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Graduate Student Spotlight: Soop Srisantitham

Categories: Students

Chemistry Graduate Student Soop Srisantitham describes his research and answers 20 random questions as part of the Graduate Student Spotlight series.

Soop Srisantitham is a fifth year student in Professor Dan Suess‘ group, and has been at MIT for four years. He comes to Cambridge from Bangkok, Thailand, and chose to pursue a PhD in Chemistry after becoming hooked on the field as an undergraduate student. His work in the Suess group focuses on studying Nitrogenase, an enzyme responsible for biological nitrogen fixation.

As the subject of this month’s Graduate Student Spotlight, Soop shares the movie universe he’d most (and least) like to live in, the movie he’d watch on a loop for a 27 hour flight, the best people to be stuck in an elevator with, and more!

  1. What game or movie universe would you most like to live in? What would be the worst to live in?
    I’d like to live in the Lord of the Ring universe. The worst would probably be those under zombie apocalypse (the last of us/resident evil).
  2. If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?
    Go sightseeing.
  3. If you were on a 27 hour flight and could only watch one movie, what would it be?Interstellar.
  4. What is the best vacation you’ve ever taken?
    My most recent vacation to the Pacific Northwest (Washington and Oregon), probably the closest I have been to nature/wildlife in a long time, if not ever.
  5. Who would be the best person you could be stuck in an elevator with?
    Any one of my friends, since it’d be awkward to be stuck with strangers (even if they are famous).
  6. If you were given five million dollars to open a small museum, what kind of museum would you create?
    Museum of laboratory glassware.
  7. What are some small things that make your day better?
    Getting on the train that is about to leave the station.
  8. What’s worth spending more on to get the best?
    A good bed
  9. What did you think you would grow out of but haven’t?
    Addiction to video games.
  10. What did you think was going to be amazing but turned out to be horrible?
    Smart glasses.
  11. If money and practicality weren’t a problem, what would be the most interesting way to get around town?
    Teleportation (if we are going sci-fi), or jet-pack
  12. What food do you crave most often?
    Pastries
  13. As a child, what did you think would be awesome about being an adult, but isn’t as awesome as you thought it would be?
    That I don’t have to go to school anymore…turns out I’m still going to school now :D.
  14. What are you most looking forward to in the next decade?
    Human on the Moon (again), or on Mars.
  15. What’s something common from your childhood that will seem strange to future generations?
    A not-so-smart phone with Snake game
  16. What skill would you like to master?
    Coding/Programming.
  17. What would be the most amazing adventure to go on?
    I’d love to go on a Trans-Siberia train ride into Europe.
  18. What would be your ideal way to spend the weekend?
    Sleep a lot, hanging out with friends, playing some video games, and playing some DnD.
  19. If you could know the truth behind every conspiracy, but you would instantly die if you hinted that you knew the truth, would you want to know?
    No, I’d definitely spill the beans and die not too long after.
  20. If you could know the absolute and total truth to one question, what question would you ask?
    Is there life beyond Earth?

Many thanks to Soop for these thoughtful answers! Stay tuned for more Graduate Student Spotlights in the months to come!