On September 29th, Qiu Shi–Westlake Masters Forum ushered in its fourth lecture. Prof. Min Qiu, Vice President of Westlake University presented "Research on Photonic and Electronic Micro-nano Processing Technology" to a packed lecture theater, introducing research work carried out by his team over the past 20 years. But more importantly, like every lecture in the past, in addition to academic content, the speaker shared his personal experience as a scientific researcher.
We extracted three key words from Qiu’s Q&A with the audience.
One: Find Your Own Rhythm
One time, Min Qiu along with President Yigong Shi, and other members of the Westlake University running club arranged to run a lap around Westlake. This was the first group activity for the running club, so he was very excited. The first few kilometers was a piece of cake, but after five kilometers, his speed started to slow, by the end he could barely get across the finish line. Through this experience, Qiu realized that when a group of people ran forward together, some people will be faster while others will be slower. What is important is that we don’t rush ourselves and that we find the rhythm that suits us best. Qiu observed: "In a sense, doing scientific research is the same - it's more like "fighting alone", a never-ending contest with yourself. In this process, you just need to move forward at a pace that suits you. When you go, you don’t need to compare yourself with others, don’t worry about your speed at that moment."
Two: Treat Students as Partners
Prof. Qiu attaches great importance to communication with students. The relationship between tutors and students is not as simple as assigning work tasks from superiors and subordinates. It is a partnership. "I not only want to know their thoughts on scientific research, but also their expectations and plans for themselves,” he observed, “and even the joys and sorrows in their lives. Therefore, no matter how busy other work gets, I always find time to participate in weekly meetings with the research group.”
Three: Innovation Starts with Rich Experience
From the perspective of scientific research, it is impossible to achieve innovation without long-term accumulation from the past. When carrying out research, it is necessary to take into account the existing foundation, but also to have an open mind and spirit of exploration for possible new concepts and new ideas. Qiu expressed, “Although we are in the field of scientific research, where innovation is our life, we must not innovate for the sake of innovation. Do not jump to other fields when your foundational experience is insufficient, let alone think that innovation is just to get off the beaten track or build an "illusory castle in the air"."
Reprinted from: Westlake University
