On the afternoon of March 22nd, Shanghai Jiao Tong University GIFT Future Scholar Program Exhibition and Communication Meeting was held in Pao Yue-Kong Library. Jingyi Wu, deputy director of the Academic Affairs Committee of SJTU and dean of the College of Education; Xuejun Chen, deputy director of Xishan District Science and Technology Bureau; Xiangqi Meng, deputy director of the Student Affairs Office of SJTU; Yuerong Tong, deputy director of the Academic Affairs Office of SJTU; Dingjian Ye, deputy director of University Scientific Research Institute of Scholar Development and Achievement Division; Chong Wang, deputy party secretary of Joint Institute; Jun Ni, deputy director of the Academic Affairs Committee of SJTU and dean of GIFT; Tianshu Ge, party secretary; Sun Jin, executive dean; Haibo Han, deputy party secretary; Jingchuan Wang, Weiliang Xia, vice dean; and all teachers and students participating in GIFT Scholar Program attended the event. The meeting was chaired by Tianshu Ge.
Jingyi Wu addressed the meeting on the behalf of the school. She said that, since its launch in 2023, the GIFT Future Scholar Program has been committed to cultivating leaders in science, technology and innovation, and has attracted the enthusiastic participation of nearly 100 students from more than ten colleges, and has achieved a number of outstanding results. She expressed her hope for the program to keep the developing, and cultivate excellence to start a new journey.
Haibo Han gave a report on the development of the GIFT Future Students Program. He introduced in detail the organizational structure, project funding and incentive mechanism of the program, and reviewed the establishment of the first two phases and the results achieved.
Xuejun Chen read out the list of students in the third phase of the project. Xiangqi Meng, Yuerong Tong, Dingjian Ye and Chong Wang awarded the project certificates to the students.
As the supervisors' representative of GIFT Future Scholar Program, Yujun Xie delivered a speech. He shared with us his experience of participating in the undergraduate research project, emphasizing the importance of this experience for personal growth. He expects that GIFT Future Scholar Program can attract more excellent students and promote the implementation of scientific research achievements.
Second phase students' representative, Yanjie Huang, and the third phase students' representative, Yuen Luo, delivered their speeches. Yanjie Huang shared with us his own experience of participating in RNA design and directed evolution research in Professor Shuangjia Zheng's group. He expressed heartfelt thanks to the institute and the supervisor for their support, and looked forward to more Jiao Tong University students shining on the academic stage. Yuen Luo shared her research insights in the past six months since she joined the Future Scholar Program and said that she will continue to promote the program and strive to contribute to the advancement of science and technology.
Jun Ni delivered a concluding speech. He pointed out that Future Scholar Program helps students to find the direction they are interested in and creates opportunities for them to learn about cutting-edge fields. Starting from the GIFT's orientation, he introduced institute's innovative initiatives for the talent cultivation. The institute established two undergraduate majors “Sustainable Energy Resources” and “Science and Technology of Health”, which are first of this kind in the whole country, and, in cooperation with the Medical School, explores “4+4+X” medical-engineering cross-undergraduate-doctoral MD+PhD dual-degree doctoral program. The institute has established an undergraduate, master's and doctoral training system that is student-centered and oriented towards the cultivation of excellent abilities. It is committed to breaking down learning boundaries, disciplinary boundaries, and school boundaries, exploring innovative educational models that integrate science and education, industry and education, and interdisciplinary disciplines, and cultivating more strategic and international scientific and technological leaders for future industries.
GIFT Future Scholar Program is a scientific research literacy training program for undergraduate students at Jiao Tong University. The initiative is supported by the People's Government of Xishan District, Wuxi City, and addresses topics of interest to students in areas such as future energy, future health, and the convergence of artificial intelligence. Under the guidance of a team of mentors from different professional backgrounds, we focus on the key scientific and technological issues, carry out interest-driven project research, continuously consolidate the knowledge base of active learning, and stimulate the intrinsic interest in scientific research and academic aspirations. Students can explore research with top professors, develop independent learning and interdisciplinary knowledge transfer ability in the program practice, and lay a solid foundation for their future academic career and professional development.
