Q: Why high school and college students？
A: The reason for recruiting high school and college students as the target audience is that these two groups are at the peak of their creativity, imagination, and energy. High school students are typically filled with curiosity about the unknown world, while college students are actively pursuing professional development and deepening academic interests. During this period, young individuals exhibit the following characteristics:
Creativity and Imagination: Both high school and college students are at the pinnacle of creative thinking, harboring a desire to explore the realms of science and technology. The studio provides them with a platform to unleash their creativity and imagination, encouraging exploration in the world of nanoscience.
Energetic: These age groups usually possess abundant energy and are willing to invest themselves in in-depth academic research and practice. Their enthusiasm to explore and solve problems is crucial for engaging in computer molecular simulation projects that require patience and focus.
Desire for Learning: High school and college students share a strong thirst for knowledge. The studio offers them an opportunity to pursue academic depth and practical experience, helping them integrate theoretical knowledge with real-world applications.
Cross-Age Collaboration: Students from both age groups can inspire each other in cross-age collaborations, sharing different perspectives and experiences to form a creatively diverse academic team.
By combining these two groups, the studio maximizes the youthful and vibrant characteristics of the participants, infusing fresh thinking and innovative energy into the exploration of the nanoworld.
In addition, this studio’s recruitment of high school and college students is based on the following considerations:
Educational Cultivation: By attracting high school students, the studio can provide them with early scientific research experiences, sparking their interest in nanoscience and computer molecular simulation. For college students, this offers an opportunity for in-depth exploration in the field, providing them with a higher level of academic experience.
Cultivating Interests: High school students are typically in the early stages of career and academic interest development. By introducing nanoscience and computer simulation, the studio can help them discover their interests and career paths. For college students, this provides an opportunity to deepen their professional interests and apply them in practical scenarios.
Promoting STEM Education: Involving high school and college students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields contributes to nurturing the next generation of scientists and engineers. This aligns with the goal of promoting STEM education and career development.
Community Impact: Attracting high school and college students to join the studio can create a broader impact within the community, fostering a positive academic and innovative atmosphere.
Overall, recruiting high school and college students brings diverse perspectives and participants to the studio, simultaneously offering participants opportunities that align with their academic and career needs.
Q: What can students learn?
A: It’s important to note that all our tasks are accomplished through computers.
Students embark on a hands-on journey, starting from scratch to assemble computer components into a functional system tailored for scientific computation. This immersive experience not only imparts hardware expertise but also cultivates essential practical skills.
In the pursuit of maintaining the computing cluster, students will acquire proficiency in Linux system administration, encompassing fundamental command-line operations, utilization of the VI editor, scripting with Shell scripts, Intel Fortran and C compilers, and the configuration, security, and optimization of Web/FTP/MySQL/Samba servers. This comprehensive curriculum empowers students with skills akin to those of Linux system administrators.
Our scientific research code is primarily written in Fortran and C languages. The extensive computational data obtained during the research requires processing and analysis using Python, resulting in the creation of professional and aesthetically pleasing charts suitable for publication in academic journals. Throughout the process of achieving research objectives, students will gradually master these essential programming languages.
The studio’s objective is not just to impart foundational theories and professional knowledge but, more importantly, to cultivate students’ ability for independent problem analysis and resolution, coupled with a spirit of innovation.
Q: How long does it take to publish an academic paper?
A: Publishing papers is one of the ways many researchers showcase their achievements, serving as a significant indicator of their academic capabilities across various industries.
The time it takes to publish an academic paper depends on various factors, including the complexity of the research topic, the time and effort invested, the students’ talents, and the quality of the journal to which the paper is submitted.
In the field of chemical engineering, the globally recognized premier journal, AIChE Journal, publishes less than 450 papers annually. The entire process, from completing research work to submitting the paper and its formal acceptance, can take anywhere from six months to one year. In contrast, top journals in the chemistry field, such as JACS, may have a much shorter timeframe, possibly ranging from 1 to 3 months. Therefore, the choice of the journal for submission significantly influences the publication timeline.
Generally, for a graduate student to progress from a novice in a particular field to achieving professional outcomes, it typically takes 10-20 months. Assuming the student visits the studio once a week, each session lasting 2 hours, and spends time completing tasks assigned by the teacher each week, and intensifies research efforts during semester breaks, the student will undergo a complete process, from topic selection to publishing a paper, within a span of one to two years.
Q: What is the scope of research?
A: Our research is interdisciplinary, encompassing knowledge from various fields such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, energy, environment, and computer science. While it’s not feasible for an individual to be an expert in all these disciplines, through the studio’s training, one can become a specialist in a specific area. Our research is not confined to a particular domain; we encourage students to scientifically explore nano-related issues of personal interest. Of course, selecting topics within the teacher’s specialized research area provides more guidance and accelerates the achievement of results.
Q: How large is the studio?
A: Conducting research requires a significant investment of time and effort. Therefore, for students without strong research interests and goals, persevering and achieving academic outcomes can be challenging. Our studio adopts a group-based approach, with each group comprising approximately four-five students. This method facilitates teamwork and allows for the distribution of research tasks, thereby reducing the difficulty and workload for each student. Additionally, considering the limited extracurricular time available for high school students, organizing them into smaller research project groups helps foster collaboration and ensures that each student can contribute effectively.
Q: I have no prior knowledge; can I do this?
A: No problem. Remember, interest is the best teacher. Start from scratch, follow your interests, delve deeper, and gradually, you’ll become a professional in this field. With dedication and curiosity as your guides, there’s no limit to what you can achieve. You’re not alone in this journey. You have a group of fellow research group members who are of similar age, with whom you can exchange ideas, learn together, and progress together. Additionally, you have a teacher with over 20 years of research experience guiding you forward.
Q: What activities does the studio offer?
A: In the future, we plan to strengthen communication and collaboration with universities, research institutions, and businesses. We aim to invite experts in relevant fields to visit the studio, conduct academic lectures, and provide appropriate guidance to students, allowing them to stay informed about the latest advancements in the field of nanocomputing. We also encourage students to participate in related academic conferences, science and technology competitions, and other activities. In essence, our goal is not only to cultivate students’ professional skills but also to create an environment where students can joyfully engage in original research activities.
Q: Is the fee expensive?
A: Nanoworld Discovery Studio is a non-profit individual organization, and therefore, the fee structure is within a reasonable range that each person can afford. The fees collected primarily contribute to maintaining the regular operation of the studio. This includes expenses for studio space rental, workstation computers, computing servers, office desks and chairs, hardware facilities, internet fees, website maintenance, utilities, and the general remuneration for the teachers’ labor.