High School: No.1 High School of Shaoyang Hunan

Program: Materials Science and Engineering (MSE)

Awards:

Second Class Academic Excellence Scholarship (2020-2021)

Dean of Undergraduate Studies's list (2020-2021)

Dean of Undergraduate Studies's list (2021-2022)

Fanghui's Scholarship (2022)

Vice Chancellor's list（2022-2023）

Offers: 

• Stanford University

• ETH Zurich

• Carnegie Mellon University 

• University of Pennsylvania

• Northwestern University

• University of Michigan—Ann Arbor

• King Abdullah University of Science & Technology

• Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne

• National University of Singapore

• Nanyang Technological University

"The dissatisfactory result of Gaokao made me feel disappointed about the future. I never thought that I could have so many choices after hard work at GTIIT!" From failing in the first round of university application after Gaokao, to ranking 1st in MSE program, and now receiving offers from Stanford University, ETH Zurich and other world-renowned universities, Chongsheng explored the world of materials in GTIIT, and handed over an eye-catching scorecard for his dream journey.

Studying in GTIIT is an unexpected yet fruitful experience for Chongsheng. He accidentally failed in the first round of university application after Gaokao. On the recommendation of his aunt, who worked in other university, Chongsheng started his dream journey at GTIIT. "I had never heard of GTIIT before and had no intention of studying abroad. GTIIT gave me the opportunity and helped me a lot."

Chongsheng (right 1) did handwork with his group members

He said that studying at GTIIT is all about accumulation day by day. In the beginning, adapting to the English teaching was a big challenge for him. "My English score was not that good, but the preparatory semester gave me a good buffer. Most teachers would slow down their speech speed and write on the boards, so I was able to keep up with the teacher's pace. If I really came across something difficult to understand, I would take notes first and study after class. I preferred to hand-copy the teacher's courseware to deepen my impression, although it takes lots of time, it worked well for me. Compared to other students who were nervous once the exam month comes, I was instead more relaxed, and I usually passed the A exam in one sitting." Chongsheng shared.

In April, Chongsheng raised a question to Distinguished Prof. Dan Schechtman, Nobel Prize Laureate (Chemistry 2011) in his lecture at GTIIT. His confidence and excellent performance impressed many people on site.

Chongsheng raised a question to Nobel Prize Laureate Prof. Dan Schechtman in the lecture

"More confidence with clearer goal" turns to be his biggest growth in the past four years. Opportunities are always left to those who have the will. He has laid a solid professional foundation and found his research direction in exploration. He participated in all kinds of career planning activities in the university, and learnt about the cutting-edge information of the industry in advance. "GTIIT provides a wonderful platform, and so many excellent seniors have set great examples. GTIIT is somewhere that makes me feel hard work will be definitely rewarded and we should always keep a positive learning momentum."

In Chongsheng's eyes, materials science and engineering encompasses a wide range of fields, from basic science to applied engineering, which not only allows for the study of traditional materials such as metals, ceramics and polymers, but also extends to the exploration of cutting-edge nanotechnology, biomaterials and materials for sustainable development.

Chongsheng participated in the Mid-Autumn Festival activities at GT

"Materials cover a wide range of areas, and it's easy to find the one you like. You can work on semiconductors if you like. You can also involve in computational materials. For me, I want to switch to the medical direction since there are biomedical materials."

In his junior year, Chongsheng joined the lab of Dr. Limei Cha, Director of the GTIIT Electron Microscopy Center, to work on degradable metal-based vascular scaffolds. The project is part of the Guangdong "Climbing Project", with a special fund from the university.

Chongsheng with his teammates of the project

Vascular stents, a common treatment for coronary artery disease, can be implanted to widen narrowed blood vessels and improve blood flow, according to Chongsheng. Conventional vascular stents are commonly made of stainless steel and polymers, but these materials may trigger blood vessel restenosis after long-term use, leading to the risks of secondary surgery. "We hope that by conducting mechanistic studies on biodegradable materials, we can optimize existing vascular scaffolds, and bring safer and more effective treatments to heart disease patients."

Chongsheng with his roommates

Chongsheng and his teammates from other programs always learnt from each other, and such interdisciplinary thinking made him intuitively understand the advantages of studying at GTIIT. "The trend of interdisciplinary integration has made the boundaries between materials and other disciplines, such as physics, chemistry, biology and engineering technology, increasingly blurred. Therefore, study in the field of materials need to be supported by knowledge from other disciplines."

Chongsheng has taken biology and laboratory courses at GTIIT, which complemented the biological knowledge needed for this project. "As Dr. Cha said, when we develop a scaffold from a materials perspective, we may take everything in this field into account and think we have designed a perfect scaffold, but there is a possibility that if we put it in the human body, there is no way for the human body to accept the material. We also need biological knowledge for further improvement."

Chongsheng experienced a mock interview and expressed his thoughts on behalf of the group

"It would be nice if the practical difficulties in clinical practice could be solved by scientific research." Chongsheng's team once communicated with the doctors at a local hospital in Shantou. After learning about the clinical situation, he felt that there was still a long way to go, with ample expectation in his research. "Although I still has a lot to improve, I will work towards the direction of application."

For now, Chongsheng has decided to continue his study at ETH Zurich. "I hope to work hard in my postgraduate and further study for PHD in the field of biomaterials. In the future, I want to be a teacher at university and pass on what I have learnt to more people."

Text/Photos: Yue Chongsheng, GTIIT News & Public Affairs