PostTime：8/13/2022
Time flies and the second cohort of students graduate from Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT) this year. In the series of interviews with the graduates from the Class of 2022, we will show their stories at GTIIT in the past four years.
Here is the story of Liu Jing, a student of the Class of 2022 from the Biotechnology and Food Engineering Program.
Liu Jing recalls her four years in GTIIT: challenging though, she guides her way based on her own interest and works really hard. When she graduates, she smiles and says, “I enjoy my university life!”
“I am learning what I like”
“I grew up loving biology. As a child, I liked to observe flowers my grandpa planted, and the microscope my father bought opened my door to biology. After learning in senior high school, I found my interest in cells and protein, and determined to dig deeper into them.” Liu Jing says that GTIIT fits in her expectation of pursuing further study overseas. Besides, the new and sophisticated instruments in labs also attracted her.
Liu Jing gave a presentation about Inchworm
“GTIIT gives me chances to learn whatever I like.” Liu says she's benefited a lot from “Biology I”. “The course covers almost every topic in biology, like a map to help me find my direction. When I went to my junior year, I can take elective courses based on my interest, like General Genetics, Advanced Genetics, Stem Cells, etc.”
“I get good grades because I am learning what I like. I enjoy the process, which is challenging but fulfilling as well. Moreover, I am learning with the question ‘how can I apply what I've learned’ in mind. For example, when I was taking Advanced Genetics, I would imagine I was doing an experiment, and consider which model I can use in different conditions.” This way of learning helped Liu fluently respond to the lab design questions in the Weizmann Institute of Science interview and receive her dream offer.
A journey to dream with encouragement
“When I was a freshperson, I felt inferior for my poor English with a strong Shandong accent. I even evaded speaking in class. But the teacher in English class pushed me to speak out and told me how to improve. Since then, I started to believe in myself and became a better me.”
“Teachers in GTIIT take students seriously. I was not good at organic chemistry and wrote emails to ask questions. The professor replied to me with a detailed explanation even though he was on a leave of absence. When I came to see teachers during office hours, they are always willing to solve my doubts.” Liu says that the four years have made her more confident and braver to seek help.
“I feel very lucky to have so many teachers encouraging and helping me when I'm confused. I want to pass the power of encouragement, and help others fit in and determine their goals.”
Diligence and passion lead to fulfillment
The journey towards dreams is rarely an easy one. Liu Jing answers “how to learn what you are interested well” by her outstanding academic performance.
Liu Jing became a peer tutor of the Introduction to Biochemistry and Enzimol in the second semester of her freshperson year. “Dr. Yigal has said that the best way to learn is teaching. When I taught my peers, they raised questions that I've never thought about, and through which I can fill my learning gaps. After the finals, many students told me that I was very helpful to them, which gave me a sense of accomplishment.”
Liu Jing (third from the right) in the lab
When she entered the second year of university, Liu Jing found her interest in embryonic stem cells and cancer genetics and joined research projects the next year. “With the guidance of the lab manager, I enjoyed doing experiments and making progress. For example, seeing the staining results!” She then participated in Prof. Xu Xinpeng's group on cell mechanics. From the conception and design to the analysis of results and revision of hypotheses, Jing Liu took part in the whole process of a project, and began to experience the joy of scientific research.
Liu Jing (top right corner) in the Weizmann project
During the winter break of her senior year, Liu Jing applied for the intern project at her dream school, the Weizmann Institute of Science, where one of the supervisors studied protein structure that was of her interest. At first, she worried about whether she could be enrolled, as her competitors were mostly from other top universities in China. But after two rounds of interviews, she got what she wanted and was able to join Prof. Joel Sussman and Prof. Israel Silman's research group of “comparison of random sequence protein and natural protein structure predicted by AI algorithms, AlphaFold2 and RoseTTAFold”. “I had excellent teammates from top schools, so I endeavored to do my best.” She had confidence since she got nearly full marks in Introduction to Python, but soon met difficulties in the dry-lab using PyMol. “Thanks professors for teaching me patiently. I also learned that it is very important to have discoveries and thoughts. After the two-month experiment, we found something interesting! And more surprisingly, I got an ‘outstanding’ for this intern and the two supervisors wrote recommendation letters for me. Now we finished writing this paper and submitted it!”
Liu Jing and Yuan Rongqing are co-first authors of the paper submitted
When confronted with arguments like “girls can't learn STEM well”, Liu thinks that it is not gender, but passion, that will determine how far you can go. “Female scientists have achieved nothing less than male scientists. Like what our dean Prof. Dganit Danino says, female scientists should achieve more and stay on their own passion. And there are a lot of female students among the top list at GTIIT!” she adds.
Summer in 2019 kicked off the 13th Asian Science Camp at GTIIT. Liu played the role of a volunteer journalist, listening to masters' lectures and interviewing participants from different countries around Asia. “I met Lynit, the cheery girl from Cambodia who has been a college student at the age of 16. She explained technical terms of computer science to me and infected me with her enthusiasm, which stiffened my ambition in science.”
Liu Jing (left) and Lynit
“Fret not over bygones and the forward journey take” – a quote from Chinese poet Tao Yuanming – is her suggestion to year-one students. “I used to regret chances that I missed, while now I learn from regrets and move on.” Staying hopeful also matters. “The time waiting for my offer is stressful and long. But just as the story The Count of Monte Cristo tells us: your opportunity will come.”
Text/Photos: Liu Jing, GTIIT News & Public Affairs
