Exploring into the unknown: LI Qixiu's inspiring journey at ZJU

On the campus of ZJU, there is a group of young people who are solid in their professional skills and actively seek expansion; they promote an innovative spirit, bravely climb the peak of scientific research, and aspire to become versatile talents. In various fields, they continue to move forward, daring to break through, displaying the characteristics that ZJU's youth should possess. They are praised as "top students" by everyone and are also the creators of their own colorful university lives.

LI Qixiu, an undergraduate student majoring in Physics at ZJU, has consistently ranked first in his major throughout three years. He has previously received the National Scholarship and the First Prize Scholarship of ZJU. Additionally, he has won two national-level awards in mathematical modeling, as well as seven provincial awards in mathematics and physics competitions. In terms of research, he has conducted relevant studies in the fields of physics and artificial intelligence in computer science.

Upon hearing the news of receiving the Chu Kochen Scholarship, LI Qixiu was sharing his expertise with junior students at a professional seminar. "Beyond delight, I also feel a stronger sense of responsibility to challenge myself rigorously and help my fellow students to the best of my ability," he said.

Since childhood, LI Qixiu dreamed of becoming an inventor. He participated in physics competitions in high school and decisively chose to major in physics in university. The longer he studied physics, the more fascinated he became by it. "Physics informs us about the understanding of the material world. How it is formed, how various interactions are depicted, and how to transform this world... Whenever he talks about physics," LI exudes a deep love for the subject.

The path of competitions and scientific research is not smooth sailing. During the Shenzhen Cup Mathematical Modeling Competition, LI Qixiu's team started learning from the most basic knowledge, nearly overturning their previous results every week and starting over from scratch. This experience also led him to delve into deeper knowledge and connect with more outstanding partners. The beginning of scientific research may be full of challenges, but as he said, "You don't need to know everything when you start research; you can boldly try first and then gradually supplement your knowledge." Through each attempt, he explores into the unknown.

When asked about his learning experience behind his outstanding achievements, LI said, "my goal in learning is to master knowledge and skills, rather than being grade-oriented." In his study of professional courses, he often closes his books, recalls the logic and structure of newly acquired knowledge, and constructs his own knowledge system in his mind. Additionally, he enjoys finding flaws in his knowledge system through discussions with teachers and classmates, thereby correcting these errors.

In the future, he will continue to move forward with his love for physics and enthusiasm for scientific research, embracing the light of knowledge.

Adapted and translated from the article written by ZHU Yiming
Translator: WANG Qiuyu('26, Journalism)
Photo: the interviewee
Editor: HAN Xiao('25 PhD, Education), TIAN Minjie