The Fourth “Life Sciences and the Future” Summer School for High School Students at SLST, ShanghaiTech University, concluded on July 26, 2024, marking the successful end of the five-day event. The program attracted nearly 300 applicants from across the country, with 90 exceptional high school students eventually being admitted. Through a series of popular science lectures, small research projects, and other activities, the participants gained an in-depth understanding of the research being conducted at SLST at ShanghaiTech University and its significance for societal development and human health.
On July 22, during the opening ceremony, the Vice-Chancellor of ShanghaiTech University, Jiang Ge, welcomed the students and introduced the unique features of undergraduate training at ShanghaiTech. Following that, the Executive Dean of the School of Life Science and Technology, Professor Luo Zhenge, provided a detailed introduction of ShanghaiTech and SLST, showcasing their strong faculty, substantial research capabilities, and first-class student cultivation quality.
Daily science lectures allowed students to gain a deeper understanding of the history and frontier progress in biotechnology research, which also triggered their interest in life sciences. During the career planning sharing session, the School invited Wang Weibin, a senior partner at Beshining Law Office and enterprise mentor at SLST, to explain the biopharmaceutical intellectual property industry to the students.
Alumni from the first cohort of SLST were present; Gao Dayuan shared his experience working in the biopharmaceutical research and development industry, and Chen Zhenrong in biopharmaceutical consulting. Su Rui, founder of SynMetabio and alumnus of the 2023 cohort, shared his experience studying at ShanghaiTech and his entrepreneurship journey. Additionally, Professor Liu Jilong taught the participants the “Art of Speech,” sharing 25 tips for successful public speaking he has learned throughout his career.
Complementarily to the science lectures, the School designed three research topics for students: “Glowing Cyanobacteria - Cyanobacteria Lamps,” “Alcohol Metabolism Gene Identification,” and “Bitter Taste Gene Identification.” Through these experiments, students got their first hands-on exposure to fundamental molecular biology techniques, including PCR amplification, gel electrophoresis, and sequencing data analysis.
In addition, the school organized a visit to the Origincell Industrial Park, providing students with an in-depth understanding of the essence of life, cell storage technology, and other frontiers of the biological industry. On the final day, at the achievement presentation, students displayed their research results, which included interpreting experimental data, literature review, and perspectives on future research directions. The judges highly praised their performances, which showcased solid scientific literacy and an exploratory spirit.
The students expressed that they not only acquired professional knowledge, distinguishing between various biological specialties, and accessing cutting-edge research fields and techniques, but also broadened their horizons and were inspired, meeting many like-minded peers and teachers. Many students hoped to continue working or researching in the life sciences field in the future.
SLST will continue to promote life science knowledge and inspire passion for scientific research among young people. In the future, the school plans to introduce more innovative teaching methods and technical approaches to lay a solid foundation for nurturing the next generation of scientists. Through such activities, the School doesn’t only spread scientific knowledge but also plants seeds of hope for the development of life sciences in China. With the successful organization of the summer school each year, it is expected that more and more young people will join the ranks of life science researchers.