Graduate Profile:

Chen Weinan graduated from the School of Information Engineering of Xi’an Eurasia University in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in software engineering. During his time at the university, he served as the development team leader and project leader of Smart Enterprise Innovation Research Center, a school-enterprise cooperation studio. He won bronze medals in the Shaanxi Province Higher Education Institution Group and the “Youth Red Dream Building Journey” Group at the 2022 China College Students’ “Internet +” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, the bronze medal at the 2022 “Challenge Cup” Shaanxi College Student Entrepreneurship Plan Competition, the second prize at the 2022 Mathematical Contest in Modeling in the United States, the second prize at the 2021 National College Student Mathematical Modeling Competition, the third prizes at the 2020 and 2022 “Lanqiao Cup” National Programming Competitions, and the second and third prizes at the 2020 and 2021 National College Student Mathematics Competitions as well as many honors such as national scholarships, national incentive scholarships, and the Provincial Outstanding Graduate award. In his senior year, he obtained two software copyrights and co-published a paper on a foreign journal with his teacher. Eventually, he was admitted by Xi’an Shiyou University into the graduate program in computer technology, with the third-highest score in the second-round entrance examination.

In this hot summer, Chen Weinan accepted our interview while being busy with his graduation chores and graduate course preparation. His undergraduate study experience proves that he is a person with clear goals, the courage to take action accordingly, and perseverance.

His resume is full of award-winning experience, practice projects, and excellent achievements, which can prove his love for and efforts in software engineering.

Throughout his undergraduate study, Chen Weinan not only completed the course excellently but also participated in many projects of the school-enterprise cooperation studio. He extended his passion for computer technology, turning his hobby into the pursuit of professional research, and delivered satisfactory results for the four-year university study and life.

01

Turning a Hobby into Research Motivation

Opening the Door to the World of Computer Technology

Chen Weinan’s hometown is in Zhejiang Province, and he has been interested in computers since high school. In his spare time, he studies editing and dubbing and tries to upload works to video websites. So far, the videos he produced have received more than 150,000 hits.

After the National College Entrance Examination, Chen Weinan decided to choose a computer-related major and carry out in-depth studies in his field of interest. After browsing the enrollment information of various universities, he was attracted by Xi’an Eurasia University’s beautiful campus environment and practical curriculum.

(Fig. 1) Teaching Building of the School of Information Engineering

“At first, I was also a little worried. After all, there is a gap in diet and culture between the north and the south. But after seeing the campus environment in Xi’an Eurasia University’s promotional video, I chose the university without hesitation.”

The software engineering major of the School of Information Engineering of Xi’an Eurasia University is a “provincial first-class major” approved by the Education Department of Shaanxi Province in 2017. Guided by international engineering certification standards and after years of practice and exploration, it has formed “software engineering +” interdisciplinary integrated development. Chen Weinan said that the courses in this major opened the door to a new world for him.

(Fig. 2) Teacher Zhang Ping in Class

“Previously, I was simply interested in computers, but now I have the opportunity to develop a deep understanding of how the back system works and write my own programs. It’s amazing. More importantly, I have met many mentors and friends here, especially Ms. Zhang Ping. Her rigorous teaching and exploration of science are my lifelong examples.”

02

Participating in Studio Practice and Professional Competitions

Step by Step towards a Higher Starting Point

In his sophomore year, on the recommendation of Ms. Zhang Ping, Chen Weinan joined the Smart Enterprise Innovation Research Center, a school-enterprise cooperation studio of the School of Information Engineering, and began to participate in more practice projects.

The Smart Enterprise Innovation Research Center takes cultivating applied talents as its mission and serving local economic development as its vision. It has undertaken a large number of software R&D and scientific research work for off-campus enterprises and on-campus teaching informatization.

(Fig. 3) Teachers and students of the Smart Enterprise Innovation Research Center

The studio implements the “five-person tutorial system” and the “mentor-apprentice pairing system”, helping students contact a large number of enterprises during their undergraduate years and gain more project opportunities to practice. Here, Chen Weinan participated in a number of R&D projects including the Eu International Exchange Service Platform, Eustart Campus Entrepreneurship Platform, Fellow Student Xiaoya, and Intelligent Mobile Free-range Chicken House.

Chen Weinan said that he devoted most of his spare time to the studio. One year, he even stayed at school for the whole summer vacation. Especially after becoming the leader of the development team, “I had to check the work progress with each project leader every day and adjust the work allocation for each student. In this process, I not only improved my professional skills but also strengthened my communication skills and ability to execute macro control over projects.”

(Fig. 4) The “Eu International Exchange Service Platform” Mini Program Developed with Chen Weinan’s participation

Chen Weinan’s efforts in specialized studies have yielded gratifying results. The projects he participated in have won many honors such as the bronze medal of the Shaanxi Province Higher Education Institution Group at the 8th China College Students’ “Internet +” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition and the bronze medal at the 2022 “Challenge Cup” Shaanxi College Student Entrepreneurship Plan Competition. In addition, He won the second prize (Honorable Mention) in the 2022 Mathematical Contest in Modeling in the United States.

(Fig. 5) Some award certificates of Chen Weinan

In the whole process of practice and competition, Ms. Zhang Ping was deeply involved in each stage starting from topic selection, giving Chen Weinan a lot of practical guidance and suggestions. “Ms. Zhang Ping is not only a teacher to me but also my friend and life mentor. She has made a very positive impact on my growth and I am deeply grateful for her teachings and care.” said Chen Weinan.

(Fig. 6) Group Photo of Chen Weinan, his fellow students in the studio, and Ms. Zhang Ping (in the middle)

03

Confidence + Perseverance + Encouragement

Successful Admission by Xi’an Shiyou University

In his junior year, Chen Weinan gradually shifted his focus from participating in competitions to preparing for the postgraduate entrance examination. Looking back on the whole examination preparation process, he felt that “perseverance” was the only way to success: “Every September and October can be regarded as a watershed. Many students chose to give up at this stage due to a lack of perseverance. Fortunately, I met several teachers who supported me.”

When Chen Weinan encountered a bottleneck during examination preparation, Ms. Zhang Ping had several talks with him to help him analyze the respective advantages and disadvantages of internships and postgraduate studies, paying attention to his psychological state all the time and encouraging him. Ms. Li Mei and Ms. Xu Yimei, Teachers of the School of Information Engineering, also gave him a lot of guidance on professional knowledge. When Chen Weinan felt lost, Mr. Zhang Dangfeng often talked with him and taught him some ways of dealing with people and working in a team.

Chen Weinan said, “I had a period of confusion when preparing for the postgraduate entrance examination. After all, there was a risk of failure, while many of my fellow students were already looking for jobs at that time. Finally, with the encouragement of my teachers, I chose to continue this path until I was successfully admitted.”

(Fig. 7) Graduation Group Photo of Chen Weinan, Ms. Xu Yimei (on the left), and Ms. Zhao Xiangmei (on the right).

After successfully passing the preliminary round of examination, Chen Weinan sorted out the works of his practice projects and entries during his undergraduate years. These achievements helped him easily get high marks in the second round. Finally, he was admitted by Xi’an Petroleum University, with the third-highest score in the second round.

Chen Weinan’s research direction at the postgraduate stage is artificial intelligence deep learning. He is full of expectations for this industry which is full of challenges and opportunities. Not yet being enrolled, Chen Weinan has begun to prepare for a new phase of study at the request of his graduate advisor.

Chen Weinan still remembers Ms. Zhang Ping’s encouragement: “‘Listen, the horn sounds; Look, the silver swallow soars; The firewood is about to be passed on and a long road will be taken.’ This is what Ms. Zhang Ping once added to my speech script, which is very enlightening. Now, I would like to share it with my younger schoolmates. I hope that they can inherit the fighting spirit of contemporary youth and forge ahead bravely from this point on towards their dreamland.”