Meet Tsinghua volunteers who look forward to biodiversity

May 22 is the International Day for Biological Diversity. In Tsinghua, there are students and alumni who are interested in biodiversity and devoted to biodiversity conservation. Let's meet three Tsinghua volunteers in Tsinghua Specimen Museum.

Lin Xiying: 

Researching ways to help wildlife adapt to climate change 

“I have been enthusiastic about nature and animals since I was little,” says Lin Xiying, an alumna in the School of Life Sciences who has worked as a volunteer in the Tsinghua Specimen Museum for the past three years. 

Lin once volunteered as a tour guide of the specimen museum during the anniversary of Tsinghua University, helping students, teachers, alumni, and their visiting family members at the tiny “zoo” on campus to learn more about the animal world and their amazing diversity. “Most of the time, I took charge of the Birds and Marine Life Gallery,” says Lin.     

Inspired by her specimen museum experience, she later also joined “Beijing Flying Feather (Feiyu), a voluntary organization offering guided tours to people interested in birds. Now she can identify many birds and tell them about their species and characteristics. She says it is her love for birds and nature that has enabled her to keep exploring the animal world.

Lin’s current research concerns the protection of snow leopards in the Source of Three Rivers Area, which lies in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. 

“We study the effects of climate change on snow leopards’ habitat,” explains Lin. “We hope to find ways to improve their living environment.”

Han Zaiming: 

Adding a personal touch to the museum

Han Zaiming, an alumnus from School of Life Sciences, has been a volunteer at the Tsinghua Specimen Museum over 13 years. Han has been volunteering at the museum since his undergraduate days, making him one of the longest-serving volunteers at the museum. 

Han was fascinated by animals from a young age, constantly immersing himself in documentaries and magazines related to wildlife and nature. By the time he finished high school, he knew that he wanted to pursue his undergraduate studies in life science.

As a museum volunteer, Han has made great contributions to the museum’s improvement. When the museum opened to the public in 2009, it had two rooms of shell specimens. It was Han who put forward the proposal to display the specimens of insects and butterflies on the walls of the corridor. Han also suggested using holders instead of needles to fix specimens on the display boards, helping to protect those specimens. Later, Han himself made an insect specimen, which is also displayed at the museum. 

Although Han left the specimen museum due to his graduation, his specimen will still stay in the museum as a reminder of his contribution. 

Shen Zijie: 

Protecting biodiversity and human health

Shen Zijie, a graduate student at the School of Life Sciences, has been working as a volunteer at the Tsinghua Specimen Museum for over four years.

“When I was young, I spent my holidays at my grandparents’ home in the countryside, rich in biodiversity.” Shen said, “I could see a wide variety of insects, fishes, and plants during my time there. Later, I became highly interested in molluscs and collected shell specimens.”  

Because of his interest in biology, Shen chose life science as his major. He is curious about the molecular machines within cells, and hopes to uncover the mysteries of life. “Currently, I am part of research in Professor Ou Guang-shuo’s lab, where we mainly use genetic tools and molecular tools on the model organism, C. elegans, to study cell biology and neuron science.” Shen introduced.

Now, Shen is the leader of this volunteer team. “When I first visited the museum, I was astonished by its collection of wildlife specimens, especially the shells’.” There were many species that he had wanted to collect. After being a volunteer, he enjoyed sharing knowledge about the shells. 

“Our museum has one of the best shell collections in China.” Shen said proudly.

“One of the exciting events I was part of as a volunteer was the first exhibition of our mammal and bird specimens.” Shen recalled. “The exhibition was held to mark the University’s anniversary in 2019. The number of visitors surpassed our estimate, and we had to put much effort into maintaining order while briefing them about these specimens. It was a tiring day, but we received many positive feedbacks that made me feel worthy.”

Shen is pursuing Ph.D. degree at Tsinghua now. “I am still part of the volunteer family at the Specimen Museum and will help visitors appreciate the wonders of nature.” Shen said.

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TsinghuaRen | Meet Tsinghua volunteers who look forward to biodiversity

Writers: Wang Yilu, Wang Jingjing, Ti Zhoujie 

Editor: Liu Shutian

Designer: Xia Yifei