1. Opening seminar — Prof. Zhou Liwei shared his life experiences and thoughts with SMBU students On the afternoon of Sept. 13, Professor Zhou Liwei, member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a leading expert in electronic optics and optoelectronic imaging, shared his philosophies on maturation, development, and success with the students of 2024 at Shenzhen MSU-BIT University (SMBU). By posing three questions about their reasons for attending university, purpose of study, and ideal personas, Prof. Zhou asked everyone to reflect on their goals. Through sharing his experiences of working and studying overseas, he then urged students to aim high and make contributions to the country. “Learning to be a human with a capital ‘H’ is what truly matters,” he emphasized. Discussing personal development, Prof. Zhou shared several expectations for young students. Zhou said that he hopes they will draw upon the essence of both the national spirit and global spirit. In addition, characteristics like strong judgment, appreciation for beauty, adaptability to change, and self-confidence are essential. Furthermore, students should acquire an extensive knowledge of history and human culture to enable critical thinking skills. Lastly, he expects them to cultivate a spirit of dedication, diligence, teamwork, and effective communication. Turning to success, Prof. Zhou said that he believes the most important factors leading to success are perseverance, willpower, dauntlessness, and self-discipline. He concluded his lecture by inspiring students to keep their eyes on the stars and feet on the ground. 2. Prof. Hu Haiyan delivered a lecture on AI On Sept. 26, at the invitation of SMBU, Hu Haiyan, member of the China Academy of Sciences and professor at the Beijing Institute of Technology, delivered a lecture titled “Scientific Literacy in the Era of Artificial Intelligence.” Prof. Hu began by discussing the joy and panic caused by artificial intelligence (AI) and explaining the importance of improving scientific literacy, humanistic literacy, and scientific and technological ethics. He stated that the progress of science and technology is inseparable from strong support of basic scientific research. To illustrate, he referred to several cases showing that high-end equipment manufacturing links closely to important disciplines such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, mechanics, engineering thermophysics, and information technology. In regard to developing scientific literacy, Prof. Hu proposed three reform ideas. First, the current curriculum system should be optimized based on future capacity requirements like dimensional imagining and logical reasoning. Second, the integration of courses such as mechanics, engineering, thermophysics, and automatic control should be strengthened. Third, challenging fieldwork should be added to cultivate the ability to apply theories and innovate. The topic of AI’s dominance over humans was also discussed. Prof. Hu believes that important progress has been made in the field of AI, which is now replacing humans. However, related ethical issues need urgent in-depth study. Previous scientific developments suggest that AI cannot replace a human’s capacity for creative thinking. Therefore, in the era of AI, it is particularly important to improve scientific literacy. 3. Mathematician Zhang Yitang gave a lecture on “The Romance of Math” On Aug. 28, Zhang Yitang, a Chinese-American mathematician and professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, delivered a lecture titled “The Romance of Math.” During the lecture, he said that his interest in science was sparked at a young age by popular science books, including the picture-book “Lomonosov.” The knowledge he gained from these books laid a solid foundation for his future studies in mathematics. His passion for math was further ignited by his research on Chinese mathematician Chen Jingrun’s explanation of the Goldbach Conjecture, which motivated him to pursue academic research. Zhang noted that the invitation to SMBU reminded him of his childhood memories of reading “Lomonosov.” The illustrations of Lomonosov Moscow State University made him feel a sense of familiarity during his visit to SMBU. Zhang expressed his admiration for mathematicians who made significant contributions to number theory, including Leonhard Euler, Pafnuty Chebyshev, and Ivan Matveevich Vinogradov, who are either Russian or resided in Russia. He discussed his persistence in researching the twin prime conjecture, which many in the field believed had no solutions. After three years of effort, he achieved a breakthrough in 2013 that opened a new direction for research in number theory. Zhang also shared the challenges he faced and how he overcame them. Despite skepticism from many experts regarding the possibility of proving the twin prime conjecture, he remained steadfast in his efforts and ultimately proved his theory. Zhang offered encouragement to SMBU students, emphasizing the importance of passion and persistence. He urged young people to bravely take on challenges and maintain confidence in pursuing the limitless allure that mathematics has to offer. | 