On December 26th, the 2021 HUST Annual Innovation Conference for Outstanding Undergraduates was held in the lecture hall of Qiming College. 179 achievements were acknowledged from 35 schools and departments， which included academic papers, innovation projects, competition results, research reports among others. After expert evaluation, 30 outstanding achievements were entered into the conference to be exhibited, among which 16 superior ones were shortlisted for on-site conference presentation.

The program of “Outstanding Undergraduates in Term of Academic Performance” (hereafter shortened as “outstanding undergraduates”) of HUST stems from the system of cultivating undergraduates implemented in the 1980s. The award, the greatest honor for undergraduates at HUST, aims to commend students who have outstanding achievements in their course and extracurricular practice. Each year, it is open to all sophomore and junior students, but only the top 1% can attain this honor. The awarded students will be provided with professional advisors and personalized talent training plans.

Recipients of the 16 project awards presented at the conference. Their topics centered around frontier science and technology and hotspot topics, which covered accomplishments in intelligent manufacturing, big data, biomedicine, clean energy, new materials, cutting-edge design, humanities education and other fields.

After  evaluating, the annual conference produced 2 first prizes, 5 second prizes, 9 third prizes, and 14 excellence awards.

Now, let’s listen to what the representatives of the award winners have to say: How does it feel to be an outstanding undergraduate in HUST in 2021?

Qu Shiyu, School of Economics

Qu Shiyu has turned her story of growing up, from high school to HUST, into an inspirational novel of more than 300,000 characters, Passed the College Entrance Examination（gaokao） in this way. Before the college entrance examination in 2021, she composed her own inspirational song “Take a deep breath” to cheer up students and relieve their pressure. The novel and song have attracted extensive media attention and praise.

Her feelings:

Since joining the big family of outstanding students in November 2020, I have fully felt the charm of personalized talent cultivation featuring the cross of multi-disciplinary, independent learning, design and potential inspiration. Under the guidance of my academic adviser and the joint efforts of teachers from the School of Economics and Qiming College, I not only got the triple nourishment of economics, management and English literature, but also more confidence to confidence for literary and musical creation. Acquisition of knowledge and exploration of practice makes me more convinced that responsibility, innovation, creation, having dreams and having the courage to pursue dreams are important energies that we young people need to acquire in university.

Kang Yushen, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

Skin spots have been bothering many people for a long time. How do we realize transdermal delivery of freckle removing ingredients without pain while considering safety and efficiency? The skin whitening microneedle patches brought by Kang Yushen has strength, durability and precise and controllable length. This can directly break through the skin cuticle barrier, providing a new solution for removing skin spots.

His feelings:

After being selected as an outstanding student, the help of the school and teachers made me grow up rapidly. I not only improved my basic professional knowledge, but also greatly enhanced my scientific research ability and understanding. I can clearly see the world from a much richer perspective, which is very exciting for me. At the same time, enjoying more resources also means greater responsibility. Sail against the wind and push hard.

Dong Haoyu, School of Mechanical Science and Engineering

Ultra-precision glass processing technology has been widely used in automotive, aerospace, construction and other industries. The innovative project of Dong Haoyu focuses on exploring the problems of microcrack germination, growth behavior and edge breaking defect suppression. It forms a process parameter optimization method with low edge breaking constraint, which reduces the workpiece surface roughness from 7μm to 5μm. At the same time, the project team studied the formation mechanism of surface fringe and realized the accurate prediction of its form.

His feelings:

Attending the annual academic conference, I was amazed at the tireless pursuits and courage of like-minded students. I would like to thank this annual conference for giving me the opportunity to show myself and share my research with many excellent students. In the future, I will learn from others and forge ahead.

Chen Yangyi, School of Software Engineering

Natural language models based on deep learning have been widely used in daily life, but whether they are safe and reliable remains to be proved. The academic research of Chen Yangyi focuses on the security and robustness of the SOTA model around the subject of reliable natural language processing system. It reveals the security risks of the deep learning model in the actual deployment, and the existing SOTA model is not robust, making a contribution to the later research and deployment of reliable natural language processing model.

His feelings:

Gaining happiness in scientific research, moving towards trustworthy natural language processing model, and realizing personal values.

Wu Jianxin, School of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering

Wu Jianxin innovatively applied microwave radar technology to three aspects: surface subsidence observation, preventive geological anomaly detection and grouting quality detection behind walls. Using microwave radar as an eye, it illuminates the dark space of underground construction, and has great advantages compared with traditional schemes in cost, construction period and accuracy. It solves the practical problems that the architects will face in the concrete scene of shield tunnel construction, such as difficult settlement monitoring and low accuracy of geological survey.

Her feelings:

In the past year when I became an outstanding student, I have made many attempts in different directions of my discipline, and I am lucky to have achieved a lot of results, on the platform provided by HUST, and with the support of my adviser and the school. Civil engineering is an application-oriented discipline, starting with engineering problems, to the engineering practice. In the future, I hope my research achievements can go into everyone’s home and the construction of infrastructure, while playing a role in the construction of a more beautiful China.

He Rong, School of Humanities

Based on interdisciplinary research methods, He Rong combines linguistics, translation, communication and other related theories to study the construction and communication of “the self” and “the other” of Chinese image in domestic and foreign literature and mass media. The research uncovers the current international situation of Chinese image and proposes corresponding image repair mechanism.

His feelings:

There may not be a simple linear relation between pain and gain. But positive feedback is always rooted in conversation, reflection, interaction and criticism.

Zhang Naiqian, School of Energy and Power Engineering

Kitchen waste oil is a kind of liquid waste with high calorific value, complex composition and difficult to reuse. How to deal with kitchen waste oil reasonably and effectively, has become one of the urgent problems to be solved in social development. Zhang Naiqian has designed a device for smoldering kitchen waste oil, which could utilize heat efficiently and increase the production of cherry tomatoes with flue gas. The key point is to realize self-maintenance and efficient combustion of kitchen waste oil by providing appropriate smoldering conditions, and to use the high-concentration carbon dioxide flue gas produced to increase production of cherry tomatoes to achieve carbon neutrality in the whole process.

His feelings:

2021 has been a fulfilling year for me. I benefited a lot from the innovative projects I participated during the year. It’s my great honor to be recognized. In the following study, I will continue to work hard and make more achievements in the professional field.

As of the end of November 2021, outstanding undergraduates of HUST have won a total of 348 outstanding achievements in various discipline competitions and technological innovation activities at home and abroad. Among them, there are 108 projects in research or concluded, 24 papers published on domestic and foreign journals, and 24 patents authorized or applied. In various discipline competitions at home and abroad, 59 international prizes and 64 national ones have been awarded.

Source: Qiming College

Written by: He Rong

Edited by: Scott, Luo Xin, Jiang Jing