Darrion Nguyen

Short description: Asian American science communicator

Darrion Nguyen

Nguyen in 2023

Born|  (1994-10-20) October 20, 1994 (age 31)

Houston, Texas, U.S.

Nationality| American
Other names| Lab Shenanigans
Alma mater| University of Texas at Austin (BSA, BA)
Website| www.labshenanigans.com

Darrion Nguyen (born October 20, 1994) is an Asian American science communicator. He plays Dr. Ion on the Ryan's World YouTube channel.[1][2]

## Contents

* 1 Early life and education
* 2 Career
* 3 Awards and nominations
* 4 References
* 5 External links

## Early life and education

Darrion Nguyen was born on October 20, 1994, to Dung and Thi Nguyen and is of Vietnamese descent. Nguyen was raised in Houston, Texas and experienced a tragic event at the age of 11 when his father was murdered during a robbery at the family's convenience store. Following the incident, Nguyen fled to seek help and upon returning, found his father had died.[3] Nguyen graduated from Klein Forest High School in 2013, and attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he eventually received his B.S.A in Biochemistry and BA in Theatre & Dance in 2017.[4][5]

## Career

While working as a research technician in 2019, Nguyen began publishing educational science videos to Instagram and TikTok under the pseudonym "Lab Shenanigans".[6] His videos involve the use of popular audios to personify and dramatize specific biochemistry topics.[7][8][9] His popularity expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic when his content shifted to educating the public about COVID-19 vaccines.[10][11]

In May 2021, Nguyen was an invited speaker at TEDxSalisbury, where he discussed the significance of educational yet relatable online content and how it can be leveraged to make science easily accessible.[12]

In 2022, Nguyen partnered with Pfizer and Real Chemistry to produce a video series called I Heard it on The Internet aimed at debunking COVID-19 misinformation and rumors. The series has been named a finalist for the 2023 Shorty Award in the category of Best Video Series and Pharma & Healthcare.[13]

## Awards and nominations

Year  | Award  | Category  | Work  | Result

|
|
|
|

2023  | Shorty Award | Video Series  | I Heard it on The Internet Video Content Series  | Finalist
Pharma & Healthcare  | I Heard it on The Internet Video Content Series  | Finalist

## References

1. ↑ "Into the Newsroom: Teaching Through TikToks – Yale Scientific Magazine". https://www.yalescientific.org/2021/04/into-the-newsroom-teaching-through-tiktoks/.
2. ↑ "Darrion Nguyen" (in en-US). https://www.imdb.com/name/nm14110662/.
3. ↑ Bual, Hiezle (October 20, 2021). "Introducing The Tiktok-Famous Vietnamese-American 'Bill Nye Of Millennials'" (in en). https://vietcetera.com/en/introducing-the-tiktok-famous-vietnamese-american-bill-nye-of-millennials.
4. ↑ Meeks, Flori (June 4, 2013). "Motivation matters most to Klein Forest student" (in en-US). https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/spring/news/article/motivation-matters-most-to-klein-forest-student-4576405.php.
5. ↑ Stories, Local (February 8, 2022). "Meet Darrion Nguyen – Voyage Houston Magazine | Houston City Guide" (in en-US). http://voyagehouston.com/interview/meet-darrion-nguyen-of-houston/.
6. ↑ "Meet Darrion Nguyen, the Bill Nye of millennials" (in en). September 2020. https://www.inverse.com/science/meet-darrion-nguyen-the-bill-nye-of-millennials.
7. ↑ "Scientists on Social Media: Darrion Nguyen (aka lab_shenanigans)" (in en). September 3, 2021. https://elifesciences.org/interviews/589136ac/darrion-nguyen.
8. ↑ Lemonick, Sam (February 21, 2020). "Chemists are finding their place on TikTok". https://cen.acs.org/education/science-communication/Chemists-finding-place-TikTok/98/i8.
9. ↑ Swift, Jocelyn E.; Lovett, Brian; Koltermann, Christine E.; Beck, Chelsey L.; Kasson, Matt T. (2020). "From Hashtag to High School: How Viral Tweets Are Inspiring Young Scientists To Embrace STEM". Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education 21 (3): 21.3.67. doi:10.1128/jmbe.v21i3.2133. ISSN 1935-7877. PMID 33294094.
10. ↑ Currin, Grant. "These Videos Could Boost COVID Vaccination Rates" (in en). https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/these-videos-could-boost-covid-vaccination-rates/.
11. ↑ "Social media meets science in 'Lab Shenanigans' with TikTok-famous researcher — and sometimes Pfizer partner" (in en). https://endpts.com/social-media-meets-science-in-lab-shenanigans-with-tiktok-famous-researcher-and-sometimes-pfizer-partner/.
12. ↑ University, Salisbury (May 14, 2021). "SU TEDx Event 'The University Experience' Highlights Campus Voices" (in en). https://www.salisbury.edu/news/article/2021-5-14-SU-TEDx-Event-The-University-Experience-Highlights-Campus-Voices.
13. ↑ ""I Heard it on the Internet" Explainer Video Content Series - The Shorty Awards". http://shortyawards.com/15th/i-heard-it-on-the-internet-explainer-video-content-series.

## External links

* Darrion Nguyen on TikTok
* Lab Shenanigans Homepage

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