On Nov. 1, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) awarded Dr Rick Rashid, Chief Research Officer of Microsoft Research, honorary doctorate in recognition of his outstanding contributions in the field of computer science and talent cultivation of computer science in china.
Rick shares his opinion on study. /Photo by FAN qiong.
Before the award ceremony, Dr Rick Rashid had an interview with reporter from USTC News Center and shared a lot of personal experience.
Rick transferred major to computer science as tremendous change while his undergraduate major is mathematics and comparative literature. “It is not a good idea to let students choose major early, while we should encourage them to learn different knowledge as much as possible in the process of university. When I am undergraduate, computer science is young field. It’s too early. And I took all courses in computer science. There is not a lot before you. You don’t worry about what other people worked down, you do the things the first. It’s the opportunity for me to do something different and unique. And it’s a great time for computer science.”
This point is same to the teaching idea of USTC. There are three times for students in USTC to choose their major. In the first three years, students need to learn all the basic courses to break all barriers. Dr Rick Rashid cannot agree with this idea more while getting the teaching situation.
When it comes to "how to deal with the relationship between work and study”, Rashid’s advice is to learn while playing.” When I study in graduate degree, I enjoy playing and writing computer games in my spare time. And I also studied basic courses such as Computer architecture and computer network.”He put forward that his favorite game was DND ("Dungeons & Dragons ")in his student period. Even now, he sometimes still play online strategy games and puzzle games.
Rashid praised Chinese students understanding and diligence. He disagree with the popular view that Chinese students lack the courage and leadership. “In different fields, everyone must think hard where the frontiers is in his field, and he will look forward to the opportunity to push the state they are. For Microsoft Research Asia, it has significant leadership in computer science around the world. ”At the same time,Rashid mentioned the teaching environment in America that " When I was teaching in Carnegie Mellon university, the students fell back first, they gradually fell to the front, and the first or two rows are always empty except one student.When teaching operating system, for some reason the schedule right after lunch, I always joke but that is fact, someone release the sleep gas in the back of the room, the students in the back sleep first, then it come forward. I think the students are students. They are pretty much same all over the world.I think it important for the professor to work hard to engage your students and to get the questions that they are learning and get them to participate interact.
In the process of interview, Dr Rick Rashid also said that USTC and MSRA have been partners for a long time, and every year there are more than 400 students to learn knowledge in MSRA, and has obtained a remarkable result. At the same time, the development of China's research environment is prominent over the years. He believe that the cooperation between USTC and MSRA will go on deeper!
In the morning, Dr Rick Rashid attended the 15th "the calculation of the 21st century" international seminar with the theme-"decode the future" hosted by MSRA and USTCin hefei grand theater.
Rick in "the calculation of the 21st century" international seminar./ Photo by YAO Qiong
(WU Xu, USTC News Center)
