Ye Qianhe
-24’ Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate of ZJUI.
-During her time at ZJUI, she was awarded multiple honors including the Zhejiang Provincial Government Scholarship, Zhejiang University First-Class Scholarship, and the Dean’s List for Academic Excellence.
-She is a diligent learner with a keen pursuit of knowledge.
-She actively explores to unleash her research potentials.
How did she gain favors from world’s top universities?
How did she pinpoint her personal development direction?
How did she explore herself?
Let’s unlock the path of self-improvement with Ye Qianhe!
01 Challenging herself in mechanical engineering to great achievements
The four years at ZJUI have been a process filled with challenges and continuous growth. The rapid change of roles, full schedule of courses, and English teaching environment all put considerable pressure on Ye Qianhe when she first joined ZJUI, but looking back on these four years, she believed everything was worth it. “For me, this is a whole new and unique learning environment. Hence, finding my own pace and planning my studies ahead was critical,” shares Ye Qianhe. This is also her secret in maintaining steadiness and drawing vitality when she faced with confusion, pressure, and challenges. Throughout these four years, she made full use of the cross-disciplinary platforms, the Undergraduate Research Training Program (SRTP), summer research and other research practice opportunities provided by the institute. She applied the theory learned in class to practice, as well as trained her engineering thinking and solved engineering problems in practice. At the same time, she regularly initiated discussions with instructors and peers to spark intellectual collisions, expand her scientific perspectives, and reinforce her love for her discipline. Currently, Ye Qianhe is making orderly progress with her classmates on the Senior Design project. Thanks to the cross-innovation training features of ZJUI, each student’s senior design project requires collaboration with peers from different disciplines. “The senior design project, which emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, demands us to integrate the professional knowledge and skills we have acquired over four years with those from different disciplines, ultimately creating a tangible object,” says Ye Qianhe. “Not only is this a comprehensive test of our learning outcomes, but it also serves as a significant opportunity for showcasing our capabilities in innovation, creativity, and engineering practice.”
▲ Ye Qianhe conducted lab experiments for Senior Design Project
“As a student of Mechanical Engineering, the excellent cross-disciplinary innovative educational and research platforms at ZJUI have not only provided me with a wealth of professional knowledge but also cultivated my problem-solving abilities, team cooperation spirit, and broad international vision,” as Ye Qianhe suggests. ZJUI’s education philosophy of “student-oriented, cross-innovation” not only emphasizes students’ theoretical knowledge learning but more importantly, focuses on igniting students’ research innovation potential, providing assurance for students’ diversified development.
Through her relentless exploration and passion for her discipline, Ye Qianhe received offers from 10 world-renowned universities including Stanford University, Carnegie Mellon University, University of California Berkeley, ETH Zurich, and Cornell University. These offers served as a satisfactory response to her four years of academic endeavors. She is soon to pursue a master’s program in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University.
02 adhering to the spirit of self-motivating and tirelessness in exploration
Ye Qianhe is well aware of the importance of practice. She actively explored different research directions in the field of Mechanical Engineering, continuously seeking areas that suited her interests. She has worked on a project studying the scattering characteristics of random media in 3D printing under the guidance of Assist Prof. Tan Shurun at ZJUI. During this time, Qianhe utilized her extra-curricular time to read related literature, understanding the theoretical knowledge and practical application cases in this field. Through continuous learning and hands-on practice, she found joy in exploring unknown fields. She overcame the various challenges faced by beginners and successfully conducted a series of experimental tests using Vector Network Analyzers andanechoic chamber designs, to compare the Radar Cross Section (RCS) values of 3D prints with the theoretical values based on the Vector Network Analyzer. Finally, she designed and produced a guide rail platform using the 3D modeling design software, Solid Works, to accommodate more potential measurement states.
During her exchange study at UIUC, Ye Qianhe joined the summer internship program at the UIUC Health Care Engineering Systems Center. This program aims to improve health care levels through interdisciplinary research among engineers, clinicians, and social scientists. As a newcomer to the project, she faced many challenges in the research process. However, she never gave up and actively discussed with her instructors and team members about the research. She repeatedly reviewed her decisions and methods, troubleshooted the overlooked details, and brainstormed innovative solutions with her peers. “These experiences made me realize that challenges and failures are not to be feared. As long as we keep the right mindset and dare to face challenges, we can solve problems step by step. At the same time, I feel very fortunate to have many good instructors and friends who have helped and supported me in the course of my research, enabling me to consistently break through my limits and reach new heights,” says Ye Qianhe. Finally, along with her project members, she designed a mechanical device for the microscopic tool-tissue interaction based on advanced technology such as finite element analysis, digital twinning, and CAD modeling. She published a paper titled “Digital-Twin for Surgical Tool-Tissue Interaction: Systems Perspective” at the ANNSIM 2024 Modeling and Simulation Conference as the second author for students.
▲ Photograph of Ye Qianhe with her project members at UIUC summer internship program
▲ DT systems diagram from “Digital-Twin for Surgical Tool-Tissue Interaction: Systems Perspective”
While scientific exploration is full of passion, it is also replete with setbacks and challenges. To maintain a positive attitude throughout the process, Ye Qianhe has her own ways. Aside from her busy coursework, she likes to watch some film and television productions to relax. “As a student in a technical field, film and TV shows can broaden my horizons and introduce me to the world beyond my professional area. At the same time, they allow me to let my mind wander and relieve fatigue, thus enabling me to put more high-quality and efficient effort into my studies and research,” she says. Beyond that, Ye Qianhe is also a big fan of sports, especially running, which could strengthen her physique and relieve study stress. In her freshman year, she achieved a commendable second place in the women’s 100-meter hurdles at Zhejiang University’s sports meeting.
03 Instructors are like torches, guiding the way beyond
Looking back on her past research time, Ye Qianhe is extremely grateful for the outstanding instructors and friends she has met along the way. She said she never walked alone, nor did she simply follow the crowd. “During the past four years, I have found my interest in research and perfected my scientific thinking through different feedbacks, and it is the mentors and partners who have accompanied me along the way that have enabled me to calm down and improve my skills.” Ye Qianhe shared. “I’m fortunate to have met a fantastic instructor - Assist Prof. Tan Shurun at ZJUI, right at the beginning of my research journey. His professional enlightenment and meticulous guidance made my research path more firm and meaningful.” During the research process, Assist Prof. Tan gave her full trust and support, allowing her to dare to try and break boundaries, and encouraged her to feel the essence behind theoretical knowledge. When encountering difficulties, Assist Prof. Tan always patiently listened to her doubts and looked for solutions collectively. During her exchange period, Qianhe had an unforgettable encounter with Inki Kim, a researcher at UIUC’s Health Care Engineering Systems Center. During the project internship, Inki Kim would regularly hold group meetings to discuss academic difficulties with Qianhe and team members, guiding them to brainstorm, express their views, and stimulate academic inspiration. Outside the project, Inki Kim would talk about daily life and future planning just like a friend, actively providing advice to Ye Qianhe on life and career. After the project ended, Inki Kim continued to guide Qianhe in her future research direction and further study choices. “Whether in academics or daily life, Inki Kim, a mentor and friend, always supports and encourages me, providing me with targeted guidance and help, and gives me the power to keep moving forward.” Qianhe shared with us.
“Qianhe has a strong capacity for learning and research. In the summer research project I supervised, she practically started from scratch. After reading a massive amount of literature, she meticulously collected experimental data for analysis and processing to reach meaningful conclusions and verify the accuracy of the experiment, demonstrating a strong thirst for knowledge, desire to explore, and innovative mindset. This is something I deeply admire.” said Assist Prof. Tan Shurun of ZJUI.
Research is not a solitary journey in search of truth but requires the company of good instructors and friends. Over the past four years, ZJUI’s atmosphere of “peer encouragement” and the philosophy of “learning from teaching” have deeply influenced Ye Qianhe, making her stay humble and keep exploring throughout her research journey.
Suggestions for ZJUIers
1.Embrace yourself and maintain a positive mindset. Everyone has times when they are not in their best state. This is inevitable, and there’s no need to feel overly anxious about it and fall into a vicious cycle. We need to learn to adjust our mindset and positively deal with the difficulties and challenges in life. Also, there’s no need to overly envy the success of others. Only by steadfastly walking our own path can we continue to enrich ourselves and live to our full potential.
2.Engage with professors more and be bold to seize opportunities. The professors at ZJUI are very willing to do their best to help students, so there’s no need to feel burdened when reaching out to them. Instead, you should strive to seize the opportunity to pursue knowledge, step out of your comfort zone, and achieve a better version of yourself.
