Ten of us students and two teachers from Kuang Yaming (KYM) Honors School took our 20-day study trip to USA from August 14 to September 2, 2019.

We flew from the west coast, which was famous for its waves, beaches and sunshine, to the heartland known as the cowboys’ homeland and then to the east coast, which was bustling yet warm and friendly. We visited the headquarters of companies on the Silicon Valley such as LinkedIn, Apple, Facebook and Instagram and experienced the atmosphere of world leading institutions like the University of California, Berkley, Stanford University, the Ohio State University, Duke University and the University of North Carolina. During the 20 days, we traveled a lot, saw a lot, met a lot of excellent students and professors who were at the forefront of many disciplines, and gained a lot of knowledge beyond textbooks.

First Stop: California (from August 14 to 18)

We happened to meet Xia Lei, an alumnus of Class of 2000 who graduated from the School of Intensive Instruction in Sciences and Arts (predecessor of Kuang Yaming Honors School), on the flight from Shanghai to San Francisco. After we arrived in San Francisco, Xia Lei and his wife showed us around the headquarters of international companies. In the Silicon Valley, we met many alumni of KYM School and Nanjing University, who were making their own contributions to the development of science, technology and society.

Students and alumni of Kuang Yaming Honors School at LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram

At the University of California, Berkeley, Professor Zhang Wenjun, an alumnus of Class of 1998, warmly received the group. During their conversation, he talked about his years of study and research, shared his opinions in research, and answered questions from the students.

A photo taken with Professor Zhang in the Stanley Hall after the campus tour

Chen Jingjia, an alumnusalumna of Class of 2014 who was studying at UC Berkleygraduated from Kuang Yaming Honors School, also shared her experience in the States as well as at KYM School. With laughter and joy, we toured the campus of UC Berkley and also heard the carillon of Sather Tower.

Second Stop: Oklahoma (from August 19 to 25)

We spent a wonderful week at OklahomaOhio State University (OSU) under the careful arrangement of Dr. Vivan Wang, the manager of China Programs and Development at School of Global Studies and Partnerships, OSU, and also Marcia, Bacon and other student TAsassistants. During this week, we attended in two classes, Leadership Development and American Culture, and gained first-hand experience of the diverse and interesting forms of classes at OSU. We also gained a deeper understanding of OSU, the State Oklahoma, and the cultural differences between China and America.

Students having a class at OSU

We visited many laboratories at OSU, and a power plant, which we first thought was a botanical garden. We were impressed by the large sizes of the laboratories and also marveled at how OSU professors and students put to practice the knowledge from their textbooks and how closely they combined research with market applications. During our conversations with alumni and professors, we learned about the importance of research and technological development.

We spent a lot of lovely and unforgettable time on OSU’s campus as if we were freshmen there. We enjoyed the beautiful campus scenery, played ping-pong at the Recreation Center and walked along an unknown lake. We saw various kinds of insects in the Insects Adventure, and we explored every corner of the campus. We participated in various events at the beginning of a new semester and played on the swings in front of the library in the company of the carillon at night. Everyone had spent a lovely and unforgettable week studying and living on campus as OSU students, experiencing a different culture.

Third Stop: North Carolina (from August 26 to September 1)

We had a wonderful and fulfilling week at Duke University with the careful arrangement of Ms. Connie Cox at the Department of Physics at the Duke University. In this week, we participated in dozens of lectures, ranging from basic introduction to the various disciplines of Duke University, including math, physics, chemistry and biology, to specialized lectures in research fields such as medical physics, statistical physics, biophysics, chemical biology, and big data for machine learning. In addition, we also visited laboratories of the accelerator, gamma-ray source, materials science, medical physics and nuclear physics at Duke University. During the tour, we not only gained relevant specialty knowledge and broadened our horizons from the academic lectures in different research fields, but also learned the way of thinking in research during our conversations with professors. As we visited laboratories in person, we gained first-hand experience of the working environment and daily life of researchers. We understood how a primary idea evolved into innovation and finally into application as well as a deeper understanding of what is science and academic research.

Those students of KYM School who were on the long-term exchange program there often showed us various facilities on campus and treated us to the delicious food. Other alumni also shared us their experience at Duke University. During our free time, we would audit specialized courses, went to the library to experience the academic atmosphere of Duke University, or took the campus shuttle to enjoy the landmarks of the university.

Wherever we went on our journey, we would meet some lovely alumni and friends. They would share their experiences and answer questions for us. Some of them are already top professors at the forefront of their academic research, some in the middle management of top companies, some on their way to further studies, and some classmates who had just arrived in the States. This is probably one of the charms of our Kuang Yaming Honors School. Wherever we went, we were made feel at home. We felt we kept moving forward and always on the way.

The experience of multiple disciplines helped us to think in diverse ways. During the 20-day exchange, we experienced the similarities and differences of the way of learning between Kuang Yaming Honors School and other internationally renowned institutions. We closely felt the academic environment of Ivy League universities and their strengths in research. We also realized that we still had a lot of knowledge to gain and a long way to go. We are grateful to the valuable opportunity provided by the school and hope we will continue to explore and pursue our goals with this precious memory.

Written and photos taken by Yang Ruochen, Class of 2017, Kuang YaminYaming Honors School

September 5, 2019