This summer, the Class of 2024 will graduate from Guangdong Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT). Despite the COVID-19 Pandemic and the running difficulty of Sino-foreign university co-operation in the year they entered GTIIT, the determined students keep moving forward with the motto of "Dream it, do it". They write one and another encouraging stories upon the path of scientific dreams. Let's follow the interview series of 2024 graduates to uncover more in their pursuit of future.

Miao Yu

High School:

Rizhao No.1 Middle School of Shandong

Program:

Mathematics with Computer Science (MCS)

Awards：

Dean’s List 

Second Class of Chancellor's Scholarship

Vice Chancellor’s List

First Class Academic Excellent scholarship

Offers:

Master of Computer Science at the Northeastern University

Master of Computer Science at the Rice University

Master of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of California San Diego

Master of Data Science at the University of California San Diego

Master of Computational Science & Engineering(Collage of Computing) at Georgia Institute of Technology

Master of  Computer Science in the New York University Courant Insititute

GPA：

95.64/100 (Major GPA: 4.00/4.00)    

Heading for a Sino-foreign cooperative university to learn science and engineering has always been Miao Yu's plan. After Gaokao, Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), with its strong international atmosphere and STEM focus, became her top choice. In 2019, she successfully enrolled in the Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) program at GTIIT. With a solid foundation in English, she quickly overcame the challenges of preparatory semester, embarking on a "leveling up" journey here.

01

Follow the passion for math

At the end of her freshman year, facing the dazzling grades, Miao Yu found herself in a dilemma. "MSE program has a heavy focus on the occurrence, production, and transformation of substances, and I'm more interested in abstract theoretical learning," she said. At the end of the first semester, she considered switching to other programs.

After thorough consideration, Miao Yu settled on a direction—MCS. In her eyes, the vast and profound proofs and theorems, the seamless data and logic, constitute the very charm of this discipline. "Besides, I always scored full marks in math in my first year and have more confidence in this major. Why not?" As a result, she smoothly changed to MCS with No.1 ranking in MSE that time and began to explore what she truly loves.

Photo with MCS peers

The first year in MCS opened a broader world. "I made a qualitative leap in learning efficiency," Miao Yu said, "the intricacies of C programming were a formidable task for me in the beginning, and I struggled a lot." Increased learning difficulty and intensity prompted her to constantly adjust her learning methods. "The way I learned math was to delve into textbooks, carefully following the teachers and staying focused." Faced with puzzling programming assignments, she made full use of various resources provided by GTIIT, including academic literature, scientific lectures, and face-to-face guidance from supervisors, working hard to bridge the gap from practical engineering mathematics to abstract theoretical concepts. Overcoming the initial hardships, Miao Yu eventually scored 97 in this course.

Photo with MCS professors

Miao Yu also met her life mentor, Prof. Andrea Leonor Solotar in linear algebra class. "She is truly my idol," Miao Yu said with gratitude. "She is a scholar of both moral and academic stature, excellent in scientific research and teaching, and highly responsible to her students. Every time I had doubts, she would patiently clear them up. For other abstract algebra subjects I didn't understand, she was willing to explain them to me."

With such a great mentor by her side, she began to embrace more wonderful things at GTIIT.

02

Research driven by curiosity

Miao Yu remained busy on various stages of GTIIT. Serving as a peer mentor, she helped freshmen integrate into the new environment quickly; as the vice president of the Model United Nations Association of GTIIT, she switched perspectives between "allied countries" and "hostile countries"; working for a medical device company as an intern, she learned to view her academic studies from occupational demands; participating in cross-cultural activities offered by GTIIT Career and Learning Center, she collaborated with members from all continents to perceive the diversity of the world.

"I gradually learned to view things from different perspectives and realized that what people say is actually determined by where they stand, not because they think it’s right." The open and inclusive environment at GTIIT nourished Miao Yu's sharpness and curiosity about the world, bringing a more respectful and diverse way of thinking. "It might sound ideal, but many of my experiences spoke to the concept of 'equality'. I just want to know why we can be so different living on the same planet. Why is it so hard to understand each other?"

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Such reflection led to deeper academic thoughts. "Gradually, I found unimpeded information flow is the best way to understand and empathize with others. And it has two parts: one is to obtain sufficient information, and the other is to block false information." On an exchange program at Technion, Miao Yu conducted a research project with her advisor, Dr. Catherine A. Haddad-Zaknoon. By implementing the RrSD model in Group Testing method, they accelerated the detection speed of Deep Neural Network (DNN) model to quickly identify abnormal behaviors in video and reduce the reaction time of security system. This research allowed Miao Yu to realize the potential of neural networks in information processing.

Speaking of the research she would like to pursue, Miao Yu spoke rapidly with enthusiasm. "Digitization is one way to improve efficiency. There has been a lot of research focused on how to compress information to the extreme and consume the least energy; how to improve algorithms to make them faster and more stable; how to adjust social media recommendation algorithm to make it deliver true information and block false information. I am interested in these issues, also known as Trustworthy AI and Robust AI."

With such joy of exploration, Miao Yu found her way to graduate studies.

03

Grow with unshakable dream

"Half a year before graduate application, I was still struggling with which major to pursue.” Miao Yu had to choose a specific field when it came to master's stage. “I’ve got many options, Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Financial Engineering, Data Science, Computer Science (CS), etc. I was lost.”

Amid hesitation, Miao Yu signed up for an exchange program at Technion, which brought a turning point. "I met many outstanding peers there and learned a lot. My biggest impression was that they do love what they learn, not just for the sake of GPA."

Miao Yu at Technion

Coming back, Miao Yu reevaluated her application direction. "To be honest, I was very interested in algorithms, but among all the options, CS was the most competitive," Miao Yu admitted. "I had two choices: either find a lower-level stepping stone and jump to my dream major afterwards, or directly apply for my dream major, but it was more challenging, and I might end up at a less satisfying university."

After consultation with her advisor Dr. Catherine, Miao Yu made up her mind—to go straight towards her goal. "Just go for my passion. Even if I get into a better university by choosing something I don't like, it will take me further away from what I love." Following a clearer path, she ultimately received acceptance letters of CS program from several world-renowned universities.

On the fertile soil of GTIIT, more and more students are growing rapidly, constantly expanding their knowledge and horizons. They are bound to, like Miao Yu, confidently and resolutely leap towards their dreams.

Text: GTIIT News & Public Affairs

Photos: Provided by Miao Yu