Graduates | 唐绍凯：青春无限好，奋发正当时
流年似水，岁月如歌。今年六月，广东以色列理工学院即将迎来首届毕业生。广以2017级本科毕业生系列采访将带大家一同聆听这四年来学生们与广以的故事，共同见证广以学子们的成长。今天分享的是材料科学与工程专业毕业生唐绍凯的故事。
姓名：唐绍凯
本科专业：材料科学与工程
毕业高中：河南省长葛市第一高级中学
唐绍凯，一个阳光开朗的大男孩，在校内外丰富多彩的活动中总能看到他积极忙碌的身影。第四届全国“互联网+”大学生创新创业大赛广东省优胜奖、校长奖学金、课外奖学金-领袖奖、优秀共青团员、优秀社团奖学金、传媒优秀奖······大学四年，唐绍凯脚踏实地将一份份荣誉收入囊中，督促自己追求更高更远的目标。在收到以色列理工学院、伯明翰大学发出的研究生录取通知书之后，他最终决定赴伯明翰大学继续深造，攻读材料科学相关专业研究型硕士学位。翩翩少年，未来可期！
良师益友是认识世界的另一扇大门
“四年前，我了解到广以是一所理工科大学，我觉得这样的学校会更加专注科研和应用，会投入更多的资源去做研究；加上广以开设的专业都是以色列理工学院的强项专业，光是这两点就足够吸引我了！”唐绍凯表示，选择广以的原因不胜枚举——全英教学和中外合作办学的模式能为出国深造打好基础；广以作为一所新学校，会给学生提供更多展示自我的机会；犹太文化有很多值得学习的地方；学校提供的奖学金非常丰厚······“回想起四年前的选择，我觉得自己的眼光挺不错的，当时选择广以的初衷都实现了！”
唐绍凯表示，在广以国际化的校园中，自己不仅能学到丰富前沿的专业知识，还能通过来自世界各地的老师了解不同国家和地区的生活与文化，在各种主题研讨会和大师讲座里寻找未来的可能性。老师们对工作和生活的热情也对他产生深刻的影响。“Fabian Rios 老师是高分子材料的专家，他非常热爱他的工作。课堂上他是深受大家喜爱的优秀教师，课下他是我们幽默的‘戏精朋友’。曾是以色列橄榄球国家队教练的他看起来非常强壮，我们一起搭档组建广以的橄榄球俱乐部。我们一起聊美食、聊生活，一起开玩笑，他也会很真诚地与我们分享他的人生哲理。”
延伸阅读：Speech｜广以师说：努力做一个大写的人，一个不停歇的攀登者
“广以是一所包容多元的大学，老师鼓励我们问问题，师生之间共同讨论议题，分享观点，教学相长。课堂中我们能随时打断和质疑老师，课后老师们也很重视我们的反馈和建议。在进行小组的课题研究时，我们甚至会争论起来。哪怕是在社团的沙龙活动中，同学们也能踊跃地表达自己的观点。在Constance Van Horne博士主讲的高阶讨论课中，每位同学都能自选主题，领导一场课堂讨论。我们讨论过大数据与个人隐私、网络安全等科技话题，也讨论过工作地点、居住方式、种族歧视等社会议题。大家不同的观点总能带给我新的思考。”
唐绍凯觉得自己很幸运，能在广以结识到那么多值得信赖的伙伴，在这四年的时光里与之并肩战斗，分享快乐。“同学们身上的闪光点一直在感染着我，很开心我们曾一起分享经历、畅想未来。希望我们以后即使遇到困难和迷茫也能披荆斩棘、勇往直前。江湖再见之时，希望能再次听到你们叫我一声‘绍凯’。”
跨界追梦
让青春更精彩大一下学期，唐绍凯在老师的推荐下参加了被称为“学生的诺贝尔奖”的“霍特奖”大湾区创新挑战赛。从最初抱着试一试的心态，到收获决赛“入场券”的意外之喜，能在全球领先的⾼校创业创新平台上与来自粤港澳大湾区众多高校的优秀学生同台较量，这对唐绍凯来说实属“高光时刻”。
“在上百人的现场做英文演讲是一个不小的挑战。不过在那之前，得益于广以全英文的教学环境，我在学校已经有过很多英文演讲经验，这给了我很大的信心，让我们能够把更多的精力放在方案完善上。初赛时，老师们的认可让我们深受鼓舞。”虽然后来与奖项失之交臂，但这次参赛的经历，给了唐绍凯更大的动力去探索创新和创业。“那是我第一次试着用商业的眼光去分析问题，思考解决方案。我学会从不同的视角去了解、分析问题，从不同的途径学习和提高自己，我也由此对于创新创业有了更深的理解。学校也非常鼓励我们创新创业，为我们提供了很多的资源、支持和建议。”
大学期间，在兼顾好课业的同时，唐绍凯还积极投身于志愿活动。大一下学期的周末，唐绍凯在学校青年志愿者协会的组织下参加光华小学支教活动。“第一次站在讲台上，给五六年级的小朋友上英语课的感觉还挺神奇的。每个孩子的理解能力和性格不同，单独辅导是很有必要的。我需要非常耐心地去了解他们的内心世界，我也把自己记单词的方法教给他们，帮助他们更好地理解。在他们身上我仿佛看到了小时候的自己，在老师们的引导下好奇地探索知识。教师真的是很伟大的职业。”水滴虽小，也能折射阳光。唐绍凯希望能通过自己的微薄之力，把自己曾经从老师们身上学到的知识传递给小朋友们。“志愿者的工作让我在自我成长的同时也承担着社会责任，是一件非常有意义的事。”
音乐、篮球和旅行是唐绍凯自我调节的“三大法宝”。“音乐对我来说是种陪伴，尤其是在一个人学习的时候能让我静下心来。我喜欢在晴朗的天气一个人去篮球场练球，阳光和篮球可以让我忘却压力。在我感到压抑或者迷茫的时候，去到云南和大西北这样的地方，可以抛下烦恼，感受不同的生活，发现不期而遇的美好，这也是一种探索人文的方式。”在唐绍凯看来，压力和孤独是成长必经之路。他希望学弟学妹们可以积极参加校园活动，多尝试新事物，在生活中找到自己的热爱，发现自己的心灵乐园。
破茧成蝶不负时光所期
唐绍凯表示，材料科学与工程专业让他学到非常实用的课程知识。“材料的微观结构和表征这门必修课让我学会检查材料微观形貌必须要用到的各类仪器的原理。掌握了这些内容，课题组的工作和实验课操作这些仪器的难度就降低了许多。当材料专业不同课程里的知识或者小课题可以结合起来时，会节省很多时间。我尝试把课程内的知识同工业里的应用场景联系起来，发现了许多乐趣。”
大学期间，唐绍凯也参与到科研项目中，积累课堂之外的实践经验。“我加入谭启教授关于‘优质介电纳米复合材料的加工与测试’的科研项目中。在这段科研经历中我学习到了很多介电材料的知识以及它们在工业中的应用。实验的过程让我掌握了很多科研技能，包括阅读文献、设计实验、使用仪器、测试和检验材料、处理数据和思考问题的方式等等。我也向课题组的前辈们学习了不少实践知识，获得了很多课堂之外的经验。我还以共同一作的身份发表了一篇期刊论文。”
果敢而坚韧，迷茫成光芒——唐绍凯这样形容自己的大学生涯。“‘答案’是我2020年的关键词，那时迷茫的我想为毕业后的生活和未来的发展方向找到答案。在疫情期间，我的压力挺大的，那时候本应决定好毕业后的去向，但当时自己对于读研的学校和方向还没有明晰的计划。我明白这是非常重要的事情，所以做决定时有很大的心理负担。很感谢我的老爸老妈，他们给了我很大的支持和勇气去做自己的选择。”
在各种材料分支中，唐绍凯对陶瓷材料“情有独钟”。他搜索行业的发展方向，了解各种陶瓷材料的应用和前沿的学术研究，通过学习陶瓷材料在学术、科研、技术、应用等各方面的资料，逐步精确自己未来深造的范围。“我觉得先进陶瓷领域相比于传统陶瓷材料有更多的机会。通过一系列的资料搜索，我把目标锁定在超高温陶瓷材料。追求材料的极限也是一件很有挑战的事情，超高温陶瓷材料的应用温度可以超过2500摄氏度，可以应用在很多极端条件下。有了大概的方向后，我继续阅读文献，发现这项研究的内容和它使用的分析手段与自己在广以学到的知识相当契合。最终，我决定在超高温陶瓷材料领域继续深造。”
大学四年，唐绍凯不断督促自己变得更加果断和勇敢，而这份勇气也将伴随他实现更高的目标。“我觉得成长是很迷茫的，每次面临多个选择的时候，我都会存在患得患失的心态。但假如经历了大学的迷茫后，自己能变得更加成熟，那么这些经历都将成为自己的闪光点。我希望每年都可以实现我给自己定下的关键词，也希望未来可以把自己在专业内学习到的知识转化为工业成果进行应用，完成创新和创业这个梦想。”
更多广以毕业生的故事：
Graduates | 黄欣怡：在广以成为更好的自己
Graduates | 岑致诺：逐梦广以，上限无限
Graduates | 陈嘉杭：结缘广以，爱我所爱
This June, the first cohort students will graduate from Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. The series of interviews with the graduates from Class 2021 will show their stories with GTIIT in the past four years.
Here is the story about Tang Shaokai, a student of Class 2021 from Materials Science and Engineering Program.
Name: Tang Shaokai
High school: Changge First Senior High School, Henan Province
Program: Materials Science and Engineering
During the four years at GTIIT, Tang Shaokai has received lots of honors- Excellent Award in the 4th National College Students' “Internet+” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition in Guangdong Province, GTIIT Chancellor's Scholarship, GTIIT Extracurricular Scholarship, Excellent Communist Youth League Member, GTIIT Excellent Student Association Scholarship, GTIIT Outstanding Student Journalist. These honors have become the driving force for him to pursue higher goals. After receiving the offers of material-related programs from Israel Institute of Technology and the University of Birmingham, Tang Shaokai finally decided to pursue his master degree in Science and Engineering of Materials in the University of Birmingham.
Know the world from different perspectives
“Four years ago, I learned that GTIIT was a university provided all science and technology programs. I thought such a university would focus more on scientific research and devote more resources to it. In addition, the programs offered by GTIIT are the prestigious programs at Israel Institute of Technology. These advantages are enough to attract me!” According to Tang Shaokai, there are numerous reasons to choose to study at GTIIT. Firstly, the English teaching environment and Sino-foreign cooperative education model can lay a solid foundation for studying abroad. Secondly, as a new university, GTIIT will provide students with more chances to show themselves. Moreover, there is much to learn about Jewish culture. Most importantly, the scholarship offered by GTIIT is very generous... “Looking back on my choice four years ago, I think I make the correct decision. I have realized my goals at GTIIT.”
Tang Shaokai said that in such an international campus, he could learn a wealth of cutting-edge professional knowledge, learn about the cultures of different countries and regions through teachers from all over the world, and look for possibilities in seminars and lectures on various topics. The positive attitudes towards work and life of teachers also had a great influence on him.
“My teacher Fabian Rios is an expert in polymer materials and he really loves his job as a teacher. He is an excellent teacher in class and he often shares his experiences, interesting life and jokes with us outside class. We see him as an interesting friend. He used to be the coach of the national rugby team of Israel, and now we team up to form a rugby club at GTIIT.”
Related reading: Speech｜广以师说：努力做一个大写的人，一个不停歇的攀登者
“GTIIT is an open and diverse university. We are encouraged to ask questions. Students and teachers share ideas and learn from each other. In class, we can interrupt and question our teachers at any time. After class, teachers take great importance to our feedback and suggestions. We even had arguments when we were doing group projects.” Tang Shaokai recalled Advanced Discussion given by Dr. Constance Van Horne. “In that class, everyone would have a chance to lead the class discussion on a topic of their choice. We discussed big data, personal privacy, cyber security and other technological topics. We also discussed social issues such as workplace, living modes and racial discrimination. The different points of view always give me new ideas.”
Tang Shaokai felt very lucky to have met so many trustworthy friends at GTIIT. During the four years, they studied and lived together, helped each other, exchanged different points of view, and made progress together in cooperation. “The shining points of my classmates have been touching me all the time. I am very happy that we have shared experiences and imagined the future together. I wish we could overcome difficulties and confusion and move forward bravely in the future, and I hope to hear you call my name again when we meet next time.”
Experience more in the wonderful time
“Try everything” was the first key word Tang Shaokai set for himself in his freshman year.
In the second semester of his freshman year, Tang Shaokai was recommended by his teacher to participate in the Hult Prize Greater Bay Area Innovation Challenge, which is known as the “Nobel Prize for Students”. He just wanted to have a try at first, and didn’t expect that he could enter the final competition. It was really an unforgettable experience for Tang Shaokai to compete with the outstanding students from many universities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area on the world leading entrepreneurship and innovation platform for university students.
“Making a speech in English in front of hundreds of people is quite a challenge. But before that, thanks to the English teaching environment at GTIIT, I had already had a lot of experience speaking in English at campus, which gave me a lot of confidence to do better on the improvement of the proposal. In the preliminary competition, we were greatly encouraged by the teachers' recognition.” Although he missed out on the award finally, this experience gave him greater motivation to explore innovation and entrepreneurship. “That was the first time I tried to analyze a problem and come up with a solution from a business perspective. The competition taught me to understand and analyze problems from different perspectives and improve myself from different ways. I also have a deeper understanding of innovation and entrepreneurship. We are encouraged to try something new in entrepreneurship and innovation at GTIIT, and a lot of resources, supports and advice are provided to us.”
Listening to music, playing basketball and travelling are three important ways for Tang Shaokai to relax himself. “Music is a kind of company for me, especially when I'm studying and it can calm me down. I like playing basketball alone on a sunny day. Sunshine and basketball help me forget the pressure. When I feel depressed or confused, I will go to places like Yunnan Province and Northwest China, where I can leave my worries behind, experience different lives and cultures and discover something unexpected.” In Tang Shaokai’s opinion, pressure and loneliness are common on the way of growing up. He hopes that the juniors can take an active part in campus activities, try new things and find their own love in life.
During the four years, Tang Shaokai not only studied hard, but also actively devoted himself to volunteer activities. On the weekend of the second semester of freshman year, Tang Shaokai participated in the volunteer teaching activity in Guanghua Primary School organized by GTIIT Youth Volunteers Association. “It was my first time to take the role as a teacher to give English classes to children from Grade 5 to 6. I found that the understanding abilities and personalities were different from each other, so it was necessary to have tutorials. I needed to be very patient to understand their inner world. I also told them my own way of memorizing words to help them better understand. I seem to see my own childhood from the children, exploring knowledge curiously under the guidance of teachers.” Tang Shaokai hopes to pass on the knowledge he has learned from his teachers to the children through his efforts. “Volunteer activities enables me to take social responsibilities. It is very meaningful.”
For Tang Shaokai, the four years at GTIIT are not only a crucial period for him to accumulate professional knowledge, but also a wonderful time for him to try new things he interested in. Participating in the 4th National College Students' “Internet+” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition and the Hult Prize Greater Bay Area Innovation Challenge; being the first leader of the PR department of GTIIT Association of Commercial Entrepreneurs; participating in the various volunteer activities, such as volunteer teaching, volunteer of the Asian Science Camp and blood donation activity; being the host of Campus Open Day and charity concert; making countless projects and speeches in class; traveling…… “University life is the happiest life. Just do what you want to do bravely. I am so glad that I have had the opportunity to do what I am interested in for the past four years and have a lot of wonderful memories.” Said Tang Shaokai.
Confirm my love after exploring
Tang Shaokai said that the practical curriculum of Materials Science and Engineering Program helped him learn a lot. “The required course Microstructure and Characterization of Materials enables me to learn the principles of various instruments that must be used to check the microscopic morphology of materials. Having mastered these contents, the difficulty of research projects and the operation of these instruments in lab will be reduced. A lot of time can be saved when knowledge from different courses or small topics can be combined. I found a lot of fun when I tried to relate what I learned in class to the application in industry."
Over the past four years, Tang Shaokai has participated in scientific research projects to gain more practical experience. "I joined Prof. Daniel Tan's research project on ‘Processing and testing of superior dielectric nanocomposites’. This scientific research experience helped me expand professional knowledge and master research skills, including literature review, designing experiments, using instruments, testing and checking materials, processing data and so on. I also learned a lot from my seniors in the lab and gained a lot of experience outside the classroom, and published a journal paper as a co-author."
“‘Answer’ was my key word in 2020. At that time, I was confused and wanted to find the answer for my future development after graduation. I felt under a lot of pressure due to the pandemic situation. At that time, I should have decided what I wanted to do after graduation, but I didn't have a clear plan about that. I knew that was a very important thing, so I feel stressed out when I made the decision. I was very grateful to my parents. They gave me great support and courage to make my own choice.”
Among all kinds of material branches, Tang Shaokai has a preference for ceramic materials. He searched for the development direction of the industry and learned about the applications of various ceramic materials and cutting-edge academic research. Gradually, he narrowed down the scope of the direction for his future study. "I think there are more opportunities in the advanced ceramics field than in traditional ceramic materials. I focused on ultra-high temperature ceramic materials through a series of information search. It is challenging to pursue the limits of materials. Ultra-high temperature ceramics can be used in temperatures over 2500℃ and many extreme conditions. After I had a general direction, I continued the literature review and found that the content of this research and the analytical methods used in it were quite consistent with the knowledge I had learned at GTIIT. Finally, I decided to pursue further study in the field of ultra-high temperature ceramics."
During the four years at GTIIT, Tang Shaokai constantly urged himself to be more decisive and brave, and this courage will help him achieve higher goals. “I think growing up is confusing. Every time I have multiple choices, I would be swayed by the considerations of gain and loss. But if you can become more mature after experiencing the confusion, then these experiences will turn to be your shining points. I hope I can achieve the key words I set for myself every year, transfer what I have learned into industrial application and achieve my dream of innovation and entrepreneurship in the future.”
More stories about GTIIT Class 2021 graduates:
Graduates | 黄欣怡：在广以成为更好的自己
Graduates | 岑致诺：逐梦广以，上限无限
Graduates | 陈嘉杭：结缘广以，爱我所爱
文：GTIIT传媒与公共事务部
图：唐绍凯、GTIIT传媒与公共事务部
Text: GTIIT News & Public Affairs
Photos: Tang Shaokai, GTIIT News & Public Affairs