On the afternoon of September 27, 2023, the closing ceremony of the 2023 SHSID High School Science Fair & Talented Students Awards Ceremony was held in the grand auditorium. The Talented Students Awards Ceremony, themed "Pursue · Excel", was dedicated to outstanding students who have achieved excellent results in various fields and encourages all high school students to achieve in pursuing their ideals and continuously surpass themselves.

The awards ceremony was presided over by SHSID High School Principal Ma Feng. Mr. Ma introduced that on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of SHSID, this year's awards ceremony had the school invite several authoritative experts from the academic community to share their experiences and provide encouragement to the students. Principal Ma pointed out that life is a long journey, and our students are currently in a great era. He hopes that the annual awards ceremony can serve as a platform for students to learn from each other, allowing those who receive awards to unleash the power of being role models, inspiring one another to progress together. He encourages students to maintain an insatiable curiosity, believing that they will continue to make progress and develop in the future. This encouragement and inspiration will be the driving force for our journey ahead, helping us collectively shape a better future.

Academician Zhihong Xu, former President of Peking University, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a plant physiologist shared his experiences in academic and research journeys, encouraging students to persistently solve problems and not give up. Academician Xu quoted a famous saying by the renowned French philosopher Voltaire: "In the world, time is the most precious, yet it is also the shortest; it passes in the blink of an eye." He sincerely hopes that SHSIDers will cherish their time, strive to acquire knowledge, broaden their horizons, nurture their talents, and cultivate a global perspective. In doing so, they will be prepared to take on the responsibility of contributing to the world in the future.

Academician Shen Xuechu, a pioneer in the fields of semiconductor spectroscopy and optical properties and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, encouraged students to pursue their dreams without being constrained by mental burdens and emphasize the importance of staying grounded and not giving up. Academician Shen reminisced about his high school years, declaring that the most beautiful period of life is during high school. He earnestly hopes that SHSIDers will cherish the wonderful life they have now, strive diligently, continuously improve themselves, and create their own remarkable lives, thereby elevating the world's interactions to new heights.

Professor Yanhui Xu, a Research Fellow at Fudan University and the Shanghai Cancer Center as well as an adjunct professor at the Institutes of Biomedical Sciences - Fudan University, congratulated the students on their outstanding achievements. Then, approaching it from the perspective of biological research, he reviewed the history of scientific research and looked ahead to its future directions. When discussing academic research, he emphasized that today's society often has excessively high expectations of obtaining immediate rewards through short-term efforts. However, he pointed out that it is usually through sustained, long-term efforts that one can achieve truly gratifying accomplishments. At some point in the future, when the students reflect on their student days, they will undoubtedly hold great respect for themselves for their current dedication to their dreams.

Each guest's speech was greeted with enthusiastic applause, and under the encouragement of these eminent experts, the students brimmed with confidence about their future. Subsequently, the award ceremony reached its climax, with various awards being presented one after another. Award-winning students took to the stage to receive their awards, further accepting blessings from the guests, teachers, and their fellow supportive peers.

Five outstanding award-winning students also shared their feelings of success and their passionate learning experiences. Grade 10 student Gavin received the Individual Distinction Award in the Natural Sciences, the Team Distinction Award in Mathematics, and the Versatility Honorable Mention Award. The "STEM enthusiast" shared his insights into his studies in mathematics and the natural sciences. Using everyday examples from his life, such as playing basketball and cards, he skillfully guided his fellow students, encouraging them to maintain curiosity in both their academic and daily lives. He emphasized that only by continuously forging ahead and being willing to explore can one make progress.

Grade 11 student Harrison received the individual High Distinction Award in the Natural Sciences. He humorously expressed his love for scientific research and encouraged fellow students to enjoy stepping out of their comfort zones and broadening their cognitive horizons.

Grade 11 student Geoffrey received the Individual Distinction Award and Team Distinction Award in the Humanities and Social Sciences. He inspired his fellow students to boldly experiment, continuously ignite their inner potential, and follow the call of their hearts. “Do what you love, and love what you do." This is the message he imparted to everyone.

Grade 10 student Enzo received the Individual Distinction Award in the Performing Arts. He delivered a brilliant and unparalleled impromptu jazz performance, capturing the attention of every member of the audience present. As a high school student artist, he confidently shared his musical journey with everyone on stage, using his piano learning experience as an example to impart valuable insights and profound realizations he has accumulated through his artistic performances.

Grade 12 student Chelsea received the Individual Distinction Award in Sports for her outstanding achievements in the field of chess. As a member of the HKSAR delegation for the 2023 Asian Games currently being held in Hangzhou, she shared her journey of continuous growth through a video message to her fellow peers. Just as she said, the heart and message of her story is “to try your best and to pursue what you want to do in life, because things happen for a reason.”

The attendance of these authoritative experts made this year's Talented Students Award Ceremony a special celebration of the 30th anniversary of SHSID. The attendance of Academician Shen Xuechu also created a story of reunion between mentor and student. After the ceremony, Dr. Xu Dan, SHSID high school Physics teacher, accompanied her Ph. D, Academician Mr. Shen to visit SHSID campus and introduced the physics subject classroom of Zhentao Building.

The awards ceremony concluded amidst enthusiastic applause and cheers, marking the perfect finale of the 2023 SHSID Science Fair and designing the beginning of hard work and a brighter future for the new year. We hope that students of SHSID can carry the expectations of their predecessors and the encouragement of their peers continuously to pursue and surpass their dreams. A warm thank you to all the guests and award-winning students for sharing their perspectives of achievement, and thanks to all the volunteer students and teachers for their diligent efforts in preparing for this great event. See you next year!

2023 SHSID High School Science Fair Highlights

The greatly anticipated annual SHSID High School Science Fair kicked off with several lectures provided by the school to induce scientific curiosity among students. On September 25th, the school invited Mr. Gu to give the students a lecture on scientific research. Facing the students’ eager faces in the ZTB lecture room during lunchtime, Mr. Gu introduced to them the mainstream scientific research competitions worldwide. He further described essential preparatory skills and tips for the competitions, not only encouraging past competition participators to continue their scientific endeavors but also instilling curiosity and confidence in others to challenge themselves and participate.

Mr. Gu’s lecture was soon followed by another captivating one in the ZTB recording room in the afternoon. Mr. Zhang Lijun from Shanghai International Studies University gave a lecture on the Mayan civilization. Thanks to his engaging lecture, the afternoon was filled with the wonders of Mayan script and the cultures of the Mayan civilization. Mr. Zhang showed students the process of cracking the classical Mayan script. Listening attentively, the students immersed themselves in the wondrous activities of exploring and deciphering the historical stories and legends behind the Mayan script, which greatly broadened their academic vision.

As one of the major activities of the Science Fair, students have been preparing for the club showcase for more than one week. On September 26th, in front of the lobby of the Zhentao Building, all the STEM clubs gathered together, displaying their club characteristics and achievements at different booths. The Linguistics Club designed an interactive activity to guess the places of the corresponding languages according to the clues on the postcards. The Birdwatching Club not only showed the birdwatching magazines and birdwatching books they had made before but also designed the activity of identifying birds, which aroused a lot of students' interest. The STEM DOGE Club designed interesting STEM trivia, and a lot of students and teachers stopped and joined. The YAO Club is a medicine-themed club, and in the anatomy game they presented, everyone felt the difficulty of being a doctor. The GT Racing Club's racecar driving booth attracted many students who were eager to feel the wonderful collision of technology and speed.

This semester, there will be more STEM-related activities and lectures, allowing more students to experience the beauty of science and technology. With the intriguing lectures, various club showcases, and the fruitful Talented Students Awards Ceremony, the Science Fair granted students an opportunity to have a taste of the vast realm of science and technology, and encouraged them to continue their pursuit of science.

（Written by 9(6) Aeryn Tan, 9(5) Simon Liu, 11(2) Minhan Zhou, 11(4) Victoria Park Pictures by SHSID High School STEAM Advisor Office, SHSID High School Media Group Supervised by Yanjie Yao Lin Chen Reviewed by Qian Zuo）