1. A gorgeous turn, a passionate trip to Princeton
At that moment in 2017, Yan Ning, a distinguished scholar who had been a professor and supervised doctoral students at Tsinghua University, made a jaw-dropping decision - she resolutely resigned from her position at Tsinghua University and embarked on a journey to teach at Princeton University, an Ivy League university in the United States.
This news shook the academic community like a thunderbolt in the clear sky, followed by all kinds of criticism and doubts, and swept the entire public opinion field like a huge wave.
Some people publicly accuse Yan Ning of leaving Tsinghua because she failed to be elected three times in a row in the selection of academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, which caused a feeling of "negative exodus", and was even blamed as the culprit of "brain drain".
However, in the face of these baseless accusations, Yan Ning retorted without hesitation on Weibo: "Nonsense!" "Why have you always involved me in the turmoil of the academician co-election recently? I have never lost the election three times - please don't insult others so much" Her words were full of firm determination, and she resolutely would not bow to malicious speculation.
In fact, Yan Ning's choice to go to Princeton was not caused by impulse or personal emotional fluctuations, but from her endless love for academic career and her yearning for a broader scientific research stage.
This is just a new starting point in Yan Ning's scientific research career.
If you want to understand the mystery of her ability to climb the academic peak, you need to look back to many years ago, when Yan Ning was already on the road of scientific research, tirelessly pursuing knowledge, those arduous processes and hard work, is the cornerstone of her brilliant achievements today.
Let's follow the trajectory of her life once again and feel how this girl from the countryside is stepping up to the top of her academic career.
Second, the scientific dream of rural students
Yan Ning was born in 1977 in an ordinary rural family in Zhangqiu County, Jinan City, Shandong Province. Her parents were simple farmers and did not live well. However, they attach great importance to the education of their daughter Yan Ning and have always spared no effort to support her.
Since childhood, Yan Ning has shown amazing talent and amazed everyone around him. Even her teachers praised her as "the most gifted student I've ever met."
Yan Ning's diligent and studious spirit made her parents full of infinite expectations for her future.
This decision has undoubtedly become a key turning point in Yan Ning's life journey. Stepping into this strange and prosperous city for the first time, Yan Ning felt a little uncomfortable at first, and couldn't help but miss the leisurely life in his hometown, reminiscing about the good times when he went down to the river to catch fish, climb trees and pick fruits, but now he feels deeply bound and troubled.
However, after living in Beijing for a while, she was immediately conquered by the city's rich bookish atmosphere and rich and diverse learning resources, especially in the course of a chance experiment, she peeked into the mysterious charm of the microscopic world from the microscope, and thus developed a strong interest in biology, and since then, the field of biological science has become Yan Ning's unswerving pursuit.
3. Tsinghua Aillas, an indissoluble bond with the temple of biology
In that college entrance examination years full of challenges and opportunities, Yan Ning always had a keen interest in the field of biology, so she chose to apply for the Department of Biology of Tsinghua University without hesitation.
She is full of endless expectations and yearning for the magical power of being able to deeply explore the microscopic worldFinally, in 1996, Yan Ning was successfully admitted to Tsinghua University with her own efforts and talents, opening the prelude to a new chapter in her lifeIn addition to her heavy studies, she also actively participated in various extracurricular activities to comprehensively improve her overall quality, and even served as the president of the student union of the Department of Biology.
In her junior year, due to Yan Ning's outstanding academic literacy and extraordinary scientific research talent, Professor Rao Zihe, a structural biologist, was discerning and invited her to join his laboratory.
Under the careful guidance of this senior tutor, Yan Ning quickly grew into a core member of the laboratory, and her love for biology became stronger and stronger.
In the face of the upcoming graduation date, Yan Ning has won the favor of many well-known scientific research institutions at home and abroad with her outstanding academic achievements, and has extended olive branches to her, hoping to promote the development of the subject field with her scientific research strength.
Fourth, Princeton students, fruitful
Just when Yan Ning was uncertain about his future career, a veritable "nobleman" quietly arrived - he was the leading expert in the field of biology at Princeton University, the prestigious Professor Shi Yigong.
Rewind the time to 1989, after graduating from Tsinghua University, Shi Yigong went to the United States to study, and successfully obtained a doctorate, and finally won many honors such as academician of the American Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which can be called a leader in the academic world.
In the same year, Shi Yigong returned to his alma mater to give academic lectures, and at the same time actively recruited talents for Princeton University.
After the lecture, Yan Ning, with his extraordinary wisdom and courage, took the initiative to recommend himself to Shi Yigong, expressing his ardent desire to enter Princeton University for further study. In her confident cover letter, she firmly stated, "I firmly believe that I have all the qualities that your school is looking for, and if Princeton accepts me, I won't have to spend time and effort applying to other schools."
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Yan Ning's talent and affirmation of self-worth deeply touched Shi Yigong. Soon after, she received an acceptance letter from Princeton University and began a seven-year study abroad journey in the United States.
When she first entered the Princeton campus, Yan Ning cherished this rare opportunity and devoted herself to her studies and scientific research. She often forgets to sleep and eat, and devotes herself to laboratory research day and night, determined to make a difference in the academic field.
After only three years of unremitting efforts, Yan Ning's research results have made a major breakthrough, and his published papers have been widely recognized and highly praised by the academic community.
It is worth mentioning that in 2004, Yan Ning successfully obtained his doctorate in just four years, while others often take seven years or more to complete this arduous task.
However, even with such impressive results, Yan Ning was still not satisfied, and with her endless love for science, she decided to continue her postdoctoral degree to further deepen her research.
Time is like an arrow, and time is like a shuttle. In the blink of an eye, the year 2007 has come, and at this time, Yan Ning has successfully completed all the advanced courses, and is faced with an important choice in his life -- whether to stay in the United States to continue to engage in scientific research, or to return to his homeland to contribute to the cause of science and technology education in the motherland? Although the United States has provided extremely generous treatment in an attempt to retain this outstanding talent, Yan Ning finally chose to return to the motherland without hesitation.
5. Return to your alma mater, both science and education
When Yan Ning stepped into the campus she was very familiar with again, she did not indulge in the glory of the past, but instead set her sights on one of the most challenging and valuable areas of structural biology - the structural elucidation of membrane proteins.
This field has long attracted the attention of scientists around the world, because for the past half century, it has been shrouded in the shadow of world-class scientific problems, and has yet to achieve a substantial breakthrough.
In the face of such a severe challenge, Yan Ning did not appear cowardly and timid, on the contrary, she was high-spirited and moved forward bravely. She has assembled a vibrant team of researchers, the average age of which is less than 30 years old.
Yan Ning led this group of young people to bravely meet the challenge, they explored day and night, and paid unimaginable hard work to overcome this stubborn problem.
This achievement is undoubtedly of epoch-making significance, and major international awards and honors have come one after another. Yan Ning has published as many as 22 high-quality papers in top academic journals such as Nature, Science and Cell, and it is especially worth mentioning that Nature magazine has praised her as the "Star of Chinese Science" without hesitation, which is undoubtedly the best affirmation of her outstanding contributions!
After returning to China, Yan Ning is like a dazzling new star in scientific research, and her achievements in her personal career are unrivaled and radiant. However, as a teacher and doctoral supervisor, she was not satisfied with personal success, but did her best to pass on her knowledge and wisdom to those who came after her, and cultivated 7 outstanding doctoral talents for the motherland.
In general, whether from the perspective of scientific research achievements or education and education, Yan Ning is impeccable, and her fruitful results are gratifying. She shows the unique charm of women in the new era: she loves her career, pursues her ideals, and bravely climbs the peak of science; at the same time, she also adheres to the fine traditions of the Chinese nation, and is willing to be a teacher, teach and solve doubts.