What happens at China’s ‘X-Institute’ for gifted scientists of the future
- China’s future scientists are being nurtured and guided in their education journey at the X-Institute in Shenzhen
- Students are encouraged to research what interests them as teachers support their work
Known simply as the X-Institute, it encourages students to be inquisitive and to research what they are most interested in, with teachers at the school helping them along the way.
Students as young as 14 are challenged with questions, such as what should humans do on Mars, and encouraged to innovate as they seek answers.
With guidance from scientist mentors at the last summer school, they undertook all manner of scientific study – proposing new ways to build unmanned aircraft, rovers and robots as well as soil sampling tools, constructing Mars bases using 3D printers, and creating food, energy and construction materials from microorganisms.
Students at the academy are also challenged with research areas such as designing new robotic grippers, developing games that operate on biological processes, and looking into the nanoscale detail when solids and liquids meet.
“We are creating an unprecedented learning experience. The short-term summer and winter school programmes show that innovative education can be very enjoyable,” Zheng said.
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An academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences specialising in solid and micro-nano mechanics, Zheng set up the innovation-based academy funded by the Shenzhen government in 2021. He drew from his experience leading a pilot programme in talent development for undergraduate students as a professor at Tsinghua University.
The X-Institute’s student-oriented model aims to help students find their passion, use local or overseas scientists to mentor them on their scientific quests and then tap into their skills to help solve global problems.
The Tsien Excellence in Engineering programme, named after him, aimed to address that question when it was launched at Tsinghua University, a month before Qian died at the age of 98 in 2009. It was one of several honour classes under the Experimental Programme for the Cultivation of Top Talents in Basic Sciences that were put forward by the Ministry of Education as a way to develop future scientists.
Yuan Bo, a graduate of the Tsien Elite Class of 2016 who is now an associate professor at Beihang University in Beijing, said her undergraduate studies laid the foundation and become a booster for her research on liquid metal.
“The course focused on cultivating students’ sensitivity in scientific research from the very start. We got to attend talks on cutting-edge technologies and be mentored one-on-one by university researchers,” she said.
“While we gained basic scientific knowledge, the school encouraged us to go to labs for hands-on training. The practice primed us for our research during the PhD stage.”
She said the Tsien programme’s curriculum was more challenging than regular undergraduate classes and provided a more intimate learning environment.
“Classes are smaller in the programme – teachers are more aware of our progress and we have better relationships among classmates. There is also more support for studying abroad, including global connections from mentors and alumni.”
In the fourth year of her studies, Yuan conducted research at the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering for her senior undergraduate research fellowship.
Along with other graduates from the Tsien class, Yuan now helps mentor students at the X-Institute as a visiting scientist.
“We have gradually grown as scientists and now can start to help nurture the next generation,” she said.
“The institute enjoys more freedom compared to a programme within a university where there might be certain restrictions.
“Being able to cultivate talent from a younger pool is ideal before their development takes a strong shape.”
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The Chinese education system has understood the value of identifying talented students early in their learning journey for some time.
In 1978, at the beginning of higher education reform after the Cultural Revolution, the University of Science and Technology of China started the School of the Gifted Young.
As for secondary education, Beijing has run an “experimental class for gifted children” in the capital city since 1985. The course focuses on cultivating students with potential in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Students recruited at around the age of 10 would finish their secondary education four years earlier than their peers, and then start university at the age of 14 or 15.
For higher education, Xi said the priority should be to speed up the development of world-class universities. This involved shaping strong basic emerging disciplines and fostering cross-discipline research, “aiming at the frontiers of the world’s science and technology and major national strategic needs”.
The X-Institute model is focused on doing just that. At the Shenzhen academy, teachers are transforming classrooms to personalise education for students.
“In conventional education, a teacher leads a big group of students who learn whatever is taught. It satisfies teachers instead of students who would come across many irrelevant topics,” Zheng said.
“But here, students are at the centre of learning for them to grow as top-tier innovative talent who will be capable of tackling major global challenges. Students actively look for teachers who can guide them in exploring issues that they are interested in and might involve different disciplines of science.
He said students might start researching with a solid foundation of core scientific knowledge, rather than trying to acquire a broad range of knowledge beforehand, and pick up more expertise on certain topics as they advanced in their research.
“Cultivating knowledge should be like growing a tree. When students progress in research to extend their branches further, their passion to learn more about the knowledge behind it will see them grow deeper roots. There is no need for 100-metre-deep roots before a tree grows.”
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Students recommended by their schoolteachers or parents are assessed based on five traits – motivation, openness, leadership, grit and wisdom – during the application process, which involves an interview with professors, psychologists and entrepreneurs.
The institute looks for students who “are passionate about scientific and technological innovation, willing to study science in the long run, and determined to change the world and benefit humanity through science and technology”.
After a three-month programme, half the students typically stay on to continue their studies with the institute. For secondary schools and universities that are part of the institute’s alliance, including Harbin Institute of Technology, Tsinghua University, University of Science and Technology of China, Xian Jiaotong University and Zhejiang University, students can transfer credit for studies from the institute to their schools.
Students have access to modern laboratories with study areas including micro-nano technology, life sciences, big data, mechanical assembly, electronics and sustainable development. Classes are run in Chinese and English and led by Chinese and international scientists.
“Many people with creativity, vision and passion have moved to the city to launch businesses. Parents here are more open to new models of education and are happy to allow their children more freedom to choose their paths,” he said.
But, he added, he hopes to spread the innovative education model across the country and attract international talent.
