YING Yilun, 29, a postdoctoral scientist at East China University of Science and Technology, shot to fame recently when she became the first woman in China to win a L’Oréal-UNESCO International Rising Talent Award for her work in DNA sequencing.

Speaking at a forum in Shanghai last weekend, Ying says her achievement resulted from interest, independence and diligence.

“When talking with the other 14 winners in Paris, we all agreed that discovery and persistence in interests we developed as young students paved the way to choosing careers in science,” she says. “I think one has to maintain a curious mind to discover or create something.”

Ying’s path to success deviated from mainstream Chinese education. She never ranked in the top among classmates in her school years, and her parents never forced her to attend extracurricular “cram” schools to enhance her chances of scoring well on exams that determine entry into the best schools.

Indeed, Ying didn’t attend the most prestigious schools in Shanghai, but at the schools she did attend, she was afforded the freedom to pursue her own interests and develop creativity in her thinking.

At Loushan Middle School, she took an interest in biology and geography — neither considered an important course for students at that age because they don’t factor in major exams.

But Ying had a quick mind and easily mastered subjects. When a local scientific and technological instruction center for youth came to recruit new members, she applied without hesitation.

“I did a lot of interesting biological experiments for three years, making specimens of insects, nervous and digestive systems of small animals and cultivation of plant tissues,” Ying says. “All those experiments gave me a huge sense of accomplishment and stimulated me to think about the scientific theories behind them.”

Though she had not studied chemistry yet at that time, she was already working in the lab with chemicals such as sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate. She marveled at the colorful fungi she grew in the lab. Science was definitely interesting.

“I’m grateful that my parents allowed me to attend those non-mainstream activities,” she says.

Her parents never flagged in their support. They once accompanied her to almost every flower market in Shanghai as Ying searched for a plant she needed in an experiment to catch mosquitoes by using radiant heat from outer space.

“Without such tolerant parents, I don’t think I could have advanced on the path of science,” she says.

Her local school was also supportive, granting students who showed exceptional skills exemptions from exams, as long as they submitted related short research reports.

When Ying was still in middle school, she wrote a “thesis” about her experiments. She also developed disciplined study habits, such as taking careful notes and making specific plans for each day, which benefited her in later years.

Ying eventually decided that chemistry was her favorite subject and she took top places in chemistry exams.

While other students, in the graduation autograph album, wrote about their talents in musical instruments, dancing or sports, Ying wrote nothing because her specialty was so unusual.

“I didn’t really have the time for arts and sports,” she says. “But looking back, I can see that an interest in science was equally important.”

She attended the Shanghai No. 3 Girls’ High School, which provided her channels to advance biology and chemistry lab work.

There, she observed a slice of plant tissue under the microscope for the first time and began a series of more advanced research. When it came time to consider university, the East China University of Science and Technology was an obvious choice.

“My high school placed ‘independence’ at the start of its motto,” Ying says. “I think independent thinking is indispensable in cultivating innovation. I guess I could have chosen to go to a famous or popular university, but the one I chose is strongest in what I wanted to pursue.”

In her third year at university, her tutor was Long Yitao, who had just returned from the US and was later designated as a distinguished professor under the Ministry of Education’s Changjiang Scholars program.

“Professor Long brought back frontier research trends, including some interdisciplinary studies,” Ying says. “From him I learned about lab utilization — from how to install test equipment to how to develop data analysis applications. That led to my study in nanopore-based single molecules.”

Despite her young age, Ying has already published 28 papers in journals such as Science Citation Index, Chemical Communications, Analytical Chemistry and Small, including seven as first author.

Her work in nanopore-based sequencing and detection of DNA led to the International Rising Talent Award.

Such work is at the cutting edge of predicting diseases and improving the accuracy of treatment. But current technology takes three to four weeks and costs about US$100,000 — far exceeding the financial means of most people.

Ying’s research is expected to shorten the process to 24 hours and reduce the cost to US$1,000.

The L’Oréal UNESCO for Women in Science program highlights and supports the work of female PhD students and postdoctoral fellows in the early stages of their scientific careers.

“These young researchers are indeed the future of science,” the program said in a statement about the awards. “These young women have the power to change the world.”

Ni Minjing, vice governor of the Fengxian District in charge of education affairs, praises the philosophy of schools where Ying studied, saying they provide the kind of free environment needed to stimulate creative minds. “Schools should have different ways of evaluating students beyond just exam scores,” he says.

Yang Zhenfeng, principal of Shanghai Jianping High School, says schools should not try to pigeon-hole students too early in their studies.

“Ying was not among the top students in middle and high schools, but look how she turned out!” says Yang “Too often, we tag students as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ too early and with simplistic measures. We should not suppress individuality.”

He adds, “Biology was not a major course in middle school, but when it is connected with physics and chemistry, it becomes very important. If we consider it ‘useless,’ we may stifle those who are talented in that discipline.”

Yuan Zhenguo, a professor at East China Normal University, agreed that the education system needs to be more interest-driven and interdisciplinary.

“Without real interest, a person cannot be innovative,” he says. “We need to provide a free environment for students to develop their interests and cultivate innovative talent.”