After several rounds of evaluation, the "2020 Chinese Government Outstanding International Student Scholarship" selection result has been released by the Ministry of Education. Rafay Ahmed, Ph.D. student from School of Earth and Space Sciences, and Purushothaman Vithiyapathy, Ph.D. student from School of Humanities and Social Sciences, won the prestigious award.
The "Chinese Government Outstanding International Student Scholarship" is an annual awarding program set up by the Ministry of Education, aiming to commend international students who study diligently in China and make contribution to the cultural exchange between China and foreign countries. Candidates were nominated by colleges and universities, and then evaluated by experts based on their academic achievements, research capability, and activity performance. After a long process of comprehensive evaluation and competitive selection, the awardee list was determined by the Ministry of Education.
Awardee 1: Rafay Ahmed
“My name is Rafay Ahmed, and I am from Pakistan. Currently, I am working as a PhD student at the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Earth and Space Sciences under the supervision of Prof. Guijian Liu. My PhD research work is 'Carbon-based microporous material for CO2 capture'. During my studies, I faced several challenges, but with the guidance of my supervisor and the support of lab-fellows, I solved all of them and realized that these challenges were to strengthen me. I have published more than 15 research/review papers as a first and co-author in well reputed journals with high impact. I believe that 'hard-work' can never be substituted. It is a matter of great honor for me to win 'Outstanding International Student Scholarship'. It happened due to the consistent inspiration of my supervisor, my family and all my lab-mates. USTC recommended me to be evaluated by the Ministry of Education and I feel very lucky to be selected for this award. I am very thankful to leadership, administration and volunteer students of International College USTC, who supported me in all this journey and especially facilitated me during my challenging time of pandemic while I was staying in China. I will always be thankful to USTC because it changed my life for better.”
Awardee 2：Purushothaman Vithiyapathy
“I am Vithiyapathy Purushothaman from India, a Doctoral Candidate in School of Humanities and Social Sciences, whose supervisor is Professor Song Wei. First of all, I want to give my very special thanks to International College of USTC for nominating me as one among outstanding international students. My enormous salutes go to each and every nominee of this year who had made outstanding contributions to the scientific and cultural communities. It's a great honor and pleasure to receive this prestigious 'Outstanding International Student Scholarship' from Ministry of Education. Winning this award would not have been possible without the encouragement and guidance of my honorable supervisor Prof. Song Wei. I joined USTC in 2017 by gaining Chinese Government Scholarship through the nomination of Ministry of Human Resources and Development of India. My journey at USTC began when I got opportunities to learn Chinese language and culture in the first year of my PhD. Learning Chinese has broadened my perspective of China's economic, political and social structure. International College of USTC has provided various opportunities to understand and learn Chinese culture and tradition which is unique and a bundle of package to the humanity. During my studies, I have published my papers in leading journals and participated in various national and international conferences held in universities across China. This award is a motivation to work hard and strive in the research career. Being at USTC is a great opportunity for any student for their academic excellence and understanding traditional Chinese culture as well as for advanced academic interactions and research.”
USTC has always been attaching great importance to the cultivation of international students. With its commitment to talent cultivation and research innovation, USTC improved its teaching and training quality through many effective measures, not only by inspiring international students' academic thoughts and research progress, but also by deepening their understanding of Chinese culture and broadening their vision in a multi-cultural context. USTC will take advantage of the exemplary role of the award to continue helping more international students achieve personal development and cultivating more high-level talents for the world.
