Time flies and the second cohort of students are going to graduate from Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT) this year. A series of interviews with the graduates from the Class of 2022 will be presented to show their stories at GTIIT in the past four years.

Here is the story of Zhang Hongrui, a student of the Class of 2022 from Materials Science and Engineering Program.

High School: Zhixin High School, Guangzhou

Program: Materials Science and Engineering

Awards:

GTIIT Chancellor's Scholarship

GTIIT Academic Excellence Scholarship

GTIIT Vice Chancellor's List

GTIIT Dean's List

GTIIT Extra-curricular Scholarship

GTIIT Outstanding Performance in Journalism

Offers:

University of Pennsylvania

Northwestern University (US)

Cornell University

University of California, Berkeley

University of Michigan

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Rice University

"The pursuit of progress is not a matter of a day. You just have to make efforts quietly and wait for your goals to blossom patiently." During the four years at GTIIT, Hongrui has always been convinced that the fastest pace is not sprint, but persistence. When the offers from the world-famous universities came one after another, the efforts day after day shone brightly on this young boy.

Hongrui (second from right) won the Academic Excellent Scholarship

Seize the day and do the best

The international faculty team, high teacher-student ratio and comfortable accommodation make GTIIT an ideal choice for Hongrui. GTIIT also witnessed his great progress.

Hongrui met the biggest difficulty in his university life in the first semester of his sophomore year, because he did not find his own learning pace in the freshman year. "I had poor grades and missed a lot of opportunities, which put a lot of pressure on me, so I decided to catch up." During the online learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he concentrated on study and developed the habits of self-learning, summarizing and asking questions. "I could see the results of my efforts and gradually built up my confidence in my study."

Hongrui participated in GTIIT's first dubbing contest

GTIIT never disappoints the hard-working students, and the necessary skills for success are practiced here day by day. "I summarize everything I've learned into a detailed file before each exam. It not only helps me review what I've learned, but also improves my efficiency since I can quickly find what I need in just one summary."

"Ask questions and you may gain something unexpected!" GTIIT encourages students to ask questions, which protects students' curiosity about knowledge. Communication between teachers and students is more than just answering students' questions; it is also about teachers and students making progress together. "In the class of Statistical Thermodynamics, I asked Prof. Jacob Katriel a question about the second derivatives of fermions and bosons. Surprisingly, the professor said that this was a question that had never been explored before. Later, he wrote a paper on the answer to this question and published it with me!"

Learn and practice the knowledge

The Materials Science and Engineering Program has opened up a new perspective for Hongrui. When it comes to electric cars, he immediately thinks of a recent study by a Stanford research group on "using a new solvent molecule to achieve a new cycle life of lithium batteries", which makes him more sensitive to new breakthroughs in materials. When he sees daily necessities, he will subconsciously think about what materials they are made of, and then further understand the nature of materials based on the knowledge he has learned in class.

photo by Hongrui

He is currently working on the project "Monolayer preparation and I-V Characterization with EGaIn top contact" in the molecular electronics group of Prof. Zuoti Xie from GTIIT Materials Science and Engineering Department. He said that he gained a lot from this process. "By reading plenty of papers and discussing with professors, I learn a lot of cutting-edge knowledge in molecular electronics and experimental skills. More importantly, I got to know many excellent classmates and seniors, from whom I can learn a lot."

"I think carbon neutrality is good for new energy and the development of chips is good for semiconductors. I am also interested in biological materials and plan to learn more about them." In the future, he hopes to continue his research in the field of materials, learn about new energy materials, semiconductor materials or biological materials, and have a broader vision and a more mature way of thinking.

Hongrui (first from the right in the front row) took part in a volunteer activity in Guangzhou during the pandemic

Colorful life at GTIIT light up youth

Hongrui made full use of his four years at GTIIT to experience the colorful extra-curriculum activities. In the first semester of his freshman year, he went to Nanao with his classmates to shoot the meteor shower, which was an unforgettable experience under the vast starry sky. He is fond of writing, so he worked as a student assistant in GTIIT News and Public Affairs Department, recording campus life with camera and articles, to improve his English and Chinese writing skills in activities and practices. He likes English, so he participated in GTIIT's first dubbing contest, and won the first prize with his excellent performance. He likes his program, so he worked as a teaching assistant to teach experimental classes for junior students, deepening his understanding of the knowledge while helping others.

photos of starry sky by Hongrui

Hongrui said that it was important to lay a solid foundation in the freshman year. "If you plan to go to graduate school, you should join the research group as soon as possible. You can practice your skills in reading papers and doing experiments, as well as meeting more excellent students." Talking about how to find the research direction that he is interested in, Hongrui shared his experience with the junior students. "You can learn about cutting-edge research and research groups by visiting authoritative Wechat accounts related to your program. It is also a good way to visit the official website of your desired university to see which teachers and research directions are available. You may not understand it at first, but don't worry. You can learn about it step by step and find out what you like."

GTIIT photos by Hongrui

Text: GTIIT News & Public Affairs

Photos: Zhang Hongrui, GTIIT News & Public Affairs