On the evening of September 21, MARI held a welcome meeting for new students of the 2023-2024 academic year in A705 Lecture Hall of the Third Comprehensive Building. Professor You Liangzhi, Professor Xiong Hang, Associate Professor Zhang Zeyu, Professor Hao Jinghui, Professor Tang Chuan, Professor Xu Baodong, and all the graduate students attended the meeting, hosted by Associate Professor Zhang Zeyu.

On behalf of MARI, Professor Xiong Hang first extended a warm welcome and cordial greetings to all the new students and introduced the basic information of MARI. He noted that MARI is a high-end interdisciplinary academic platform with international influence, and encouraged students to leverage this platform to acquire knowledge, enhance their abilities, focus on real-world needs, and solve practical problems. He also urged new and returning students to actively communicate and participate in MARI’s special activities, such as the MARI Seminar and Coffee Break.

Professor You Liangzhi expressed three hopes for the new students: “Be yourself,” “Be humble,” and “Be healthy.” First, he encouraged students to remain true to themselves, achieve breakthroughs, think and act independently, and confidently express their own views. Second, he advised students to remain humble and rigorous in their approach to scientific research, always maintaining a humble, honest, and pragmatic attitude. Third, he urged students to stay healthy and develop good habits in both life and study.

During the speeches of new student representatives, Zhang Xinyu and Zhou Jianting shared their experiences as representatives of the PhD and master’s students, respectively. Zhang Xinyu recounted her journey at MARI since her graduate studies, sharing her insights and feelings with everyone. From the perspective of a new student, Zhou Jianting also shared her experiences participating in various academic activities at MARI and expressed her aspirations for her future studies.

Subsequently, Associate Professor Zhang Zeyu led an ice-breaking game called “Number Reporting and Team Building.” Students were divided into groups based on the mooncake flavors they received upon signing in. Through this fun activity, which tested their memory and reflexes, participants introduced themselves and increased their sense of familiarity and camaraderie. The game was simple yet highly competitive, filling the room with laughter.

During the final session, teachers and students freely exchanged ideas and insights. Other teachers also spoke, urging everyone to make the most of the learning opportunities and platform resources to explore and progress together.

Written by Waner Ma

Reviewed by Xuran Lu