"I'm one step closer to the Nobel Prize. " said Jiang Yuxin, a first-year undergraduate at Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology (SUAT), excitedly after face-to-face communication with German physicist and 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner Stefan Hell.

Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology (SUAT)

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On November 2,Stefan Hell visited SUAT, accompanied by President Fan Jianping, Academic Committee Director Zhao Wei, Dean of the College of Life and Health Sciences Wang Yutian, Distinguished Chair Professor Bi Guoqiang, and Executive Dean of Dawning College Liang Qingning. He learned about SUAT's construction, educational characteristics, cultivation model, faculty strength, college settings, residential college situation, etc.

Regarding SUAT's talent cultivation philosophy, especially emphasizing undergraduate participation in research training and exploring and practicing the "three academies in one" model of college, research institute, and residential college to cultivate comprehensively developed future social elites, Stefan Hell expressedstrong agreement and great anticipation for further deepening cooperation with SUAT in the future.

On the same day, first-year undergraduates from Dawning College—Peng Yuxuan and Mao Yihan—and from Yuan Geng College—Jiang Yuxin and He Yujie—also had face-to-face exchanges with Stefan Hell, asking for advice on their academic confusions, Stefan Hell's research experiences, and other issues.

"How should I balance interests in different disciplines and fields? "SUAT undergraduates attend classes from Monday to Thursday and enter laboratories for research practice on Fridays; in the first year, they rotate through laboratories in six directions: materials and energy, brain science, pharmacy, computer hardware, computer software, and synthetic biology. This made Jiang Yuxin, who easily develops interests in various disciplines and wants to try everything, a bit confused: "I've always been interested in biology, but now through Friday research practice, I've developed a strong interest in computer science, yet I have to make a choice in the second year—what should I do? "

Stefan Hell told Jiang Yuxin that he couldn't answer this question very accurately; one may need to continuously discover the most attractive field in the process of exploration. Notably, some fields that were not interesting at first may gradually reveal their charm in subsequent explorations. "Of course,interest is the best teacher."

In fact

Stefan Hell's own research journey

also started with interest and ended with passion

"I did have a strong interest in physics before, willing to study the laws of nature and explore the truths of the universe. " Stefan Hell said that later, following his teacher to a company, doing some ordinary and trivial things, researching what most people were researching, but he was not satisfied with that; he wanted to change. When most people were researching a certain field, he wanted to choose a path that others did not favor. "Then, by chance, I discovered some researchable aspects in the field of microscopy and developed an interest in it. So, I resolutely decided to change my choice. "

Stefan Hell told the studentsnot to blindly follow the majority's pace but to find the direction they love,even if questioned in the process, to maintain firm confidence and continue forward. Initially, when choosing to research STED super-resolution microscopy, although encountering some technical difficulties, he was convinced his concept was correct; this belief made him trust that solutions could be found, which is why he could ignore doubts and ultimately succeed.

Event Ended

Students shared one after another

their experiences and insights

The most intuitive feeling is that I'm one step closer to the Nobel Prize! Passion for science and pursuit of truth are the driving forces behind Prof. Stefan W. Hell's persistent research. We gathered at SUAT precisely because of passion, fortunate to exchange and learn with Professor Hell, which made me deeply realize that as a scientist, one must not only have the courage to explore the unknown but also the perseverance not to give up when facing challenges and failures.

— Yuan Geng College Jiang Yuxin

Through communication with Prof. Stefan W. Hell, I learned not to be confined to popular choices but to dare to take a different path, even if misunderstood or disliked by most people. This also inspired me to cultivate critical thinking in learning, strive to discover different problems that seem unrelated to my main work, question views that everyone takes for granted but may be incorrect, and persist. In this way, we will eventually make new discoveries.

— Dawning College Peng Yuxuan

Professor Hell's humor and rigorous attitude toward research impressed me deeply. Even facing others' doubts and the hardships of the research process, he still holds passion for his chosen field, persevering toward his goals, breaking conventions, exploring the unknown, and continuously innovating—very worthy of our learning.

— Yuan Geng College He Yujie

Professor Hell's persistence and unique perspective made me understand that even facing doubts, one must bravely pursue the direction recognized by the heart; true innovation often requires courage to do what others dare not or are unwilling to do. Professor Hell's experiences inspire me to dare break conventions in future research and pursue my own unique insights.

— Dawning College Mao Yihan

In the future, SUAT will continuously invite high-level talents from home and abroad to visit and exchange, providing more opportunities for undergraduates to have face-to-face communication and learning with them.