Under the guidance of the Italian professor, how would young design students revive the traditional Zeya Paper?

The exhibition “Zeya Paper Reborn” was opened at Longxi Art Museum this October. The “Zeya Paper Reborn” project was jointly planned and participated by Professors and students from Industrial Design and Graphic Design at Michael Graves College, Wenzhou-Kean University. Zheng Xiaodong, WKU’s Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee and Vice Chancellor, attended the closing ceremony of the exhibition.

In the past year, Professor Maurizio Vrenna and Professor Cui Mengxi led students to combine traditional paper with various materials to design five distinctive lamps. The traditional Zeya Paper exhibits its fascination with innovative and modern products, showing the importance of innovation and design research from the perspective of the younger generation. Hopefully, it will bring new energy to the heritage of Zeya’s ancient paper-making technology and the revitalization of Zeya Town.

Zeya paper has a history of thousands of years. It is a traditional papermaking process listed as a national intangible cultural heritage, and in the past, paper production was the mainstay of the local economy. However, with rapidly changing production and consumption patterns, traditional crafts are losing their appeal and market competitiveness and may be lost forever unless otherwise protected.

The Zeya Paper Reborn project builds up on the interpretation of the value transformation of Zeya traditional paper in the context of intangible cultural heritage protection while arousing people’s consciousness on this topic. A series of five lamps and this exhibition result from one year of hard work. The lamp series consists of A Beautiful Scenery, Ginkgo, Golden Dawn, Memories of the Village, and Pristine Lake. These lamps with modern and fresh aesthetics are meaningful because they respect the regional culture and tradition by embedding them.

As early as February this year, WKU collaborated with the Zeya government and Longxi Art Museum on the project: the Rural Revitalization of Zeya— Art and Design lights the village. It aimed to redesign the facade of the Farmers’ Market in Yuankou Village to make it conform to the regional aesthetics and artistic temperament of Zeya. WKU MGC has been dedicated to adopting the American teaching system of architecture and design as well as actively guiding students to explore the local culture. Several research groups within the college, such as Wangzhai Village Research Group, “Taishun Covered Bridge” Sino-U.S. Kean Twin Bridge Research Group, and Plaque Research Group all have gained milestone progress.

Writer: FU Yuxi, GU Chang

Proofreader: XIANG Wenwei

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Putting Academics First with All the Passion

The exciting and practical marketing courses are what motivated Tang to continue her study. Instead of learning by rote, she comprehends and memorizes the knowledge taught in class by analyzing brand cases and stories. For the final project of the course “International Marketing”, her group designed a project analysis and marketing plan for Semir and visited the Semir factory. It was an excellent opportunity for her to participate in fieldwork and understand the operations of an enterprise, which drove her into an even deeper fascination with the profession of “marketing”.

In Tang’s opinion, the ultimate goal of marketing is to put it into practice. Therefore, she pays extra attention to the accumulation of internship experience. In her sophomore year, she had tried an internship in creative management at Jingdong, and in the summer of her junior year, she worked as an account executive intern at Ogilvy & Mather China. According to Tang, internships during university provide good opportunities for free trial and error. Students may experience different working patterns in the industry, which helps them map out their future careers.

Innovative Research with Continual Exploration

After school, Tang was heavily involved in fields such as entrepreneurial innovation and academic research. In August 2021, Tang and her teammates won the prize in the China-US Young Maker Competition for their project “Intelligent Garbage Sorting Robot”.

Tang was the CMO and roadshow leader of the team. From implementing the business plan named “Intelligent Garbage Sorting Robot”, to establishing the connection with the current “garbage sorting fine policy” and combining the issues of environmental protection with smart homes, Tang has designed various marketing plans according to the diverse customer needs of different products, while making detailed plans of connecting commercial products to businesses. Moreover, the team worked hard to promote their products through Wechat public accounts, mini-programs, and other social media platforms. After strict selection, the team of Tang attended the national competition as the regional representative and won the prize of excellence.

Tang has also played an active role in various academic activities. In November 2021, she participated in the Seoul National University academic conference with the help of Dr. Candy Lim Chiu and received the “Best Presentation” award. “Undertaking academic research is a completely different experience from participating in entrepreneurial competitions. Academic research is a process in which progress is made little by little. Reviewing the literature and collecting data. It’s like planting a tree; you have to be patient and persistent and water it every day before it finally blossoms and bears fruits.” Tang remarked.

A Keen Leader and Community Worker

Vice President of the Student Union, Student Assistant of the Alumni Association, Peer Tutor, Member of the Planning Department of the Student Media and Design Center. Not only does Tang excel in academics, internships, and entrepreneurial innovation, but she is also the owner of so many other “shiny titles”.

During her time at school, aside from being an attentive club manager, large events planner, and club culture promoter, Tang is also a patient helper who often provides one-on-one tutoring to students who need help with academics. Her work as a peer tutor has helped her better communicate with people of different personalities and allowed her to meet many undergraduates and make more good friends. She believes that all these valuable experiences have added splendid colors to her campus life.

As for Tang, college life is like an adventure, and she is a challenger who constantly sharpens her skills by “upgrading and fighting monsters”. While getting through the maze, Dang has enriched her experience and realized a better self. Regarding her future career, she stated that life should not be limited and that FMCG, media, and the Internet are all industries and fields she would like to explore.

The post Tang Yuxuan: College Is an “Adventure” appeared first on Wenzhou-Kean University.

WKU started the master’s degree program in 2020 and has its first class of master’s graduates this year. Lin Mingze is one of them. Before he enrolled in WKU’s Instruction and Curriculum (M.A.) program, he worked as an IELTS teaching assistant. In his view, two-year study at WKU has not only enabled him to learn and reflect but also brought him into the realm of “education” and turned him into an “educator”. Currently, he succeeded in becoming an English teacher at a public elementary school.

01 Escape the Fear of the Unknown and Enter the Realm of Teaching

Despite having worked as an IELTS teaching assistant for two years, Lin Mingze had hardly learned how to teach systematically. There were many unknowns and doubts in his mind as to whether he would be a competent teacher.

However, the curriculum of WKU is well set up to bring him into the field. In the course “Methods for Teaching English Language Learners in ESL/EFL Settings: Standards-Based Approach”, the professors would ask many questions about the lesson plans he had designed. In the beginning, he was relatively emotional but the professors would guide him to think rationally about the reasons and purposes of each module’s design.

With the assistance of the university, he went to Wenzhou Yingcai Primary School to give lessons by reading English picture books. Before the class, Lin would sort out the design of the teaching plan together with his professors and provide the learning scaffolds for the students. After the class, he also summarized with the professors and reflected on the effectiveness of each lesson. When he devoted himself to supporting education in Guizhou, he realized that teaching is not only about introducing educational resources to the rural areas but also about providing service for the students. Giving intensive English courses to undergraduate students is also part of the practice of the graduate program. If lessons for primary school children focus on enlightenment thinking, lessons for undergraduates give more importance to developing research and application know-how.

By practice, Lin gradually found his own teaching method, got rid of the fear of the unknown, and built up the confidence to become a qualified teacher.

02 Connect with the World and Open the Windows to the Future

WKU’s international teaching philosophy and resources also left a deep impression on Lin Mingze.

According to Lin, the postgraduate program accords with the model of project-based learning, allowing students to comprehend and get used to applying their knowledge to practice. WKU also has a strong emphasis on critical thinking, which sets it apart from other universities and brought about a great change in Lin’s way of thinking.

The professors of WKU come from all over the world, which opens a window for Lin to know more about the world. In extracurricular time, they would talk with him about their experiences of teaching around the world and share tips on teaching in different cultural contexts. The interaction with the professors has cultivated his sense of independent learning. They also constantly reminded students to read before class and encouraged them to keep asking questions as well as review, reflect and summarize after class. They gave Lin a real sense of the school’s “student-centered” teaching philosophy. In addition, WKU Library has served rich literature resources and databases, which was convenient for him to access data and write papers at any time.

03 Start with Personal Interest and Pursue a Career in Education

At WKU, the professors encourage students to choose their topics from their interests. The research topic Lin chose is “Students’ perceptions and attitudes toward peer editing”. In this project, students were required to edit each other’s assignments after the writing lesson. Besides, Lin needed to collect the perceptions of students with such a teaching style. After an abundant number of samples were analyzed, conclusions were finally drawn as to whether such a teaching style was applicable in China’s class.

Through continuous research on the subject, Lin has also gained a deeper understanding of how to carry out his teaching work. He planned to become a primary school English teacher in the future. Currently, he has passed the relevant examinations and is about to become an English teacher in a public primary school.

From a teaching green hand to an educator with profound feelings and rich practical experiences, Lin Mingze has realized the role’s transition at WKU. Meanwhile, he acquired the knowledge and met good mentors and friends. He addressed that WKU has endowed him with an essential value of life. In the future, he will also take firm steps to pursue his passion for education.

The post Lin Mingze: Postgraduate Studies are Hard but Sweet with Dreams appeared first on Wenzhou-Kean University.

Zhao Ruzhen, a senior graduate majoring in Architectural Studies, is a native of Wenzhou City. During her four years at WKU, the post-00 girl absorbed the cutting-edge knowledge in architecture while applying what she learned to the protection of regional culture in Wenzhou. From joining her teachers in the conservation and renovation of urban villages to the innovative design competition of covered bridges and the renovation scheme for the diversion canal of Caocun Village in Rui’an City, she has been exploring how to preserve the local culture of her hometown.

01 Going Deeper in Regional Cultural Research at WKU

For Zhao Ruzhen, learning in the classroom is only part of the architectural study. In the past four years, she spent more time in fieldresearch across Wenzhou with her professors. Zhao spoke highly of the flexible environment of WKU, which guaranteed her extensive participation in extracurricular projects, competitions, and research related to economy, environment, politics, as well as social and urban contexts. During her freshman year, she was able to get involved in the renovation project of Wangzhai Village and research how this urban village can be rebuilt and protected.

In her sophomore year, she followed Professor Vincent Peu Duvallon to Caocun village to shoot the bilingual video series titled “Find Wenzhou with Wenzhou-Kean University”. On the way to their destination, they happened to pass a diversion canal leading to Zhaojiadu. At the sight of the 1.5-km canal stretching across green paddy fields, the professor soon associated it with a Swiss architect’s classic design in the 1970s, in which an aqueduct was converted into a public space for all. The research and renovation of the canal was then carried out after they were back from this trip. They visited the area two times for on-site surveys. In this process, they considered the architectural structure, local traditional culture, and folk customs.

In 2021, this project was credited as the Best Oral Presentation of the WKU Student Research Day. It even won the non-Architecture Finalist award in an international competition.

02 Designing a New Look for Covered Bridges

In 2021, WKU and the Taishun local government launched a cooperative cultural exchange program to promote the protection and inheritance of traditional construction techniques of wooden arch bridges. WKU initiated a competition focusing on the innovative design of covered bridges.

Zhao signed up as a team, together with another 6 students from different grades. During the field trips, her team discovered that the cultural inheritance of local covered bridges should be passed down as a literary complex. As a result, Zhao and her team introduced local intangible cultural heritages (landscape, covered bridges, operas and plaques) into the bridge design in the form of frames and paintings. Their works won the competition.

Zhao found that the most interesting and difficult part of the project was multiparty communication: “There were conflicts between old and new ideas from local covered bridge organization and the university. We also had to work with traditional structural engineers in construction.” In her view, the completion of a building brings together all the stakeholders and things involved, and that forms a channel of cultural transmission.

Currently, this project is in the final stage of architectural design.

03 Explore More Possibilities of Life

Zhao’s area of interest is more than architecture.

She designed a set of furniture for the WKU Alumni Association and investigated the issues of urbanization and the disappearance of agriculture from the perspective of different disciplines. Based on the analysis of the financial model and biological growth mechanism, the architectural proposal of her team won the first prize in the “ARCHITECTURE, CULTURE and AGRICULTURE: THE Challenges of Urbanization” competition. Under the guidance of Professor Vincent Peu Duvallon, they took part in the academic forum, and their findings were published in Architecture Media Politics Society (AMPS).

The engagements in cross-disciplinary research projects propelled Zhao to promote collaborative projects involving multiple subjects. As president of the WKU Architectural Association of AIAS, she assisted architecture students in developing academic interests and organizing interdisciplinary competitions. She also held a Sketch Night party to bring together students from WKU and Kean University.

Now in her fourth year at WKU, Zhao is in no hurry to decide her future. She chooses to take a gap year. “I hope I can spend time on work and exploring more interdisciplinary possibilities before going abroad for further study so that I can look at the study of architecture from more angles. Before serving as an architect for the public, I want to build my future first.” Zhao introduced that she will continue to delve into the fields of rural revitalization and native art in the future.

The post Zhao Ruzhen: Born in the 2000s, She Applies Architectural Know-how to Rural Revitalization Undertaking in her Hometown appeared first on Wenzhou-Kean University.

Browsing Zhan Yinuo’s phone gallery, you will be amazed at her persistence in recording her life and how exciting her college life is. As a student-to-be of the best school for education in the United States, she was a consistent winner of the Dean’s Scholarship, an intern, and an RA (Resident Assistant). On top of that, she does bungee jumping, diving and surfing, just to name a few. The four years that senior finance major Zhan spent at WKU are only more colorful than the photos in her gallery.

01 Determined in Pursuit of Her dream

On March 5, 2022, Zhan posted the offer letter from the University of Pennsylvania’s English Education for Foreigners program on social media with the caption of only four words: A dream comes true. To be accepted into the best college of education in the United States (the U.S. News 2022) is itself an undoubtedly enviable achievement. To many people’s surprise, Zhan was a finance major in her undergraduate studies at WKU. Entering the field of education was not a sudden whim but a dream of Zhan’s since she was a child.

What confirmed Zhan’s decision to pursue her dream was her research on “Seating Selection: What really matters?” with Professor Amrita Kaur of the Department of Psychology. It was the research that won her the award of “Best Presentation” on Student Research Day and “The 1st Wenzhou University and Wenzhou-Kean University Graduate Student Academic Festival”. As the only business student on the team, Zhan found that she had little knowledge of educational concepts and theories when she was first confronted with the topic of “The Impact of Classroom Seating on the Effectiveness of Teaching”.

Applying to education-related graduate programs became an “obsession” for Zhan from that moment on. In addition to UPenn, Zhan had received five offers from Johns Hopkins University, the University of Southern California, and other prestigious schools for education programs, which was the best response to her obsession.

02 Thrived in Internship

In addition to the high GPA, Zhao’s rich experience in the internship was a big plus in her application for graduate school. Since the summer of her freshman year, Zhan has spent her holidays on internships at New Oriental. She started as a teaching assistant and was promoted to the English Department that she desired, being responsible for the training for TOEFL, IELTS, and other exams.

Zhan seized the rare opportunity and taught her students everything she knew. She introduced them to the association technique she used to memorize vocabulary, guiding them to explore the memory strategy that works best for them. Through the internships, she gained not only experience and teaching skills but also her love for English education.

03 Shone on After-school Activities

Even as someone with excellent grades, Zhan was never a nerdy bookworm. On the contrary, she was an active participant in various campus activities. As a senior RA, she organized or participated in more than 50 school activities and was awarded the “Outstanding RA” title in the fall of 2019, performing as the only RA representative in the WKU 10th anniversary event. As a volunteer, she spent her time after school as an online teacher for Qiaobo Primary School in Gansu Province, held an initiation ceremony for seven-year-old children in the community, and visited the elderly at the cultural hall in Fangao, Panqiao Street.

In the past four years, Zhan has also served as the president of VOK, the Voice of WKU radio station. From 2019 to 2020, as the president of VOK, Zhan led the club, winning the honor of “5-Star Club” with the most points in ranking and the WKU-inm Inspiration and Innovation Scholarship. During her tenure, Zhan and her mentor promoted the bilingual reading program “Appreciate Wenzhou” in cooperation with Zhejiang Daily. Zhan said that VOK has always been less of a job to her and more of a family, working together with her fellows to spread the voice of WKU far and wide.

In the interview, Zhan Yinuo repeatedly stated that she was a very lucky person. She believed that without the support of her professors, instructors, family, and friends, she could not have made such accomplishments. “Whatever you plan to do, this university provides all the resources you need, but it’s up to your choice to decide how you would like to live your life.” In Zhan’s case, she has found her way of spending her four years living the most colorful life.

The post Zhan Yinuo: The Finance Girl Who Spent Four Years Chasing Her Dream of Being an Educator appeared first on Wenzhou-Kean University.

“My journey at WKU begins with dancing.”

Shen Zhiyu, a student of Management major, navigated her four-year journey at WKU with dancing as the helm. She practiced dancing for more than 10 hours a week, and once worked for NetEase and Hangzhou Asian Games. She was also admitted into Johns Hopkins University to further her education as a Communication postgraduate.

Being an excellent dancer, she also demonstrated extraordinary leadership as a presidium member of the university’s art troupe, former chairman of Alpha and president of the hip-hop club. Her remarkable abilities contributed to the success of the university’s 10th anniversary celebration, art festival, freshmen ice-breaking and music festival. All these achievements earned her scholarships in leadership and art fields.

01 A dance enthusiast and a great leader

In her first year at WKU, Shen Zhiyu joined the hip-hop community and the pop dance team of the school’s art troupe. After serving as the leader of the hip-hop club, Shen did a lot of work, from creating a WeChat official account to inviting professional teachers, opening various dance courses, and seeking performance opportunities for club members. Under her leadership, the hip-hop community was rated as a five-star club of the university, and it was the best proof of her transformation.

“I particularly like the idea of ‘Art for All’ advocated by Party Secretary of WKU CPC Committee, Wang Beijiao. He said everyone can learn art and embrace it.” Inspired by this, Shen worked with Xie Dianyuan, a member of the university’s Chinese Curricula Center and head of art troupe, to hold the first Just Dance competition so that dance lovers at WKU could come on to the stage to give a performance.

In fact, Shen Zhiyu was nicknamed as “Mother Shen” by freshmen. As the former chairman of Alpha, Shen was the first student at WKU to play the role of first-year peer mentor for three consecutive years. She was even the leader of the Pre-University Intensive English Program (PIEP) in August 2021, when she did a great job in managing more than 1,000 freshmen. From this job, she felt the strongest sense of belonging at WKU, “I enjoy showing new students around the campus. It makes me happy to witness their growth at the university.”

02 The most beautiful dancer on the stage and a real doer behind the curtain

Shen attended the 2nd WKU Art Festival, Mixc May I Youth Unlimited Music Festival, Wenzhou International Sports & Leisure Expo, WKU’s 10th anniversary celebration and graduation ceremony. During these important occasions, she was more than a dancer. Behind the curtain, she was also responsible for assisting the director, coordinating the performers and relevant departments, and planning tasks. “In the past four years, it was normal for me and Xie to stay up late rehearsing, discussing scripts for performances, and taking electric vehicles to the school gate.” Their hard work paid off as they won fourth place during the second Love it Live it hip-hop final, as well as the first prize in Dance (Group A) of 2021 Provincial Collegiate Art Festival in Zhejiang. At WKU’s 10th anniversary party in 2021, she worked behind the scenes and devoted her love to the university.

03 A participant of Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games and a dedicated media worker

The 19th Asian Games will be held in Shen’s hometown, Hangzhou. “I want to do my bit for my country. It would be my honor to leverage media know-how to cover stories of the Asian Games,” said Shen. With her rich experience in hosting events at WKU and her media literacy, Shen joined Zhejiang Radio & TV Group as a new media editor and post editor intern for Asian Games Channel.

During her two-month internship, she was in charge of the daily operation of the official WeChat account and Channels, writing press releases, news broadcasting, subtitle editing, and post-production of news related to the Asian Games. It was tough work, but Shen was excited to cover sporting events at the scene, have direct contact with athletes, as well as record and spread how the Asian Games has been prepared.

Now she has received an offer from Johns Hopkins University as a would-be postgraduate in Communication Studies. She is determined to apply her knowledge and skills to future communication practices and tell her stories to the bigger world.

This is the last year of Shen’s journey at WKU. The road ahead is unknown, but we believe that she will stay true to her original self and explore the broader world with her kindness, passion, and smile!

The post Shen Zhiyu: Dancing Brightens My Youth appeared first on Wenzhou-Kean University.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via library@wku.edu.cn.

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Four years’ study at WKU has left Mei Yuxi with cherished memories and remarkable achievements. She is the No.1 in the Graphic Design major and scores 3.866 in GPA. Her language proficiency meets the requirements for an exam exemption, and she is also the recipient of dean scholarships and Zhejiang provincial government scholarships. Now she has received the offers of Pratt Institute and the Savannah College of Art and Design, with a total of $36,000 scholarship for two years granted.

Pursuing the Integration of Tradition, Technology and Reality in Class

Chinese writer Shu Yi once said that literature is an activity of value and significance. It is by no means a form of entertainment or a game. This is also true for art, which is not intended to arouse public attention or cause a sensation but to provide comfort for the soul and rebuild the spiritual life. That is how Mei interprets the value of art with her own works.

“Inspired by many endangered traditional Chinese cultures, I tried to design a grotto with the God of Door, a dragon head and a god with fire on his head—the fire is a symbol of talisman in ancient Chinese culture.” In her portfolio Disenchantment, Mei combines modern VR (virtual reality) technology with traditional art forms of works to offer an immersive experience of a grotto under the guidance of Matthew Wood, a lecturer at the College of Architecture and Design (CAD).

This design collection paves her road to success in applying for graduate programs. “The inspiration came from a sculpture called The Venus of Laussel in Dr. Mieke Paulsen Bahmer’s art history class. It is about women and reproduction,” said Mei with a smile. Across the globe, many women and girls are not treated equally by society, and that is why she designed a game called The Handmaid’s Monopoly. In its final barrier, the winner goes to whoever gets a female doll out of a claw crane. The truth is there are only male toys in the machine, so you can never win the game. “From this game, I want to show people that gender inequality still persists in today’s society.”

All her works during her four-year study at WKU are the perfect blend of tradition, technology and reality. In the UIUX class, Mei and her classmates designed a work called Thanks You for Smoking, in an attempt to call for quitting smoking with irony. At the end of 2021, this masterpiece was exhibited as a work of Michael Graves College at the 3rd FutureLab in Shanghai.

To be Better Outside the Classroom

Mei Yuxi wishes to pursue a more fulfilling life in college. Apart from sharpening her professional skills, she also improved herself in all aspects outside the classroom. In 2019, when she was working as a student assistant of CAD, she wrote a special column called Explore the School, in which she interviewed the alumni of WKU so as to help younger students have a deeper understanding of international graduate art schools.

In the summer vacation of 2019, Mei taught English, art and Chinese culture in Romania as a global volunteer. It was indeed a cultural shock for her. She saw how the local customs, religious beliefs and lifestyles were different from those of China. While exploring the bigger world, she was also proud to spread Chinese culture to foreign kids.

To be Perfect and Follow the Dream

Mei always sets strict demands on herself and keeps perfecting her work by double-checking, making modifications, and brainstorming with professors. That is how she manages to produce high-quality works. The offers from two of the best art and design schools are the best proof of her devotion to greater perfection. She recalled: “At the beginning, I drew the illustrations of the portfolio. Then I turned them into computer graphics. After I consulted my teacher, I altered them into watercolor paintings. It was really a challenge to start over again in such a short time, but I wanted each of my work to be perfect.”

Chekhov the artist noted that “Art gives us wings and carries us far, far away!” When talking about her future plan, Mei said that she enjoyed the inclusive environment in the United States and she was surprised to get the offers from her dream schools. In the future, she will complete her graduate program in the U.S. and establish a workshop on graphic and interactive design.

The post Mei Yuxi: the NO.1 in Graphic Design and an Art Lover appeared first on Wenzhou-Kean University.

Lu Yining, a student majoring in Mathematical Sciences (Data Analytics Option), has received offers from Columbia University and Johns Hopkins University for his academic success at WKU (GRE330+4/TOEFL 104/GPA 3.89). He was even nominated as the Outstanding Winner in the Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM/ICM), and the proportion of winners was only 0.17%.

Step by step, he turned his dreams into reality.

01 From Individual Brilliance to Team Success

In 2020, Lu Yining participated in the Zhejiang Open Data Innovation Contest alone. One year later, Lu became the leader of the modeling team at WKU. Together with his teammates, Qiu Yang from Computer Science and Lyu Yanting from Global Business, the team was nominated as the Outstanding Winner in 2021 MCM/ICM.

The key to their success lies in the division of labor. Lu was responsible for establishing mathematical models, Lyu’s work focused on thesis writing and economy-related contest questions, and Qiu mainly contributed to programming solutions and data visualization. During the four-day competition, the team spent 15 to 18 hours per day and even worked on the project for 36 hours nonstop in the final stretch. “It was very fulfilling to get everyone moving in the same direction,” recalled Lu. He believed that teamwork was the force behind success and that every team member should make use of their expertise where it is needed most to the greatest extent.

02 My Dream Took Off in WKU and Big Companies

In September 2021, Lu was recommended by Gaurav Gupta, Coordinator of the mathematics department, to work as a consultant in Findability Science. In this multinational company, Lu was responsible for establishing a real-time first-price auction model. Lu also shared co-first authorship with his classmate Lu Changjie in completing a paper titled Embedding Reward Functions in Operations Research for Multi-agent Automatic Bidding, which was submitted to IEEE Transaction (Impact factor 10.2).

When talking about the experience, Lu said, “It was a challenge for us to build a real-time model while taking into account its self-learning ability, time complexity, and its capability to get feedback from the environment.”

In 2021, Lu took a summer internship at NetEase headquarters in Hangzhou as an algorithm developer. He developed a risk control model and an abnormal user detection model for two projects, and both were put into use. The three-month internship gave Lu broader access to big data resources and development platforms. He also had the chance to experience how professional data scientists developed models in the workplace.

03 WKU Unlocks Unlimited Possibilities of My Life

During his four years at WKU, Lu was accompanied by many great teachers and friends. In particular, Gaurav Gupta offered him great support and help in academic study, scientific research, competition, and life. “Mr. Gupta was our adviser in MCM/ICM, and it was with his help that I could take the intern job in a multinational company. From him, I learned how to interact with others too.”

Lu’s story reveals the infinite possibilities of youth and how they find brilliance in ordinary life. He also put what he learned into practice. For example, he applied his expertise in statistical modules and deep learning to construct a new meta-learning network framework and establish a subjective problem evaluation model for WKU in his graduation project. All evaluation results could be easily attained by inputting students’ answers and standard answers. In addition, under the guidance of Dr. Gaurav Gupta, Lu and another three students established the AI-Lab for the College of Science and Technology and provided WKU students with a wide array of workshops regarding mainstream research topics in the field of artificial intelligence.

A dream has the magical power to guide us toward a brighter future. At present, Lu has received offers from Columbia University and Johns Hopkins University. He will keep moving forward on his journey to academic success and pursue a doctoral degree in the future.

The post Lu Yining: Academic Excellence (GRE330 + 4/TOEFL 104/GPA 3.89/0.17% Finalists of MCM/ICM) Inspires Him to Pursue Further Study appeared first on Wenzhou-Kean University.

It is the principle of WKU to “provide students with different ways of development”. Chen Gao, an English major senior, is one of the best embodiments of the value.

With a GPA of 3.96, Gao is a minor in Art History, an editor of the journal of the English department, and a lecture translator for the Wenzhou Museum. On the verge of graduation season, Gao has already had her educational path clearly mapped out – Art History. Not long ago, as an English major, she received two significant offers from the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London, the top-ranked Art History program in the UK, and the University College Dublin, which is famous for its instruction in Art History.

Integrating East and West with a Single Discipline

In her four years at the university, Gao has never put limits on herself. For her, passion was the primary motivation that pushed her out of her “comfort zone”. In the first semester of her sophomore year, she was drawn to Art and Art History after taking an English elective course called “Modernity”. Professor Nikita Nankov guided the students to explore various subjects such as art, literature, society, and philosophy. From Chinese urban construction and Russian art achievements to Bauhaus philosophy and the modernist poet Baudelaire, they were all knowledge novel to Gao. She was both nervous and excited about the novelty and soon devoted herself to her Art History minor.

In January 2021, Gao was introduced to the Dunhuang Heritage Study Program, sponsored by the Dunhuang Academy of Painting Cultural and Creative Center, and explored Dunhuang with renowned scholars from home and abroad. Inspired by the Art History classes she had taken in school, she soon discovered the “Chinese” and “global” characteristics of Dunhuang art and began to explore the commonalities between Dunhuang art and ancient Greek, Roman and Buddhist art.

“Chinese and Western art are never two separate entities. From the moment I studied Art History, I have decided to take a Chinese perspective to understand the West and vice versa, and find new universal values in all kinds of art,” said Gao. At the end of the study, her dissertation on the fusion of Western and Chinese art was well received by experts, and Gao received the program’s “Outstanding Researcher 2021” award and a letter of recommendation from the Dunhuang Academy of Painting.

In addition to her studies, Gao and her friends founded the WKU Art History Club “Xian”, which introduces art and Art History to students and faculty across campus. “Art History is a box full of surprises,” Gao commented, “and I hope more people could enjoy the process of unpacking the surprises with us.”

Giving Back to the Community with What She Has Learned

Like many WKUers, Gao is passionate about experiencing the world and taking responsibility. Over the past four years, she has been active in various areas on and off campus, utilizing her knowledge to give back to the school and society.

As the president of the club of Art History, she strives to break the stereotypes of Art History as “obscure” or “highbrow”. Every month, the club would organize a targeted art event. At the end of last year, the club co-hosted a “Cafe and Impressionist” design competition and exhibition series with the school cafe “Social Dog”. The Art History Club is now collaborating with the WKU Student Media and Design Center and the Wenzhou Museum to explore more possibilities.

Being a volunteer has also been an excellent way for Gao to expand her knowledge. After studying Art History, she became a frequent visitor of the Wenzhou Museum, the Chen Tianlong Art Museum on the WKU campus, and other galleries, playing to her advantage and translating artwork descriptions to help promote art and find her own value.

Heart to Heart. Making the Most of Every Lecture

“I believe you will shine wherever you go.” These are the words Gao has heard the most from the professors.

In her opinion, her professors have always been patient in answering her questions and have always supported her wild imagination. They are her guides in her studies and the life mentors she is most grateful. The professors had even become her “brain trust” when she was applying to graduate schools.

From an Art History novice to a prospective student of the number one Art History institution in the UK, Gao has finally found her direction in life. She hopes to become a bridge-builder in the future, spreading the awareness of art and aesthetics in people’s lives.

The post Chen Gao: The First WKU Student Receives Offer From the Best UK University for Art History! Life with No Limits appeared first on Wenzhou-Kean University.