On September 24, the occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Zhang Lu, the founding and managing partner of Fusion Fund, a well-known alumna of the School of Materials Science and Engineering of Tianjin University, returned to Tianjin University for an experience sharing report. Gathered with nearly 200 schoolmates on the Peiyangyuan Campus, Zhang Lu told the stories of "materials" and shared her love and gratitude to Tianjin University. 

At the event, Liu Xiuguo,  Party Secretary of the the School of Materials Science and Engineering, briefly told some stories of the alumna Zhang Lu. Students wanted to know how to become an excellent "materials student" and embrace a wonderful university life. Based on her personal experience, Zhang Lu gave four wise counsels to the schoolmates: 

Firstly, to persist in reading and to insist on independent thinking.  

Zhang Lu jokingly ridiculed herself for "burning stoves for three years" in the team supervised by Professor Ji Huiming during her college life. She mentioned that in the current era of "fragmentation of information", college students will inevitably feel confused. Faced with such a situation, quality books can make people see more possibilities in life. We can form our own worldview and methodology through a large amount of reading. Moreover, in the era of an information explosion, massive information will bring convenience, but it is also easy to create anxiety. Thus, besides passively accepting all kinds of information, we must insist on independent thinking and not be overwhelmed by the massive amount of information. 

Secondly, to be symbiotic with stress and turn pressure into power.  

Looking back at two years' graduate life in Stanford University, Zhang was deeply touched. She said that as a graduate student of nano materials at Stanford University, it was quite difficult to start a company. Luckily, she succeeded in starting the company called Acetone Inc, a medical instrument company that provided early detection for patients with type II diabetes. During that time, she was busy and especially stressful, and playing the drums was her way to release pressure. "If you decide to do something, do your best to complete it. Young people should not be afraid of pressure, learn to coexist with pressure, and turn stress into motivation”, Zhang said. 

Thirdly, to cultivate the vision and global thinking. 

Thinking back at the success of Silicon Valley venture capital, Zhang Lu first explained how the Silicon Valley venture capital ecosystem changed the world at a microscopic level. Although the venture capital industry accounts for less than two-thousandths of the US GDP, the share of GDP contributed by high-tech companies with the help of VC investment that achieve market success is more than 20% in the United States. Zhang Lu also urged students to have the mission of changing the world. She encouraged college students to go to the forefront of the technology field, to cultivate a global vision and global thinking. 

Fourthly, to have confidence for the future and be patient with the moment. 

Zhang Lu repeatedly mentioned the importance of materials science and engineering expertise during her studies at Tianjin University. From her perspective, laying a solid foundation contributes a lot for the future development of life. And it is also the comprehensive contribution of the discipline that laid a solid foundation for her later entrepreneurship and investment. Zhang emphasized: "Remember to diligently study the basic subjects of materials science, strengthen interdisciplinary thinking, build bridges between materials and technology, and expand the horizon from materials science to the world. Be confident for the future and be patient with the present." 

After the report, Liu Xiuguo once again warmly welcomed Zhang Lu’s “coming home” and presented Zhang Lu with Tianjin University's special moon cake on behalf of the College as well as extending Mid-Autumn Festival blessings. At the same time, he proposed three requirements for students: “One is to firmly embrace the study of professional knowledge of materials science; the second is to study in a broad way and improve abilities; the third is to seize the opportunity and try to be the strong performer for the times."