Graduates | 郑宇：唱响青春，逐梦科研
毕业生专访
Graduates
2023年，广东以色列理工学院即将迎来第三届本科毕业生。他们心怀远大梦想、扎根祖国大地、叩问知识思想、勇攀人生高峰，以奋斗之姿书写一个个“有志者”的故事，从广以走向更辽远的广阔天地。广东以色列理工学院2023届本科毕业生系列采访将带大家走近广以学子，一同放飞青春梦想。
郑宇
材料科学与工程
毕业高中：江苏省南通中学
录取院校: 密歇根大学安娜堡分校，加利福尼亚大学洛杉矶分校，哥伦比亚大学，南加利福尼亚大学、新加坡国立大学
郑宇是广东以色列理工学院2019级材料科学与工程专业的学生。“充实且高效”是他大学四年的关键词：他高度自律，除了在学业上保持优异的成绩，还加入两位老师的课题组，在大三就完成了专业论文；他热爱音乐，是学校合唱团的团长和男低声部长，积极参与每周排练。四年的努力，让他在申请中斩获近多所知名大学Offer，从广以走向更广阔的世界舞台。
目标明确，规划清晰
“我很早就有本科毕业要出国读研，继续走科研道路的想法，对以色列理工学院的名声也早有耳闻。”谈及选择广以的原因，郑宇表示，学校全英教学的环境和与国际接轨的师资都与他自身规划相匹配。在父母的支持下，他从江苏远赴广东，踏上了四年求学之旅。
来到广以之后，早已在高中时期就习惯高强度学习的郑宇很快适应了这里的生活。大学头两年他仍保持着高中时早睡早起的作息，将学业安排得满满当当。“当你习惯早起，就会发现一天中可以利用的时间有很多。既然有这么多时间，能多学一点是一点，到后期压力就会小很多。”这种“先苦后甜”的学习模式，让他在大三大四有了更多的时间规划自己的未来。
投身科研，突破自我
“由于大一大二学业繁忙，我大三才加入教授的课题组，但正是这段经历让我受益匪浅。”在导师的带领下，郑宇开始进行材料无接触表征相关领域的研究。“这段研究的重点不只在于测量材料弹性力学方面的参数，而在于如何借助视频等方式，在不接触材料的前提下得到数据。对于无法接触空气或者易燃材料，具有很大的实际意义。”在日复一日的科研中，郑宇确定了自己专业论文的方向。
郑宇(左一)和同学在实验室
“欢迎来到科学世界。”这句话让郑宇记忆犹新。“这是郑宇和他的组员利用各种软件，熬了无数夜晚，排除错误数据完成论文时，导师对他说的话。选择在大三完成论文并不是一件容易的事，在兼顾常规课程的同时还要花费大量时间在论文相关的实验中。“导师的这句话，意味着他对我们研究水平的认可，这让我觉得之前付出的一切努力都是值得的。”这段忙碌但充实的日子为郑宇的科研之路打下了基础。
大四这一年，郑宇加入了Elissaios Stavrou教授的课题组开始进行极端材料的研究，这段经历让他对材料专业有了更深的理解。“最开始我以为它更多关注的是物质的合成，但经过四年的学习和科研，材料涉及的领域远比这个多得多。除了合成，物质的表征、结构、物理特性等都是这个专业所需要掌握的。”
丰富的科研经历让郑宇在申请时显得游刃有余，在收到哥伦比亚大学、新加坡国立大学、加利福尼亚大学洛杉矶分校等多所世界著名院校抛出的“橄榄枝”后，郑宇选择到密歇根大学安娜堡分校继续进行复合材料领域的研究。
唱响青春，梦想飞扬
在学习中严于律己，在科研中精益求精，在生活中郑宇亦在自己热爱的领域发光发亮。谈及关于合唱团的点点滴滴，作为团长的他如数家珍。
(合唱团在2022年毕业典礼上表演)
郑宇在高中就是合唱团的成员，经验丰富的他在大二开始担任男低声部长。“当时合唱团的成员其实并不多，后来因为学业繁忙的原因，又有一批同学选择了退团。”在加入合唱团一年后，郑宇”临危受命“成为合唱团团长。“当时合唱团的人很少，四个声部加起来不超过20人，大家排练积极性也不高。”接手合唱团的管理后，郑宇将很多心血投入了招新工作中，并为合唱团吸纳了近20位新成员。身为团长，他同样也以身作则，除了生病或考试冲突等特殊情况，没有缺席过任何一次每周训练。“合唱是我真正热爱的领域之一，为它付出的每分每秒我都觉得很值得。“
(合唱团在进行排练)
作为即将毕业的大四学长，郑宇也分享了自己的学习经验。“一是要选择适合自己的学习模式，如果你初入大学时仍保持着高中的学习节奏，预备学期也没有感到不适应，那么这种先紧后松的学习模式会很适合你，反之就要给自己多一点适应和调整的时间。二是要重视选修课的学习，选修课同样也会计入你的总成绩，不要因为重视必修课就忽视了选修课内容的掌握。”
Graduates Interviews
Graduates
This summer, the Class of 2023 will graduate from Guangdong Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT). They have big dreams and thirst for knowledge; they keep their eyes on the stars, but feet on the ground. The young "Aspirants" grow from GTIIT to a wider world. Let's follow the interview series of the graduates from the Class of 2023 to know their stories.
Zheng Yu
Materials Science and Engineering
High School：Nantong High School
Offer: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; University of California, Los Angeles; Columbia University; University of Southern California; National University of Singapore
Zheng Yu is a student from cohort 2019 majoring in Materials Science and Engineering at GTIIT. "Fulfilling”and“efficient" are the keywords of his university life. He is highly self-disciplined. In addition to maintaining excellent academic performance, he joined two research groups and completed his graduation thesis in his junior year. Apart from his academic pursuits, he loves music and is the Head of GTIIT Chorus and its Bass Part, actively participating in weekly rehearsals. His hard work and dedication have paid off, as he got offers from many well-known universities. Undoubtedly, Zheng had a bright future.
Specific Goal, Clear Plan
"I have been determined to go abroad for postgraduate study and continue to pursue the path of scientific research since I was in high school. I have also heard about the prestigious reputation of the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology." Talking about the reasons for choosing GTIIT, Zheng Yu said that the university's English-medium teaching method and international faculty are matched with his own plans. With the support of his parents, he went to Guangdong from Jiangsu and started a four-year journey.
After coming to GTIIT, Zheng Yu, who is used to intense study in high school, quickly adapted to the study pace here. In the first two years, he still maintained his routine of going to bed early and getting up early, and arranged his study time to the full. "When you get used to getting up early, you will find that there is a lot of time available in the day. With this much time, why don’t you try to learn more so that the pressure will be much less in your senior years?" This "sweet before bitter" learning mode gave him more time to plan his future.
Devote to scientific research
Breakthrough himself
"Because of the busy coursework in the first and second year, I started to join the research groups until my junior year. But it was this experience that benefited me a lot." Under the guidance of his supervisor, Zheng Yu began his research in the field of non-contact characterization of materials. "The point of this research is not only on measuring the elastic parameters of materials, but also on how to obtain data through videos or some other ways without touching materials. It has great practical significance for materials that cannot be exposed to air or are flammable." Through the research, Zheng Yu determined the direction of his graduation thesis.
“Welcome to the world of science" is a phrase that Zheng Yu still vividly remembers. It is what his supervisor said to him after countless nights of using various software to eliminate wrong data and complete the thesis. It was not an easy feat to complete the thesis and project in the junior year. While focusing on the regular courses, Zheng Yu had to spend a lot of time on the experiments related to the thesis. "My supervisor's words showed his recognition of our research level, which made me feel that all my efforts were worthwhile." This busy but fulfilling time laid the foundation for Zheng Yu's scientific research.
In his senior year, Zheng Yu joined the research group of Associate Professor Elissaios Stavrou and began the research on extreme materials. This experience gave him a deeper understanding of the materials science. "At first I thought it was primarily focused on the synthesis of materials. But after four years of study and scientific research, I realize it is much more than this. In addition to synthesis, their characterization, structure, and physical properties are all covered in this field."
His extensive experience helps him a lot for the application. With offers from world-renowned universities such as Columbia University, National University of Singapore, and University of California, Los Angeles, Zheng Yu ultimately chose to study composite materials at the University of Michigan.
Sing aloud, Let the dream fly
Zheng Yu’s talents extend beyond study and research, as he also shines in singing. As the head of the GTIIT Chorus, he knows everything about it.
Zheng Yu was a member of the chorus in high school. His experience enabled him to be the male bass minister since his sophomore year. "At that time, there were few members in the chorus. Because of their busy schedule, more members chose to leave." After a year, Zheng Yu became the head of the chorus. "At that time, the chorus had fewer than 20 members, and they were not very enthusiastic about weekly training." Zheng Yu put a lot of efforts on it and recruited nearly 20 students to the chorus after he became the leader. He also set himself a good example. Except for special circumstances such as illness or exam conflicts, he never missed a weekly training." Chorus is one of my true passions and every minute devoted to it is valuable to me."
As a senior, Zheng Yu also shared his learning tips. "The first is to choose a learning mode that suits you. If you still maintain the learning rhythm of high school, and you don't feel uncomfortable in the preparatory semester, then this learning mode is suitable for you. Otherwise, you should give yourself more time to adapt and adjust. The second is to pay attention to the elective courses, which will also be included in your total grades. Don’t neglect elective courses and spend all your time on compulsory courses.”
推荐阅读 · 优秀毕业生专访
Graduates Interview
文：GTIIT传媒与公共事务部
图：郑宇 视频：GTIIT团委
Text: GTIIT News & Public Affairs
Photos:Zheng Yu
▲关注广东以色列理工学院，开启探索理工世界之旅