Editor's Note

Tsinghua University plays an active role in promoting the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by nurturing innovative talents, enhancing research, among many other important ways. Yue Siyu, who delivered a graduation speech as one of student representatives at the Class of 2022 commencement ceremony, was a doctoral student in the Department of Earth System Science. She will be joining the National Climate Center, where she will help with the modeling of the national climate change strategic plan and offer technical support to China's international climate negotiations.

Yue Siyu

As a girl who grew up in a coastal area, she had rarely climbed mountains. But that changed in 2018 when she started pursuing her doctoral studies focusing on climate modeling in the Himalayas.

In the last five years, Yue Siyu not only climbed mountains but also did significant research on the impact of climate change in the Himalayas and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. She participated in the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program twice in 2018 and 2019 and has published five Science Citation Index (SCI) papers.

Yue Siyu on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

This June, Yue Siyu graduated with the Class of 2022. With a doctoral degree in hand, she is joining the National Climate Center, where she will continue her research on climate change.

01Pursuing scientific research with rigor

As a doctoral student, Yue Siyu pursued her passion for scientific research rigorously. In 2019, her research encountered a bottleneck. She had been working on a model to predict the characteristics of climate change in the southern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau through global large-scale climate factors. However, due to the complicated influence process, she couldn’t deduce the reasonable and strong relationship based on the existing technology and theories.

Hoping to overcome the problem, Yue Siyu visited the International Pacific Research Center in Hawaii, USA, in February 2020. There, she carried out her work under the guidance of Professor Bin Wang of the University of Hawaii, the winner of the Carl-Gustaf Rossby Research Medal in climatology.

From the roof of the world to the tropical island, Yue Siyu was driven by her desire to search for solutions to climate change, which has accelerated the melting of snow in the Himalayas and caused sea levels to rise. Her doctoral thesis centers on the very impact of climate change.

Yue Siyu (right) and her friend

02Helping others thrive

Besides being a highly-motivated researcher, Yue Siyu was also a responsible student counselor.

During her overseas study in 2020, the students she tutored were going to graduate. Despite a six-hour time difference, she helped them go through all the formalities online. When they graduated, the whole class sent her handwritten greeting cards and gifts to express gratitude.

"My principle is to perform real services, and any work is truly valuable only if it also helps others," she said.

She credits her adviser Yang Kun for encouraging her to engage in various activities outside her academic studies and act for the common good of all.

Professor Yang Kun and his students

03

The journey ahead

At the National Climate Center, she intends to work with the same dedication and spirit she pursued her research at Tsinghua. She will help with the modeling of the national climate change strategic plan and offer technical support to China’s international climate negotiations.

"I have always been interested in exploring the intersections of ecology, science, and technology. I am excited about the journey ahead," she said. "It may be a bit cliche to say, but it’s worthwhile to serve the national strategy and closely align my fate with the motherland and work to build a community with a shared future for mankind."

Yue Siyu (second from the right) with her friends

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