Doctoral Student Shujie Wang Earns University of Cincinnati Dean's Fellowship

Meet Shujie Wang, recipient of a University of Cincinnati Dean's Fellowship:

What is your undergraduate degree in?

• B.S. in Geographic Information System

Where did you go for your undergraduate degree?

• Sun Yat-sen University in China

What is your graduate program of study?

• Ph.D. program in Department of Geography at UC

Describe your research in one sentence:

• My research focuses on the flow dynamics of the Antarctic glaciers and ice shelves in the context of global climate change.

What's the most interesting part about your research that no one understands?

• My major study site, the Antarctic Peninsula, is one of the most rapidly warming regions on Earth. Its warming rate was 3.7±1.6 Celsius degrees increase per century. In 2002, the spectacular and catastrophic collapse of Larsen B ice shelf on Antarctic Peninsula has drawn worldwide attention and has become a very hot topic in cryosphere and global climate change studies. My research derived the ice flow speed and flow direction of this sensitive region over the past four decades by using multi-source satellite imagery. I found that there are quite intimate relationships between the ice flow velocity variation and the ice shelf stability. It appears that the drastic flow velocity increase may serve as a precursor or early-warning of catastrophic collapse of ice shelves. In other words, the catastrophic collapse of ice shelves may be predictable by monitoring the flow velocity changes.  

What is the best part of grad school?

• I think the best part of grad school is that I can delve deeply into the research problem I am interested in. I have benefited from the graduate courses offered by my department and other departments, which gives me a wider and deeper perspective, and useful skills for my own research.

What is the worst part of grad school?

• In my first two years here, I had a hard time balancing my research with the TA responsibilities and the other course work. Almost 99 percent of my time was spent in my office and computer labs, but I think it’s worthwhile.

What does this fellowship mean to you?

• This fellowship is a great honor for me, and I have gained more confidence about my research work. Most importantly, this fellowship allows me to fully focus on my own research without financial concerns. I anticipate that I will achieve more significant research accomplishments during the award year.