Xu: “Educational spy” shares top science medal

Haitian Xu, this year’s co-winner of the Jubilee Medal for Science, takes the term “professional development” to a whole new level. While most top science graduates look towards becoming chemists, physicists or biologists, Xu has very different plans for his degree.

Xu, born in Shenzhen, China, decided to study physics in Canada not only to have a different experience, but also to gain first-hand knowledge of the Canadian educational system. Xu works for an educational consultancy company in China and plans to help Chinese students looking to study sciences away from home.

Xu had already completed an electronic engineering degree at the University of Cambridge, so he was well aware of the educational system in the UK.

He applied to a large number of Canadian universities to understand the application process, but quickly chose UVic. “If you’re going to be anywhere in Canada, it has to be BC. I was drawn to Victoria because of its small-town feel and British influence.” (Xu has since gained an appreciation for hockey too.)

With the aim of helping Chinese students understand Canadian curricula and course structure, Xu provided feedback to his company on a daily basis. He tested marking schemes by inserting small errors into assignments, and he observed lab report standards.

Xu was most impressed with the flexibility regarding course selection at UVic and the ability for students to specialize early; most universities in the UK have a rigid course plan.
As for the excellent grades, Xu says scholarships motivate him to maintain his GPA, but he is humble when it comes to his success. “To be honest, I think honours students are more deserving of this award. [Their workload] is pretty hard and too stressful for me.”

Don’t expect this “educational spy” to hurry back to China with his findings. “If you want to be a competent educational consultant, you really need to get a master’s degree. You have to go a step beyond.”

Xu is scheduled to begin his master’s research here at UVic under the supervision of Dr. Byoung-Chul Choi. He will be studying the dynamic properties of nanomagnets, a hybrid topic between engineering and pure physics—a perfect fit for Xu given his background and his passion for building computers.