Student from School of Earth Sciences Conduct Academic Exchange at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Recently, Mengli Shi, a student from School of Earth Sciences at Zhejiang University, successfully completed a two-month summer research program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). During this period, she not only received comprehensive and professional research training but also made significant progress in academic communication and personal development.

Throughout the research, Mengli engaged in daily discussions with her postdoctoral mentor, reporting on her research progress, discussing challenges, and planning the next steps. In addition, she held weekly meetings with her professor to review her achievements over the past week. During group meetings, Mengli collaborated with her team members to study relevant literature and share updates on their research, continually broadening her academic horizons. Beyond the close collaboration with her research team, Mengli actively participated in various academic activities within the department. Weekly tea breaks provided opportunities to strengthen connections with other members of the department, and attending scientific lectures exposed her to some of the world’s most cutting-edge research topics and developments. These experiences not only expanded her scientific knowledge but also significantly improved her ability to communicate research in English, particularly in expressing ideas and asking questions effectively.

Mengli’s research focused on global temperatures and surface extreme temperature trends. Using MIT’s supercomputers, she conducted regression analysis and produced visualizations. These tasks not only enhanced her programming skills but also trained her to confront and overcome challenges that arose during the research process. During her project, Mengli frequently compared her findings with results from leading scientific journals. In one instance, she noticed a significant discrepancy between her distribution map and the results in a published paper. To resolve this issue, Mengli engaged in multiple discussions with her team members and professor, exploring various computational methods. Eventually, she reached out to the paper's author via email to inquire about the research details, which helped clarify the confusion. These incidents served as constant reminders of the importance of precision and rigor in research, highlighting the need to thoroughly investigate any anomalies.

Reflecting on the entire summer program, Mengli expressed her deep appreciation for the experience. She not only learned the working methods of researchers at a world-class institution but also witnessed their passion for research and their ability to balance work and life. The rich academic atmosphere at MIT, the open and inclusive environment, and the egalitarian relationships between students and faculty left a lasting impression on her. Mengli remarked, “Every day at MIT, I felt joyful absorbing knowledge, and I could see myself improving each day.” This invaluable experience has undoubtedly laid a strong foundation for her future academic career and provided her with meaningful insights for her personal and professional growth.