“Meeting with the Masters”——Prof. Zhang Shouwu had a face-to-face conversation with students

During his visit to the school, the world-renowned algebraic topologist Zhang Shouwu shared his stories and research experience as a mathematician. The students were inspired by his idea on how to select research topics and how to read and prepare for it at the early stage of the graduate study. This is the third event of our “Meeting with the Masters” series, held at the Book Bar in June.

Prof. Liu Yifeng, who was a PhD student of Prof. Zhang, hosted the event and shared their stories and interactions at the Columbia University.

Prof. Zhang talked about his own experiences in academics、research and mathematics, also answered questions from the audience with patience and humor.

 He shared his unique point of view, “mathematicians are fortunate for that the history of this discipline is continuous and will last to be remembered”, and that “sometimes being a mathematician is not all about solving problems, but to simply do mathematics as a pure and enjoyable thing.”

“As many students may sometimes struggle during research,” Prof. Zhang suggested, “what is important is not the fact that you cannot solve it, but to understand why you cannot solve it.” He also stressed that the key to success is self-confidence. Prof. Liu added “If one way doesn’t work, you can always try another; however, keep in mind that only years of accumulation and hard-working can lead you to new ideas and sparks of inspiration.”