ShanghaiTech University welcomed a group of international students for its 2024 Summer Lab from July 7 to August 18, 2024. This year’s program included students from the University of California, Berkeley (UCB), Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT). With six weeks of intensive research practice, the program provided opportunities for these students to intern in state-of-the-art laboratories, further strengthening the collaborative ties between ShanghaiTech and its global institutions.
Following a rigorous selection and interview process, three international students were successfully placed in research groups at ShanghaiTech. UCB undergraduate Marya Bashanfar joined Professor Franklin Kim’s group at the School of Physical Science and Technology (SPST), working on the Preparation of Ultrathin Films of 2D Nanomaterials through Langmuir-Blodgett Technique. Alexandra van Breemen from LUMC engaged in the study of ETS family proteins’ interaction by CDK1 in both Drosophila tissues and human cultured cells, guided by Professor Yuu Kimata at the School of Life Science and Technology (SLST). Andrei Khnykin from MIPT participated in the GPCR-structure-based drug design under the supervision of Professors Hua Tian, Cheng Jianjun, and Zhao Suwen at the iHuman Institute.
During their summer lab internships, the visiting students benefited from tailored research plans crafted by ShanghaiTech professors and received specific experimental guidance from Chinese students within their research groups. The culmination of their efforts was showcased through detailed experiment reports and presentations, which earned them high praise from their mentors and peers.
In addition to their intensive research work, the international students experienced traditional Chinese culture through a visit to Suzhou, a renowned water town. This trip, organized by the Office of International Affairs, allowed them to explore and appreciate China’s unique cultural heritage.
Reflecting on her time at ShanghaiTech, Alexandra van Breemen stated, I had a short yet unforgettable time in China, gaining professional knowledge at ShanghaiTech, experiencing Chinese culture and making friends from all over the world. Professor Yuu Kimata added, Hosting a foreign student provides our students with direct opportunities to communicate, study, and work with peers from different cultural backgrounds. This enhances their understanding of commonalities and fosters acceptance of cultural differences. Moreover, it promotes our university's international recognition and demonstrates our openness and willingness to collaborate with both partner and other international institutions.
Since 2015, ShanghaiTech has provided research opportunities for a small number of undergraduates from partner institutions, organized and coordinated by the Office of International Affairs. This is a non-credit program for international students who seek to perform summer research under the guidance of our professors (most of whom earned their Ph.D.s abroad). Students can choose a lab that matches their research interest in almost any one of our schools and institutes, with a chance to do experiments in world-class research facilities and on national science platforms. So far, more than 30 international students from Yale University, Cornell University, University of Chicago, UC Berkeley, and University of Oxford have participated in the ShanghaiTech summer lab program.