AXHUers Engage With Public Affairs Series

Connection and Conversation with AXHU Alumni: Past, Present and Future

 

 

Those figures of excellence weathered through years of creating knowledge;

Zooming in their footprints just in time for AXHU 2023 commencement,

AXHU is credited the “starter” of younger academics in its collaborative community,

Marking their new breakthroughs on the track.

 

 

Editor’s pick:

 

 

SI Gui-fu司桂福, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at USTC

— “To get involved in defining career matters.”

 

 

Today, let’s share his story.

 

 

Bio

Born in the city of Luan, Anhui Province, SI Gui-fu司桂福(hereinafter, Fu), AXHU alumnus, Communist Party of China (CPC) member, three-time recipient of AXHU Scholarship, received his bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Engineering at AXHU School of Pharmacy in 2013, master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at Anhui University of Chinese Medicine (AHUCM) in 2016, and doctoral degree in Polymeric Chemistry and Physics at University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in 2022, and is now serving as the research fellow at the USTC post-doctoral research center (HEFEI NATIONAL LABORATORY FOR PHYSICAL SCIENCES AT THE MICROSCALE). Eminently, Fu is named the 2016 Pharmacy Class Board member of AHUCM’s Graduate School CPC Committee and awarded its “Outstanding CPC Member,” and at USTC, he serves as both the deputy secretary (Class of 2022) and Discipline Inspection Board member of USTC’s Graduate School CPC Committee and is also honored with its “Outstanding CPC Member,” and gains the Kwang-Hua Scholarship, as well as wins the Excellence in Poster Design Award at 2021 National Polymer Science Annual Meeting and the Brilliance in Oral Presentation Award at the first “Tang Aoqing” Doctoral Academic Forum.

 

 

AXHU Community, South Dashushan Mountain,

—The sun shines warm and bright!

 

Today, a few of early-careers are likely to make excuses for personal failures—flagging down, or even giving up,—in front of hurdles on the “arena” on their first day, ‘since the gifted talent or professional elites enjoy unmatched priorities in the real world... .’ For such paradoxical argumentation aforesaid, Fu returns in this in-person interview, “‘Oh, this and that’ mentioned above—, Our students, having equality in education and social opportunities in the new era, should think out of the box and diminish the negative mindset as much/quickly as possible, and the consistent, step-by-step, down-to-earth efforts you do exercise for a better workout can bridge gap and pave the way for a bigger world.”

 

Obviously, the whole of Fu’s first-year study lays a solid foundation for the rest of his life in all aspects. The AXHU School of Pharmacy does its utmost to create a beneficent environment of building success, in which the students can keep up a momentum of self-paced, self-initiated and self-motivated academic pursuit. He recollects in passion, “Ms. XU Ming-yue (then-appointed mentor), a dedicated educator, whose family-like care, selfless support and competent instructions to the students’ academic progression and campus living ensure a promising future of all the class, impresses us deeply. Several years later, with the spirit and attitude of the AXHU’s model staff, the alumni are still moved to clinch the next success in the best days of their time.

 

At AXHU, Fu has had developed an exceptionally application-based capacity. During that, he indulges himself in not only the theoretical research under the guidance of the faculty’s specialism and their new findings in chemical sciences, but also experimental innovation at laboratory or real-time solution in the field work. The reason why he always succeeds in the final examination, course(s) evaluation or research outcomes every semester arises from his day-on-day unparalleled toil in study area. “The college students should comprehensively tap into a trove of academic resources and establish interdisciplinary networks, while studying at the institution of higher learning,” Fu puts forth. “One-Size-Fits-All + Once-For-All + Short-Cut + Fast-Food = Null + Void.” Coincided with the fall semester of Fu’s second year at AXHU, “enrolling in master’s program” occurred to his mind. But compared with today’s well-developed publishing industry, Internet resources or Me-media technology in 2020s, the in-depth study opportunities and extension schools accessible are in short supply a dozen years ago. In such situations, Fu himself sets a self-made knowledge framework based on the degree courses available to keep going and build success in a “simple-minded” way—benefiting from the wisdom of the sayings: “Little strokes fell great oaks,” and to “Be the Early Bird.” In discussing the methods of learning knowledge, he stresses, “Interest and Tenacity are the key words to make their knowledge to “play offence” and to work in the discipline.” 

 

 

Q: 

FU福, my dear senior fellow! How to address the setbacks and problems during studying and scientific research?

 

A:

Well! While learning and conducting basic discipline research, since a slew of experiments cannot be accomplished in an action, the fellow should stand tall and patiently comb through the bottleneck constraint searching for its cause and effect, and get hints and instructions from the academic consultants, such as upper-level students, academic staff, subject specialist, which is just like programming on computer to define a 4-part Function with which to loop through in the range of “Reading, Collecting, Learning, Processing,” and then debugging to make its final output.

 

 

To Develop with a Renewal of Aspiration

 

As for the applause and recognition Fu obtained over the past years, he conscientiously added, “I am a lucky boy! I am befriended by many excellent people in the collaborative communities, who hold potential to make the moment and who illuminate the path to academic success to last a lifetime.”

 

During studying the bachelor’s program at AXHU, the iconic faculty members are wholeheartedly engaged in their service, teaching and research, where is a seed-bed for younger talents and great minds. At AHUCM, Fu’s tutor strictly demands that all master candidates should seek truth from facts via scientific thinking in the new stage, instead of self-conceit, self-deception argument. And after enrolling in USTC, Fu makes more academic breakthroughs at a high level is due to the groundbreaking instructive work by his world-class doctoral supervisor, who trains and educates the doctoral students to forge ahead and perform excellence in critical thinking, scientific attitude, bold courage, high-efficient evolution, and more. And Fu cracks a joke, “In our laboratory, the coined network catchwords, i.e., Nei-Juan内卷[FOMO], and Tang-Ping躺平[Quite to Quit], are Taboo utterance...”

 

According to a document of international research in natural sciences, it needs 21 days to evolve a neural pathway in human brain tissue. Therefore, a simple behavioral consciousness can be shaped through 21-day repeated action under control, and  afterwards a well-established life pattern would come into being within 90 days. Beyond expectation, Fu unfolds a sheet of timetable for us, —on which he iterates through each item every day over the past ten years—

 

 

# SiGuiFu_Timetable

 

‘‘‘

6:40 a.m.~Get-up

7:oo a.m.~Clock-in at Lab

...

’’’

 

 

Q: 

Er! Could you discuss the happening, Nei-Juan & Tang-Ping, which goes viral among young people？

 

A:

Seeing from the concept of dichotomy, it is usual and unusual thing. First, the Nei-Juan, or Juan in short, pathologically, typifies a cohort of young people adventuring in a thirsty quest of education level, career goals, social status, financial freedom, and individual life value, featuring a touch of Postmodernism and Neoliberalism in a broader conjuncture of globalization, which should be steered in the way every participant is not only a competitor, but also an altruistic partner with positive status. But, seriously speaking, all the university students should root out the idea of Tang-Ping—‘the future is very foreclosed,’ but conversely, they do accumulate professional knowledge and improve comprehensive quality in advance. At the institutions of higher education, the young should be aware that the prime importance is of “doing by learning,” and vice versa. “To know before you go” is the cornerstone to underpin a high-rise building.

 

 

Return where we start

—To celebrate and cheer at meetups

 

Actually, Fu has been officially assumed a role serving as a faculty affiliate at AXHU. Several years ago, on behalf of the School of Pharmacy, his former AXHU’s mentor invited the alumnus (studying for his doctoral degree at USTC) to teach the bachelor’s degree courses. But at the beginning, the introverted, younger scholar humbly declined this far-reaching offer on the phone. Later, Ms. Xu got to know the reason that he was afraid that his academic level and teaching experience couldn’t better serve undergraduate students. With the mentor’s encouragement and inspiration, Fu challenged himself as an adjunct assistantship to tutor in a low profile at the School’s research center. During that, he creatively imported some advanced research methods and experimental devices (self-funded) to deepen the students’ knowledge and broaden their horizons. Consequently, his dedication and devotion is widely recognized by the administrators, faulty and staff, and he is also titled as “My Favorite Teacher” by the undergrads, whose lecture and instructions are characterizing with the task-driven, application-based, enlightenment-oriented approaches to reach outwards.

 

Along with personal growth in teaching ability, Fu built confidence and began to teach  the School’s relevant degree courses. Hereinto, he fully employed the AXHU-wide modern equipment and teaching resources attainable (e.g. Data Base System of AXHU library) to make detailed preparation for excellence in teaching and instruction possible, comprising its structure design, process evaluation, information retrieval and more. Beyond classroom, with a friendly relationship between Fu and the students, they think of themselves as a big family. Ever since, those classmates, or other fellows, are willing to contact Fu, who is called “big brother” by them, at leisure time, and passionately listen to his profound viewpoints, when they are troubled with some problems or questions related to study, research or individual life, such as the career development, continuing education, academic dynamic in chemical engineering. Looking at these diligent students on track, “A dozen years ago, I were you..., and it is time to do some things for our AXHU’s development and my younger fellows’ progress,” Fu murmured at podium.

 

 

Q:

As far as the future career is concerned, do you have some constructive suggestions for the current students in universities?

 

A:

In the future, the continued/lifelong education is critical for the contemporary professionals, who want to update knowledge and be empowered, staying in line with the evolving goals at pillar industries. So each person should introspect and deliver a 360-degree view of his or her own interest, character, potential and strength, and fit into “ecological niche,” rather than going with the stream (e.g., flooding in the master programs). In a word, the more you ponder over the future career, the less obstacles you encounter ahead. To be a clear-minded and extra-spirited decision-maker, you will be at the helm of the future career.

 

 

Q: 

Do you have some words to our AXHU’s future?

 

A:

Well! First and foremost, hereof, I extend my thankfulness to AXHU’s faculty, students, staff, community members, who let me know of how to tap into vision and create knowledge and shape a bright future. To be concrete, my learning and research methodologies (incl. daily work-and-rest schedule) have been well formed at AXHU. As for the Disciplinary Construction, AXHU administration could leverage the experimental teaching and programs as well as the field work special for third- or fourth-year undergraduate students of Science and Engineering. Upon graduation, the assessment and accreditation system regarding the student’s experimental operating and applied skills can be folded into its holistic educational framework, through which the graduating students can exam and reflect their 4-year academic progression at school, and get ready for the forthcoming engagement in the real world. At last, wish our University a bright future!