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On January 14, 2026, Professor Yang Zhenbiao,Directorof theInstitute of Emerging Agricultural TechnologyofShenzhen University of Advanced Technology, was invited to return to the Affiliated Fuqing Dewang Middle School of Fujian Normal University. Back at his alma mater after years away, he delivered a passionate and substantive lecture, building a bridge between scientific research and personal growth for more than 400 teachers and students, and demonstrating the responsibility of scientific researchers to give back to education and stay true to their original aspirations.

In the 1980s, Professor Yang Zhenbiao pursued his doctoral studies in the United States and taught at The Ohio State University, the University of California, and other institutions. As one of the world’s leading scholars in plant science, he has dedicated decades to research, which serves as an inspiring lesson. During the visit, accompanied by Principal Lin Yongxu and administrative leaders, Professor Yang visited the campus Life and Practice Center, the Fuqing Science and Technology Museum Dewang Middle School Branch, the Soil and Seedling Cultivation Center, Lide Library, and other venues, gaining an in-depth understanding of his alma mater’s educational environment and development. When visiting innovative labs such as the Carbon Neutrality Laboratory, Zebrafish Laboratory, and Plant Tissue Culture Room, as well as the Top Innovative Talent Training Center, Professor Yang spoke highly of the alma mater’s forward-looking approach to staying at the cutting edge and cultivating scientific talent, and praised the strong culture of scientific innovation on campus.

In the afternoon, Professor Yang Zhenbiao delivered a lecture titled “A Light Chaser on the Road of Scientific Research: My Story of Study and Research” to more than 400 teachers and students. Speaking to the younger students, he talked eloquently about his difficult schooling during childhood, the light of ideals ignited in his youth, and his inspiring story of striving and persevering in the scientific community for decades overseas before achieving success. He also expressed his deep commitment to devoting his lifelong knowledge to serving his motherland. He sincerely hoped that students would seize the present, temper their tenacity through challenges, carry forward the legacy, turn insights into actions, and strive to become talented individuals with both integrity and ability who can contribute to society.

This visit and sharing is a tangible example of Professor Yang Zhenbiao’s belief that “scientific research and education complement each other.” TheInstitute of Emerging Agricultural Technologyhas always believed that researchers should not only tackle technical problems in the laboratory, but also step out of the lab to spread the seeds of science and convey the power of struggle. Professor Yang’s lecture not only opened a window to the world of scientific research for students of his alma mater, but also demonstrated the Institute’s responsibility to serve society and support the growth of young people.

In the future, theInstitute of Emerging Agricultural TechnologyofSUATwill continue to encourage researchers to actively participate in various science outreach and education exchange activities, build bridges between scientific research and education in more diversified forms, benefit broader groups with scientific research achievements, inspire more young students to pursue their dreams with the spirit of struggle, and contribute to cultivating more top innovative talents with both integrity and ability for the country.

Attachment:Reflection on Professor Yang Zhenbiao’s Lecture (Author: Lin Miaoyu, Class 8, Grade 11)

Listening to Professor Yang Zhenbiao’s lecture, his life journey of study and research unfolded slowly before my eyes like a clear stream reflecting the moon, leaving a deep mark on my heart.

In middle school, he walked ten miles to school with food rations. His perseverance in spite of hardships was not only a thirst for knowledge, but also planted a seed of plant research in his heart. Hunger made him determined to plow a new field of botany with knowledge as his plow. So he buried himself in books day and night, accumulating strength through study. When he entered university, the campus was remote and poorly equipped as a newly established institution. Yet he became more clear-minded amid the gap, taking root deeply in the soil of learning, exploring the vast ocean of knowledge with perseverance as his boat. After forty years overseas, he never lost his way, and emerged in the international academic community with solid knowledge and pioneering innovation. Now he has returned to China resolutely to give back to his homeland with all he has learned.

From a rural boy to an international scholar, Professor Yang’s journey was full of hardships: material shortage in schooling, experimental failures in research, loneliness in a foreign land — all obstacles along the way. But with tenacity as his blade and rigor as his ruler, driven by strong will, he nurtured creative insight with passion and focus, bravely pioneering in the unknown field.

Perhaps everyone’s growth path is different, but I believe the qualities needed to break through oneself and explore the unknown are universal. Living in the present, we trek through mountains of books and seas of learning, cultivate in the fertile soil of knowledge, and march forward in the tide of the times. Let us take Professor Yang as an example, stay true to our original aspiration, keep our feet on the ground, broaden our vision, integrate personal ideals into the tide of the times, and write our own glorious life chapters with the pen of youth!