Graduates | 吴作栋：把握当下，圆梦加州

白驹过隙，又一届毕业生即将奔赴各自人生的星辰大海。四年点滴交织闪耀，光亮照向浩瀚征途。广东以色列理工学院2018级本科毕业生系列采访将带大家走进广以学子们的故事，回忆往昔峥嵘岁月，共盼未来似锦前程。

本期我们将与大家分享材料科学与工程专业毕业生吴作栋的故事。

Graduates Interview

吴作栋在广以的四年可以用“Work hard, play hard”概括：成绩优异，奖学金和录取书双丰收；生活丰富，学业和爱好相平衡。回首大学时光，他认为，这四年的成长与收获离不开自身努力和学校的支持。

Wu Zuodong

吴作栋

本科专业：材料科学与工程

毕业高中：汕头市金山中学

录取院校

加利福尼亚大学洛杉矶分校，康奈尔大学，杜克大学，卡内基·梅隆大学，华盛顿大学，帝国理工学院，南洋理工大学，新加坡国立大学

获得奖项

4年校长奖学金二等奖，2019、2021年获院长嘉许名单

1

广以的独特魅力

“我是土生土长的汕头人，2017年就已经有了来广以的想法，后来高考分数也符合。”作栋认为，虽然学校在汕头，但资源和机会都很多，“就像在海法（以色列理工学院本部）读书一样”，并没有让他的眼界变狭隘。“广以会提供许多科研机会，喜欢什么方向就去找教授，他们都很欢迎你进组学习。”他大三时在广以材料科学与工程系谢作提教授的实验组，参与了“用共晶镓铟合金作为顶电极测量分子自组装薄膜的电学性质”课题。

吴作栋在实验室光刻间

广以配备世界一流的实验室，是本科生学术训练的课堂。吴作栋认为，“学校的科研环境和资金支持给我们提供了试错的机会。老师也鼓励我们自己去探索。比如在谢老师组里的时候，他不会一上来就告诉我实验的步骤，而是给出大概的方向，让我自己去摸索。”在广以，他还养成了自主学习能力，提升了“搜商”，遇到问题先自己找答案。

此外，全英教学的环境也给他带来“意外惊喜”。他曾因自己英语发音不好而自卑，但来广以后发现，语言其实就是沟通的工具，老师们来自不同地方，口音风格迥异，但这并不影响课堂交流。“现在我最大的变化是不会因为口音而不敢去表达。”他开玩笑道，“我也想通了，我连普通话都讲的不是特别好，英语有口音也并不奇怪！”

2

找到学习和生活的平衡点

作栋给自己定的目标是：学习保持优秀，过喜欢的生活。为此，他找到了一套适合自己的方法：克服拖延症和延迟满足。“我拿到一个作业就立马开始做，一边做一边回顾上课的内容，把知识点记下来。一般一两天就能搞定，剩下的时间就好好玩，没有心理负担。”

好友形容他“比成绩好的学生更爱玩，比爱玩的学生成绩更好一点”。大一下学期是吴作栋记忆最深刻的时候，他在保持GPA90分以上的同时，争取出时间去长沙、上海、香港游玩、看演唱会，做自己想做的事情。

作栋也热心帮助他人。他曾担任2019级朋辈导师（Peer Mentor），在学弟学妹入学后带他们熟悉校园环境，解答疑问。“我喜欢尽自己一份力帮助别人，希望大家能少走弯路，在学校的生活更顺利一点。”

3

圆梦加州

“如果不是广以这个平台，我申研也不会这么顺利。”

吴作栋一直有去加州的梦想，洛杉矶这座国际大城市汇聚着他喜欢的元素——十一二岁时开始看球便喜欢的球员詹姆斯正在洛杉矶为湖人队效力；喜欢的歌手贾斯丁·比伯、波兹·马龙曾在洛杉矶开演唱会；喜欢看海边的日落，这座西部城市的落日让他向往着迷。在明确的目标指引下，吴作栋凭借着努力和自律顺利申请到加利福尼亚大学洛杉矶分校（UCLA），圆梦加州。

临近毕业，吴作栋有些不舍，在汕头生活了二十多年，未来要去往全美第二大城市，不知道自己能否适应好。但他也知道，成长就是要走出舒适区。他在UCLA将深耕电子材料方向。“我对环保很感兴趣，未来想从事能源相关方向的研究，比如光伏电池。如果能通过研究提升光伏电池的效率和稳定性，扩大光伏材料的应用场景，减少火电的发电量和使用量，也算是为环保出了一份力。”

“You only live once”是他的座右铭，是他四年大学生活的写照，也是他对未来的期待。圆梦加州为吴作栋的大学生活画上圆满句点，也开启了全新的探索之旅。未来他将奔赴更广阔的天地，继续追逐自己的热爱。

Time flies and the second cohort of students are going to graduate from Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT) this year. We will present a series of interviews with the graduates from the Class of 2022, to show their stories at GTIIT in the past four years.

Here is the story of Wu Zuodong, a student of the Class of 2022 from the Materials Science and Engineering Program.

Graduates Interview

Wu Zuodong describes his four years in GTIIT as “work hard, play hard” – being an excellent student, he won scholarships and dream offers; full of life experiences, he balanced well between work and life. 

吴作栋

Wu Zuodong

Program: Materials Science and Engineering

High School: Shantou Jinshan High School

Received offers from: 

UCLA, Cornell University, Duke University, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Washington, Imperial College University, Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore

Awards: 

Academic Excellence Scholarship, Dean's List

1

Uniqueness of GTIIT

“I am a local resident in Shantou. Back in 2017, I knew the university, and a year later, I became a GTer.” Wu Zuodong says that studying at GTIIT feels like studying in Haifa (where the Technion locates), which has brought him plenty of resources and opportunities. “GTIIT provides us with places to research in professors' teams. There are many research opportunities available here, so just go to ask the professors in whatever direction you like. They always welcome studious students.” In his junior year, Wu joined the project “Monolayer preparation and I-V Characterization with EGaIn top contact” in the molecular electronic group of Prof. Xie Zuoti from GTIIT Materials Science and Engineering Department.

Wu Zuodong in the lab

Sophisticated and advanced instruments equipped in GTIIT labs are helpful to train students with experimental knowledge and skills. Wu says, “our university's research environment and support give us the opportunity for trial and error. Teachers also encourage us to explore on our own. For example, when I was in Prof. Xie's group, he would not tell me the answer directly, but would instead give me the general direction and let me figure it out by myself.” He has also improved his “searching intelligence”, being able to find answers to questions independently.

Moreover, English-medium teaching brings him a serendipitous discovery. He used to feel unconfident with his English pronunciation. But when he came to GTIIT, he found that language is actually a tool for communication – here we have teachers from different places, with different accents, but this does not affect communication in class. “The biggest change for me now is that I'm no longer afraid to express myself,” he jokes, “I even have an accent speaking Mandarin! Then why should I care that much about my English pronunciation?”

2

Work-life Balance

Zuodong sets himself the goal of staying good in his studies and living the life he likes. Thus, he developed a method that works for him: overcoming procrastination and delayed gratification. “When I get an assignment, I will do it right now, reviewing what I have learned at the same time. When they are all done, mostly in a day or two, I will spend the rest of time for myself, without feeling guilty.”

The first semester of his freshman year was the most memorable time for Wu Zuodong, as he was able to maintain a GPA higher than 90 while finding time to travel around Changsha, Shanghai and Hongkong.

Wu is also very helpful. He was the peer mentor of cohort 2019, leading junior students around the campus and answering questions regarding orientation and adjustment. “I'd like to help others avoid the wrong path and live a happy life in GTIIT.”

3

Dream Comes True

“Without GTIIT, I may not be able to receive offers from top schools.”

Wu has always dreamed of going to California, and Los Angeles, the big international city, brings together the elements he likes - his favorite basketball player, LeBron James, is playing for the Lakers in Los Angeles; his favorite singers Justin Bieber and Post Malone had concerts there, too; he loves the sunset by the sea, and the one of this western city fascinates him. With a clear goal in mind, he successfully applied to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with hard work and self-discipline, fulfilling his dream.

As graduation approaches, Wu is unsure whether he would be able to adjust to life in the United States' second-largest city after living in Shantou for more than 20 years. But he also knows that growing up entails stepping outside of one's comfort zone. He will study electronic materials at UCLA. "I'm interested in environmental protection, and in the future, I want to pursue research in energy-related areas, such as photovoltaic cells; if I can improve the efficiency and stability of photovoltaic cells through research, expand the application scenarios of photovoltaic materials, and reduce the amount of power generated and used by thermal power, it will be considered a contribution to environmental protection."

“You only live once” is his motto, as well as his expectation for the future. His dream comes true in California and will start a new journey there, pursuing his passion.

推荐阅读 · 优秀毕业生专访

Graduate Interview

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文：GTIIT传媒与公共事务部

图：GTIIT传媒与公共事务部、吴作栋

Text: GTIIT News & Public Affairs

Photos: GTIIT News & Public Affairs, Wu Zuodong

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