Recently, Ruoxin DU, an undergraduate student from the Class of 2023 majoring in Environmental Science in the Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology of the Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College (UIC), published a research paper as the second author in the internationally renowned SCI journal Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research. The paper is titled "Enhancing Plastic Decomposition in Mealworms (Tenebrio molitor): The Role of Nutritional Amino Acids and Water." The corresponding authors of the paper are Dr. Chi Man LEONG, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science at UIC, and Dr. YuRu Lui, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the Faculty of Science, Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU).

Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research is a high-level journal in the field of energy and sustainability with an impact factor of 6.2. It is listed in the Q1 region of the SCI journal division of the Web of Science (WOS) database, which has a high academic impact.

The paper is one of the results of a joint research project between UIC and HKBU. Since the first day of her freshman year, Ruoxin DU has been actively involved in the research internship program of UIC's Environmental Science, demonstrating a strong interest in scientific research and a persistent spirit of exploration, which led her to become a member of the research team of this joint project. Under the guidance of Dr. Leong and Dr. Lui, she explored the mechanism of the role of the yellow mealworm in the degradation of plastics and mastered the core skills of experimental manipulation, data analysis and scientific paper writing.

Ruoxin DU at UIC Environmental Science Laboratory

Having published an SCI paper in her sophomore year, Ruoxin DU has demonstrated excellent scientific research ability and has a promising future. Together with her research team, she will continue to optimize the nutritional structure of the yellow mealworm, study the changes in its gut microbial community, and enhance its ability to degrade plastics by biotechnological means, in order to provide more effective solutions for global plastic pollution control.

The publication of this paper not only highlights the research and innovation ability of UIC undergraduates, but also demonstrates the close cooperation between UIC and HKBU in the field of environmental sciences, with both sides contributing to pollution prevention and sustainable development.

Source | Department of Life Sciences

Text/Picture | Du Ruoxin

Editor | He Shimei

Audit | SiuTai TSIM