In October, five undergraduate students of the School of the Gifted Young (SGY) are awarded research grants by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Chen Kaizhe received funding for his project titled “Connection between graph curvature and combinatorial properties.” His advisors are Prof. Ma Jie and Liu Shiping from the School of Mathematical Sciences. The project aims to solve combinatorics problems using curvature methods.

Zheng Zihang received funding for his project titled “Large-scale carbon-13 nuclear spin initialization based on nitrogen-vacancy color centers in diamonds.” His advisor is Prof. Shi Fazhan from the School of Physics. This project aims to enable the preparation of a substantial number of usable quantum bits and enhance magnetic measurement sensitivity.

Zhong Jiahang received funding for his project titled “Constraints on primordial black hole-catalyzed cosmic phase transitions from nanohertz gravitational wave detection.” His advisor is Prof. Cai Yifu (SGY alumnus 01’) from the School of Physics. Evidence for a nanosecond gravitational wave background was discovered in 2023 through the PTA experiments, opening a new window for studying early-universe phase transitions. This project aims to explore how primordial black holes (dark matter candidates) at asteroid masses alter the dynamics of cosmic phase transitions and influence gravitational wave signals. Ultimately, it seeks to impose theoretical constraints on primordial black hole dark matter using PTA experimental data.

Liu Zimo received funding for her project titled “Precise construction of two-dimensional topological insulator superlattices via intercalation chemistry and investigation of their physical properties.” The project is supervised by Prof. Wu Changzheng from the School of Chemistry and Materials Science. The project seeks to realize the coexistence of magnetic and superconducting properties in topological insulators, and explore such novel physical phenomena.

Sun Guozun received funding for his project titled “First-principle computational study of the hydration mechanism in bridgmanite.” His advisor is Prof. Wang Wenzhong from the School of Earth and Space Sciences. This project aims to investigate the water-holding mechanism and capacity of bridgmanite—a primary mineral in the lower mantle—under extreme high-temperature and high-pressure conditions using first-principle calculations based on quantum mechanics and thermodynamics. This research seek to constrain the water-holding state of the mantle, reveal the distribution and effects of water within the Earth's interior, and elucidate deep-Earth water circulation processes.

Since the National Natural Science Foundation of China first piloted its Student Program for undergraduates in 2023, SGY students have been awarded grants for three consecutive years, with the number of funded students increasing each year. SGY encourages students' interests in science, cultivates innovative thinking, and guides students to explore disciplines aligned with their interests and strengths.