Meet UC Davis Graduate Student Bingqing Wang

• Department
  Communication and Statistics
   
• Program and year of study 
  PhD, 3rd year (Communication) 
  MS, 2nd year (Statistics) 
   
• Previous degrees and colleges
  BS Physics, Tsinghua University
  MA Communication, Michigan State University
   
• Where did you grow up?
  Wuhan, China
   
• Where do you live now?
  Davis, CA
   
• What's your favorite spot in Davis?
  The Farmers’ Market
   
• How do you relax?
  I play video games and go to the gym.
   
• What was the last book you read for pleasure?
  Grief Grocery Store (ナミヤ雑货店の奇迹) by Higashino Keigo 
   
• What TV show are you currently binge-watching?
  Better Call Saul
   
• Research interests
  I study media and media content in general. I try to understand what kinds of media content can better attract audiences, and what media consumers get from these types of content. Also, I am particularly interested in video games and the value they provide to players.
   
• Dissertation title or topic
  The World is Better When We Are Connected: The Value of Relatedness in Video Games
   
• Please share a surprising or noteworthy fact or finding from your research
  People used to believe that video games were harmful to families. That seems to be true when husbands play video games alone and leave their wives to do all the housework. But my research found that family members playing video games together can actually facilitate their family cohesion and satisfaction. It suggests that video games themselves are not really toxic; it is the way people use them that matters.
   
• Which professor or class inspired you to pursue graduate studies?
  My master advisor Dr. Gwen Wittenbaum at Michigan State University
   
• Which scholarly text do you wish you had written? Why?
  None really, but I am planning to write my own book in the near future.  
   
• What's the best thing about being a grad student?
  The autonomy of studying the thing I want to study.  
   
• What's the worst?
  Not being able to make much money compared to my friends who are not graduate students.
   
• If you weren't a grad student, what would you be doing?
  I might be a film producer, script writer, or a professional writer.
   
• Finally, please ask yourself a question - "What film did you recently watch and recommend?"
  Dunkirk, because it talks about war from a special angle. It is what a war looks like from an individual perspective.
   

Graduate student profile courtesy of the UC Davis College of Letters and Science.

About Graduate Studies

Graduate Studies at UC Davis includes over 100 dynamic degree programs and a diverse and interactive student body from around the world. Known for our state-of-the-art research facilities, productive laboratories and progressive spirit – UC Davis offers collaborative and interdisciplinary curricula through graduate groups and designated emphasis options, bringing students and faculty of different academic disciplines together to address real-world challenges.

UC Davis graduate students and postdoctoral scholars become leaders in their fields: researchers, teachers, politicians, mentors and entrepreneurs. They go on to guide, define and impact change within our global community.

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