As a member of the inaugural cohort of Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), since he entered the campus, he has embarked on a journey of growth filled with challenges and opportunities. Over the past eight years, he not only witnessed GTIIT's progress from its inception to its fruition, but also actively participated in and contributed to this transformative process. In the exploration of biology and food science, he realized scientific research is not something far away and unattainable, but rather a powerful force capable of making tangible changes and addressing real-world issues. Upon completing his bachelor's degree, he chose to study at GTIIT to pursue a graduate program of the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, continuing to delve deeply into his passion.

Name: Zeng Yuying

Program: Biotechnology and Food Engineering

High School: Shantou Chaoyang Experimental School

Awards:

3rd Prize in the 8th "Jinwan Cup Creating Youth" Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area

Bronze Award in the Maker Group of "Maker Guangdong" Shantou SME Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition

Bronze Award in the Creative Group of the 7th "Creating Youth" Shantou Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition

1st Prize in the 2024 Changzhou Talent Program Competition in Greater Bay Area

Best Oral Presentation in the 2nd International Symposium on Food and Biotechnology Engineering 2024

1st Prize in the Poster Competition of GTIIT Environmental Protection Cultural Festival

GTIIT Culture, Sports & Arts Scholarship (2019-2020)

2nd Prize (2023) & 3rd Prize (2022) in GT Ping Pong Tournament

Research Experience: 

Published 3 papers and obtained 1 national patent

Committed to environmental action

After joining GTIIT, Yuying was surprised to find BFE was an all-encompassing program with a variety of interesting courses, which gradually planted the seed of scientific research in his mind.

During his junior year, he joined BFE Assoc. Prof. Yigal Achmon's team, becoming one of the first batch of undergraduates undertaking a research project at GTIIT. They investigated how to convert fish aquaculture residues into fertilizers for bio-soil solarization, achieving a "win-win" situation for both economic benefits and environmental protection. Based on this finding, Yuying co-authored two high-level papers published in international journals Environmental Technology & Innovation and Journal of Cleaner Production. He considered himself very fortunate to have encountered Yigal, a mentor and friend, on his initial scientific research. "I am deeply grateful to Yigal for his constant support and encouragement. I have learned so much from him, not only in research but also in life beyond the lab," he said. Encouraged by this, his passion for scientific research was further ignited, and the aim became clear - dedicating to areas that benefit sustainable development.

Since his undergraduate years, "turning waste into treasure" has remained the theme of his investigations. However, it doesn't mean a narrower scope of exploration; instead, it unlocks the door to a broader world. Focusing on his major, he took an active part in scientific research, always keeping abreast of the latest industry developments through conversations with his mentor, which is conducive to building a keen insight of related fields.

As a native of Chaoshan, Yuying extended his research "tentacles" to tea, a drinking in the everyday lives of local people, to mine the "hidden treasures" from discarded tea residues. He explained that through biorefinery technology, tea residues can be fully utilized from high value to low value. Upstream, they can be fermented to produce natural gas; mid-upstream, beneficial substances such as caffeine and tea polyphenols can be extracted; and downstream, they can be made into fertilizers to improve soil fertility. "I focus on extraction technology, especially the application of ionic liquids. Compared to traditional reagents, ionic liquids have advantages such as non-volatility and high sustainability, making them very suitable for the extraction of tea residues." The technology he adopted, "Method and Application of Ionic Liquid Extraction of Epicatechin", was granted an invention patent by the National Intellectual Property Administration.

Yuying (left 3) with Nobel Prize Laureate Prof. Dan Shechtman (left 2)

Yuying added that interdisciplinary knowledge was often required in research, "and GTIIT's emphasized foundational training helped a lot on that. Although I major in BFE program, I also got many courses in mathematics, physics, and chemistry at the undergraduate level, which might not be as common in other universities. The deeper you learn, the more you will realize how important a solid knowledge base is."

Broaden horizons in innovations

On the fertile ground of innovation and entrepreneurship at GTIIT, through unique coursework and practical support, students' fresh thinking are blossoming into reality. In the entrepreneurship course, he was first exposed to a wealth of entrepreneurial knowledge, learning about the connection between industry and academia. Inspiration for innovation and entrepreneurship was instilled in him since then.

Building on his academic background, Yuying and his teammates proposed the idea of "locust protein extraction", which could be added to health products and food to eliminate consumers' psychological barriers of consuming insect protein, thereby maximizing the commercial and nutritional value of insects. After five months of hard work and multiple rounds of roadshow, the project stood out among over 6,000 entrepreneurship projects and won the third prize in the 8th "Jinwan Cup Creating Youth" Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area.

During his graduate studies, Yuying participated in various academic conferences and industry-academia seminars, such as Asia-Pacific Biofilms Conference (2024), International Symposium on Food and Biotechnology Engineering (2020&2024), Academic Symposium on Microbial Stress Tolerance and Response (2024), Symposium on Carbon Neutrality & Green Chemical Engineering Technologies (2023), Asia-Pacific Conference on Ionic Liquids and Green Processes (2022), and Jiangsu Conference for Industry-University-Research Cooperation and Exchange (2023). In these gatherings of brilliant minds, he exchanged ideas with outstanding scholars and peers, and found more possibilities for the future of biology and food science.

Yuying gave presentations on seminars

Grow with GTIIT in different roles

Over the past eight years, Yuying's role at GTIIT underwent diverse changes. "Sitting in the classroom, we were students following the teachers and completing assignments; standing on the podium as a teaching assistant, I got the chance to view problems from an educator's angle." His learning focus also shifted from prioritizing GPA in his undergraduate studies to research-oriented exploration during his graduate journey.

"GTIIT has witnessed my growth, and I have also witnessed its rise." Now, as a Ph.D. student, he has transformed from a passive "follower" to an active "leader", guiding his juniors in their research work. "They are really fortunate. Many of them joined labs as freshmen, and some even inquire about joining research groups just days after starting university." While instructing undergraduates in the teaching labs, he particularly noted that current students possess stronger critical thinking. "They don't just do what is told; they constantly ask questions and actively communicate with us."

Yuying shared his experience at GT with high school students

This is a reflection of GTIIT's commitment to fostering students' comprehensive abilities. Yuying recalled, "From the freshman year, we were required to present our results through posters and presentations in many courses, and to answer questions from judges or audiences. This mode continued throughout the four years, not only boosting our confidence but also honing our teamwork and English communication skills."

"The resources at GTIIT are truly exceptional!" In various sharing sessions, he always attributed his growth over the past eight years to GTIIT's cultivation. He mentioned that although he studied at a local university, GTIIT brought the whole world to him, offering him countless opportunities that illuminated his journey towards dreams—participated in research and published papers as an undergraduate student, came up with an innovation and entrepreneurship project for the first time, experienced culture diversity in Israel, and attended academic forums around the world. He encouraged his juniors to make good use of GTIIT's abundant platforms and resources, turning them into nourishment for personal growth.

Text/Photos: GTIIT News & Public Affairs, Zeng Yuying