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Yuechuan Chi is a third year chemistry major and developmental biology specialist with the Cell and System Biology department.

He was one of the first students of the International Foundation Program, which offers admission to academically qualified international students whose English fluency scores fall below the direct entry requirements.

Writer Philip Cox asked Yuechan what he’s been up to since completing the program three years ago.

Tell me a bit about yourself.
I grew up in a small city called Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China. In my free time, I enjoy playing tennis, swimming and reading. I actually try to read a little bit every day.

How did you hear about New College’s International Foundation Program?
My aunt told me about the program. We all think language skills are fundamental for learning. In addition, learning from one of the best institutes in North America was attractive for me. I think I made a good choice.

What is your strongest memory from your time with the IFP?
I would say the discussions I had with my instructors and peers. I was always amazed by the international experience I had in the IFP. We always generated some stunning ideas together, since everyone had a different background that often gave many different perspectives for the same topic.

What was your first impression of Toronto? Has that impression changed at all since you arrived?
Toronto is a very international city. I never had trouble finding my favourite food. The city has such a warm culture that is really reflected in people's behavior. People are genial and polite. This impression hasn't changed since I arrived, but I think the culture has changed me quite a bit.

Tell me about your research. What kind of projects are you most interested in and why?
I started my first research project in high school, which was on developing a new device for sleep apnea. I then worked on molecular recognition, molecular biology and cell biology. My recent project is trying to understand the relationship between angiogenesis (blood vessel development) and breast cancer. It has been a fabulous learning experience for me.

I understand you’ve recently published an article. Can you tell us about it?
We identified a new class of organic molecules that have the potential to recognize different sugar molecules. It has very broad applications. For example, cell surfaces are decorated with many sugar polymers that have important roles in development. Cancer cells have a very distinct identity of sugar polymers on their surfaces. Others can use our data to produce powerful markers that identify cancer cells at a very early stage.
I published the article in my first year and it has been cited a couple times already. It's not bad for first year, right?

Why did you choose to pursue cell & system biology?
I am very impressed by the cell biology research in Toronto. If you go to the , there are many world-class researchers in this field. As an undergraduate student, there is nothing better than learning and working with your favourite scientists. It's like living in the dream.

What's your favourite part of campus?
Research labs, where the interesting things happen.

Philip Cox is a writer with Advancement Communications, New College