(The following content is from the WeChat official account of Xiamen University alumni)
Xiamen University Alumni Profile
Song Liuwei, a member of the Communist Party of China, is from Shucheng County, Lu'an City, Anhui Province. He graduated from Shucheng Middle School in 2004 and was admitted to Xiamen University in the same year. He is a 2015 undergraduate, master, and doctoral integrated student of Xiamen University and the R & D director of Xiamen Innodx Biotech Co., Ltd., In 2022, he was commended as an advanced individual in the national science and technology system's fight against the COVID - 19 pandemic.
Lu'an is located in the Jianghuai region. It connects Wu and Yue in the east, Jingchu in the west, and the Central Plains in the north. It is a famous cultural city with a long history. Growing up here, Song Liuwei was influenced and nurtured by traditional culture since childhood and gradually grew into an aspiring young man with a firm cultural belief and deep historical sentiment. When he became an undergraduate at Xiamen University with excellent grades, he set the ambition of "serving the country through scientific research", spurring himself to endure loneliness, be willing to contribute, and devote all his thoughts and energy to scientific research. After graduating from undergraduate, he chose to pursue a master's and a doctoral degree in cell biology. From 2010 - 2011, the School of Public Health of Xiamen University (hereinafter referred to as the "School") was established on the basis of the National Engineering Technology Research Center for Infectious Disease Diagnostic Reagents and Vaccines (hereinafter referred to as the "Vaccine Center") and the Department of Preventive Medicine of the School of Medicine. Song Liuwei then entered the research groups of Professor Xia Ningshao and Professor Yuan Quan at the School of Public Health to study. After graduating from Xiamen University, Song Liuwei was hired as a senior talent by Xiamen Wantai Xiamen Innodx Biotech Co., Ltd., kicking off his journey of serving the country through scientific research.
"Spring rain nourishes things, and virtue cultivates talents." The school motto of Xiamen University, "Strive for self - improvement and strive for perfection", the school motto of the School of Life Sciences, "Inherit and innovate, seek truth and be perfect", and the school motto of the School of Public Health, "Harmony, fraternity, pragmatism, and innovation", are like spring rain, infiltrating Song Liuwei's life, nourishing his spirit, and enriching his life.
Innovation as the Norm of Scientific Research
When the COVID - 19 pandemic broke out in 2019, he received an urgent notice from the company, requiring him to develop a testing tool for rapid detection of the novel coronavirus in the shortest possible time using existing resources. Although he had some expectations, he was still a bit caught off guard. Sitting in front of the work computer, staring at the constantly updated analysis of the novel coronavirus on the screen and the successive new email prompts, his mind was filled with epidemic - related information from various places, as well as various decisions and meetings. He suddenly felt a bit nervous: the task deadline was too short, the previous process could not be followed at all, there was a lot of information but few samples, and there was even less time for them to make mistakes. Nevertheless, he adjusted his state in a timely manner and told himself that problems could always be solved, and he still had to take it step by step.
"An army without training is useless; with training, one can be worth a hundred." Song Liuwei's team is such a battle - tested and well - trained team. It is precisely such a team that can still carry out work orderly when entrusted with a crucial task. "There are countless links in the R & D process, and there are occasional rounds of failures." Song Liuwei recalled this experience calmly. "These are all normal. This is how R & D is usually done. We have always been working on antibodies. Developing diagnostic reagents starting from antibodies is our strength, and we have relevant experience in this regard. What we need to do is to push forward one node after another."
In Song Liuwei's view, innovation is not just a flash of inspiration by chance but should be the norm of scientific research work. Scientific research is a process of exploration and cannot be achieved overnight. Some scientific research achievements may take decades of painstaking efforts. It is normal not to know the direction of progress at the beginning, and even the industry may not know the direction. What needs to be done at this time is to observe, find resources for experiments, and verify one's own ideas. Analyze the experimental results, look for directions with breakthrough potential, and then correct the existing directions. Expand step by step until the goal is achieved. This is the path of innovation that Song Liuwei has been practicing: collecting resources, trying, analyzing, and correcting. To follow this path well, one needs to study widely at ordinary times and verify carefully when needed. "I also pay attention to some new technologies, but it doesn't mean that I will change my research route as soon as I see one. Be bold in questioning, be careful in verification, but more importantly, have one's own scientific research confidence!" And Song Liuwei's scientific research confidence is inseparable from his years of study and life at Xiamen University.
Self - confidence as the Mentality of Scientific Research
"At that time, there were many research projects and many difficulties, but the teachers impressed me deeply. They never stopped at their existing achievements and constantly challenged and overcame various difficulties. The scientific research spirit of the School of Public Health, which is to overcome difficulties without stopping and be brave in challenging, has deeply influenced me." When talking about the difficult time when the school was first established, Song Liuwei was not at all complaining but full of gratitude. Growing up through overcoming difficulties time and time again is a kind of happiness for a pure scientific researcher like him. The reasons that support them to keep going through numerous challenges, in Song Liuwei's impression, are first of all a confident scientific research mentality, and secondly, unique scientific research strategies.
"As for how to actually solve the difficulties, on the one hand, for specific experiments or technologies, the research group will conduct discussions within the group and between groups, and the teachers will also provide guidance from various aspects, which is very helpful for the progress of scientific research. On the other hand, in the face of such difficulties, from teachers to students, everyone is very confident." From his words, we can see the belief that Xiamen University has been passing on in the cultivation of scientific research talents: as long as one is not afraid of difficulties, is brave in innovation, works in unity and cooperation, and devotes oneself to scientific research, breakthroughs will surely be achieved. No matter what kind of difficulties they face, as the trend - setters of the times, they are already at the forefront. Why should one care about the colors of light green, dark red? With a gathering of outstanding talents, they are naturally the best among all.
The scientific research life in the school has cultivated Song Liuwei's confident scientific research mentality, allowing the easy - going him to develop a sharp edge. "Now that you've mastered the swordsmanship, take it and slay the dragons where they are." With confidence as the sword, nothing can stop him. It is well - known that scientific research is like climbing a towering mountain, and some research that expands human understanding is like climbing a precipitous cliff. The difficulty is imaginable. In such a situation, confidence is the prerequisite for overcoming difficulties, an essential quality for becoming an excellent scientific researcher, and a precious asset that Song Liuwei obtained at Xiamen University, helping him to overcome obstacles and achieve scientific research results.
Secondly, it is the unique scientific research strategy of the School of Public Health. The school was established on the basis of the School of Medicine and the Vaccine Center, so it also has a diversified characteristic, different from traditional public health disciplines. The school's thinking mode, which takes macroscopic traditional public health as the guide and microscopic biotechnology as the means of realization, has had a profound impact on Song Liuwei. He believes that if one pays too much attention to the macroscopic or is limited to the microscopic, it is inevitable to neglect some key points and cause obstacles to scientific research work. Therefore, scientific research work requires an appropriate combination of the macroscopic and the microscopic. Effective scientific research strategies and a confident scientific research mentality can be regarded as important magic weapons to support Song Liuwei in constantly overcoming difficulties.
Seeking Truth as the Attitude of Scientific Research
Many people think that scientific research is mysterious and profound, but in Song Liuwei's eyes, it is so ordinary. When many people are still confused about the future, Song Liuwei had already determined his direction early. From undergraduate to doctoral studies, this direction has never changed. With interest as a lamp, one can clearly see the way forward. Perhaps it is precisely because of this sincere and persistent heart that when talking about his achievements, Song Liuwei always smiles modestly and says that he doesn't have a tortuous experience. It's not like what others think, that it takes great efforts to achieve a little success. However, there is no success without failure. It's just that in his eyes, any failure is a beautiful scene in the garden of scientific research.
If Song Liuwei is a seed, then the pragmatic and innovative scientific research atmosphere of the school is the fertile soil for his growth. At the Vaccine Center, he had a busy study and scientific research life. Sometimes he even needed to study and work until one or two o'clock in the morning. Whenever he recalls this period, his words are full of memories of his youth and admiration for his supervisors' excellent scientific research thinking. He doesn't even know what "hardship" or "difficulty" is. His eyes shine brightly. The experience of one experiment after another and the accumulation of cutting - edge knowledge bit by bit have improved his scientific research quality and ability. In the division of labor and cooperation among various research groups, he also contributed to the construction of the school through scientific research and brought honor to the school. If the School of Public Health of Xiamen University ignited his scientific research dream, then Xiamen, this beautiful Egret Island, has truly become the cradle of his dreams. Xiamen's strong support for biomedicine has also strengthened his determination to stay in Xiamen. As he said, "There are many excellent biotech enterprises and institutions in Xiamen, and their development directions highly match my professional abilities." The comfort and inclusiveness of Xiamen allow him to be more at ease to give full play to his abilities.
Loving science, advocating science, and being indifferent to fame and fortune are the spirits upheld by Song Liuwei's team. His team developed the world's first approved total antibody detection reagent for the novel coronavirus using the double - antigen sandwich method. He was thus commended as an advanced individual in the national science and technology system's fight against the COVID - 19 pandemic in February 2022. However, when talking about this achievement, he lowers his head and waves his hand with a smile, "These are not really achievements. They are just part of my work." He thinks that he is similar to a doctor. A doctor conducts biochemical tests on biological specimens such as blood and urine to obtain some indicators to help diagnose the disease. Song Liuwei's work focuses more on some biomarkers of infectious diseases and tumors and then applies them to the development of diagnostic reagents. He always believes that he is just an ordinary member of the scientific research field, doing what he should do. "Not being worldly allows one to race against time for scientific research; not chasing after profits allows one to maintain a pure pursuit of science in one's heart." This sincere heart has made countless scientific researchers the backbone of the country. It is also this sincere heart that makes us show our respect.
When fate intertwined that year, regardless of the past, he was only eager for knowledge. With a sincere heart, one does not feel the distance of mountains and rivers. The mountains of books and the sea of learning are also like the fairyland of Penglai.
