Many students that come to Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) chose a path that has always been clear. In Chen Ting, a recent graduate of the Department of Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering spoke about her time at SUSTech.

Chen Ting admits that she first heard of SUSTech in high school, and her family wanted her to select a university with a longer history. However, she was impressed by SUSTech’s pioneering role in reforming higher education in mainland China.

“I remember being told by a faculty member that they had discussed a project with great vigor, with the debate continuing into the evening. I found that academic atmosphere really inspiring.” When she first came to SUSTech, she found it to be as young and free as she imagined.

On arriving at SUSTech, Chen Ting was not sure about her direction, but SUSTech’s general education in the first two years allowed her to try and start to work out what she wanted to major in. By studying from a wide range of interdisciplinary subjects, she was able to find her focus, and ultimately found herself in the Department of Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering.

Chen Ting joined the Department in its earliest stages, and has seen it develop substantially since then. She joined Associate Professor Yu Peng’s research group, working side by side with other faculty members and students. She focused on the warm and productive relationship within the group, with everyone taking on a wide range of tasks. Chen Ting was particularly tasked with presenting the research group’s work, allowing her to show herself in front of others.

During the summer holiday of 2018, Chen Ting was invited to the University of Sydney to study solar chimneys. Her two months of research helped her experience a life in academia. Chen Ting said that while her research results may never be published, her research experience was invaluable. She received a recommendation and a letter of approval from her research mentor at the University of Sydney.

Chen Ting has also maintained a high level of English communication skills. Her work under the English language curriculum at SUSTech has seen her excel, scoring 7.5 out of 9, enough to apply for top universities such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and other universities in the United States.

For her future path, Chen Ting plans to be a future SUSTech faculty member. “I like to discuss problems with young people, have met many good scholars and want to pass on this love.”

She believes that education is a sacred profession, as faculty members can have an incredible influence on young people, by influencing their lives in a positive way. Chen Ting also wants to pass on an passion for scientific research, something that she has learned from SUSTech, among other things.

Chen Ting is not only an academic superstar, but a volunteer of public welfare. She was a regular blood donor throughout her time at SUSTech, and encouraged other students to become more responsive to the needs of society, by donating their time to public welfare organizations on campus.

While Chen Ting appears to have lived a busy life on campus, it is her time management and planning skills that has made sure that she was able to look after all her rich university experience. Her hard work is reflected in her receiving good and excellent grades throughout much of her time at university. She thanks SUSTech for the abundant resources on offer for her to become the scientific researcher she is today.

In her four years at SUSTech, Chen Ting has become a scientific powerhouse, up early and late to bed. She noted that she planned carefully, in order to be an efficient student and researcher. As a tenacious and self-confident woman, she acknowledges that whenever she felt challenged, she would try and solve the problems herself, before searching for more information elsewhere and finally asking others for help.

Chen Ting exudes confidence, calmness and a positive temperament. She will move on to a new world, to complete her Ph.D. at Columbia University in Biomedical Engineering.