Balancing Learning and Exploration: Let Your Experiences Become Your Abilities | Chun-Yu Liu,

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Feng Chia University

An Unexpected Yet Not Unexpected Starting Point I come from a rural area in Changhua. In high school, I was a student who loved to play and learn, serving as class president and president of the rock climbing club, and even received the County Magistrate’s Award. I was particularly interested in science subjects, especially fascinated by biology and chemistry experiments, which always immersed me. I dislike monotonous life, enjoy experiencing, exploring, and learning new things, and am empathetic, eager to help others. Based on these traits, I originally planned to apply for the Department of Veterinary Medicine or Physical Therapy, hoping to pursue a helping profession in the future.

However, due to my college entrance exam results not meeting expectations, I chose the Department of Materials Science and Engineering instead. Before making the decision, I thoroughly researched the department’s learning fields, faculty, and resources on its website, such as the presence of a Nanotechnology Laboratory. I found that materials science can be applied in biomedical fields and has broad career prospects. This choice not only matched my strengths in science and my love for experiments but also echoed my original intention to help others, allowing me to use my abilities in a different way.

Even though I entered the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Feng Chia University as the 55th alternate, I faced it with a positive attitude and worked hard to learn professional knowledge, eventually ranking second in my class in the first semester. This made me realize that life’s twists and turns are not necessarily the end, but may open up new possibilities.

Keep Going, Keep Exploring After entering the department, I discovered that this field is even richer and more diverse than I imagined. The department’s specialties include semiconductors, nanotechnology, ceramics, polymers, etc., and after sophomore year, each field has dedicated professor laboratories for deeper study.

These fields can be applied to everyday products, such as waterproof materials and smartphone chips. What impressed me most was joining the Laboratory of Applied Composite Materials and Nano-Optoelectronics in my junior year and participating in the capstone project on “Targeted Therapy for Skin Cancer,” as well as taking the course “Introduction to Nanotechnology.”

These learning resources satisfied my habit of learning and experimenting with new knowledge, such as studying material compatibility and the interactions between materials and the human body, applying nanotechnology to the medical field.

This learning experience made me realize that materials science is not just classroom theory and knowledge, but a practical science that can truly help humanity and improve quality of life.

At the end-of-semester poster presentation in my junior year in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, I took a group photo with my project partners for our research topic.

Don’t Hesitate—Step Out Bravely with Passion and Perseverance Now in my senior year, I feel that the greatest feature of the university and my department is the abundance of learning resources, such as international exchange activities, overseas internship programs, study tours in Japan, and industry engineer training courses. These have made my university life fulfilling and allowed my personality and interests to flourish.

University life is a period full of opportunities and challenges, and my experience is a story of finding balance between fun and learning. With the mindset of “Why can’t I balance exploration and academics?” I embarked on a series of journeys.

As a freshman, I participated in the Greater Bay Area Summer Joint University, collaborating with students from Tongji University and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in group courses, learning different perspectives and teamwork skills. In my sophomore year, I joined the USR International Exchange Internship Program and went to Malaysia for a one-month internship, working on projects related to environmental renewable energy and materials, such as extracting cellulose from palm empty fruit bunches and using 3D Printing Technology to make artificial skin, learning how different countries apply materials knowledge. During the summer of sophomore year, I joined the department’s study tour to Kyushu University, Japan, conducting experimental learning and exchanges with Japanese graduate students, visiting nuclear fusion reactors, and learning about plasma applications in biomedical materials.

In my sophomore year, I participated in the USR International Exchange Internship Program and went to Malaysia for a one-month internship. During the internship, I made many friends in Malaysia and experienced the local unique culture and cuisine.

I learned about the application of plasma in biomedical materials in the laboratory at Kyushu University, Japan.

During the summer of my sophomore year, I joined the department’s study tour to Kyushu University, Japan, where I conducted experimental learning and exchanges with Japanese graduate students.

Besides academics, I also tried working holidays. The photo was taken at the Wild Life Horse Ranch in Hualien, where I was responsible for taking care of horses and learned basic equestrian skills.

In addition to academic exchanges, I also chose two very different working holiday locations: the Wild Life Horse Ranch in Hualien and the Ice Prison in Green Island. In Hualien, I took care of horses and learned equestrian skills, while enjoying activities like diving, night sea urchin catching, river tracing, and soaking in wild hot springs. On Green Island, I deeply experienced local culture and integrated into the unique island life.

Besides academics, I also tried working holidays. The photo was taken at the Wild Life Horse Ranch in Hualien, where I was responsible for taking care of horses and learned basic equestrian skills.

 During my travels, I gradually developed an interest in photography, from casual phone shots to decisively joining the Photography Club. In less than a year, I not only participated in the school’s photography exhibition but also won an award in a photography competition. These rich resources made my learning experience more diverse and taught me that stepping out of my comfort zone allows me to see a very different world.

Every new attempt is a challenge and an opportunity for growth, broadening my horizons and, more importantly, teaching me to live and think independently in unfamiliar environments.

Play Hard, Study Hard! Experience Is Ability! My greatest sense of achievement comes from being able to experience life while maintaining excellent grades and gaining satisfaction from materials expertise. I started with only basic knowledge of materials, but now I can use different processes to create different structures and properties to control materials, and finally apply them to solve problems, which gives me more confidence in learning. To balance academics and exploration, I developed efficient and focused study habits, ensuring I fully understand what I learn in class so I can use after-class time to pursue my interests and experience life.

However, this interdisciplinary path is not always smooth—time management is the biggest challenge. Language barriers are another challenge, especially in international exchange activities. To improve my language skills, I actively used online resources and communicated with foreign students. At first, communicating in English made me nervous and uncomfortable, but with continuous practice, I gradually overcame these obstacles. Now, I am no longer afraid to communicate in English and even enjoy making new friends in different languages.

I proactively applied to serve as a Taiwan-Australia exchange volunteer at the University of Queensland, Australia.

These experiences have unconsciously helped me grow, improve learning efficiency, and enhance my ability to adapt and solve problems. For example, after participating in international exchange activities, I started to strengthen my foreign language skills; working at the horse ranch made me more patient in experiments; overseas internships and study tours trained my presentation skills.

These interdisciplinary experiences also allow me to apply accumulated experience from different fields when facing complex academic problems, approaching them from different perspectives to find the most suitable solutions. They have completely changed my view of learning—“Learning is no longer just the accumulation of knowledge, but a process of exploring the world and understanding myself.” Every new attempt helps me better understand my interests and clarify my future direction.

A Message to My Juniors

University is not just about getting a diploma; more importantly, it’s about finding what you truly love. Don’t be afraid to try new things and step out of your comfort zone—your university life can be just as wonderful.