast, saving only a chocolate bar or a can of popcorn for lunch. He said that in winter, Nebraska's temperature sometimes dropped to minus 30 degrees Celsius, and there was no means of transportation, so he often had to run for hours, sometimes his limbs were numb and his lips were chapped and bleeding. In winter, he went to school by bus every day with a hood covering his face, leaving only his eyes and nostrils exposed. It was so cold that his breath froze and looked like a snow beard.
"At first, the American dream seemed to have completely collapsed. I realized that I had to succeed in my studies to change my current situation," he told VnExpress about his first winter in a foreign land.
Dr. David Vu. Photo: NVCC
With a thirst for success, in 1993, he passed the entrance exam for Chemical Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This school is in the top 30% of the leading national research universities in the US. He worked many jobs to make ends meet. Sometimes he was an interpreter at the Lincoln City Department of Education, sometimes he was an assistant to research professors. David Vu later received the McNair Scholar scholarship for excellent students in scientific research, aiming to pursue a doctorate. This scholarship became a turning point in his academic career and a chance to bring him to his passion for research.
He worked with two professors in the chemical engineering and civil engineering departments, researching ways to detect cracks in concrete and steel. In 1997, David Vu graduated with a degree in chemical engineering and continued his master's degree, focusing on solid acid catalysts to replace liquid catalysts. In 1999, after receiving his master's degree in chemical engineering, he worked for ATARD laboratory, a company that researched polymer compounds for aircraft and electric motors. After that, he continued his doctoral studies at the University of Nebraska. This was the time when he broke through with two patents. The first was a study on a method to separate caffeine from coffee from automatic coffee machines using zeolite and silica imprinting on cellulose fibers and a patent on the production of nanotechnology (nano particles and fibers) from chitosan (shrimp shells). The study of zeolite attachment on cellulose fibers helped him become the third person in the world to be granted a patent for this research.
Before receiving his doctorate in December 2005, he worked at the invitation of LNK Chemsolutions, a company specializing in medical research. Here, he was granted a patent for using nanotechnology to create cancer drugs. He also wrote software for Kamterter Products LLC, a company specializing in agricultural technology and seeds, and has been working there ever since.
Dr. David Vu said that in the US, universities do not focus on training in-depth knowledge for graduate students but on training in scientific research methods. After graduation, graduate students can pursue new passions. This is the reason why his research directions "change" according to both passion and practical needs.
Among his research patented by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is nanotechnology. It was in 2002 when nanotechnology was booming, and he used shrimp shells to implant knee cartilage cells onto a nano-mat (chitosan nanofibers mat). He became the first person in the world to create a chitosan nano-membrane with crosslinking. This was the first research to create starch acetate nanofibers with a size smaller than 40 nanometers.
Nanochitosan fiber with crosslinking from shrimp shells. Photo: Research team
Knee cartilage cells were cultured on a chitosan membrane made from shrimp shells. Photo: Research team
At 56 years old, Dr. David Vu currently owns 28 patents granted in the US, including 4 patents from WIPO, the patents are focused on the fields of agriculture, medicine, chemicals and internal combustion engines. His inventions are applied to solve difficult problems in the fields of medicine and agriculture.
He shared that he wanted to bring technology and inventions to the agricultural sector such as spraying pesticides and herbicides, or stimulants for seeds/plants to withstand salinity, drought, pests, alum and high productivity to help Vietnam's agriculture develop and reduce dependence on foreign countries. These are inventions that help reduce the harmful effects of pesticides and herbicides on the environment, protect farmers' health, and save time and costs in production.
Dr. David Vu said he is willing to share his experience and knowledge in guiding young scientists in the direction of applied research, as well as exchanging technology, cooperating in research and developing businesses. He also suggested that universities should increase investment funds for domestic research and create a favorable environment for young scientists and graduate students to access, and encourage support for small businesses.
Nhu Quynh
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