Zeal Labs

STEM

What is Zeal Labs

A bridge to science in action

Program Overview

Good scientists are made in practice. Zeal Labs is a laboratory-based science research program designed for high school students. During the program, participants will join research groups affiliated with top Chinese universities and research institutions. Learning from and collaborating with seasoned researchers on a one-to-one basis, students will contribute to addressing ongoing scientific inquiries, participating in research activities ranging from reading academic literature, performing experiments on the lab bench, to delivering conference-style presentations. Our students will hone their research skills and gain invaluable insights into the life of scientific researchers. Zeal Labs strives to inspire our students and empower them to thrive their upcoming academic and professional careers with deeper knowledge of scientific explorations and true passion for their fields of interests.

Quick Facts

Research Fields

Physics

Ultrafast Magnetism Control of a Manganient Observed by Femtosecond Pump-probe Techniques (Yu Z.H. ’19)
An Exploration of the Physical Quantities in the Ising Model and Their Relationship with Temperature (Zhang T.Y. ’22)

Chemistry

Dissipative Particle Dynamics Simulation Study on Morphologies of Di block Copolymer in 3-D Spherical Confinement (Zhu M.Y. ’21)
Selective Adsorption of Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, and Naproxen in Water by Iron Polyaniline and its Hydrogen Peroxide Regeneration (Cui Y.Y. ’23)

Engineering

Pre-processing sEMG Signals for Reducing Noises (Long F. ’22)
Sorting System for Dynamic Disordered Objects for Industrial Production Lines (Li B.N. ’23)

Life Science

Molecular Basis of SBD Binding with Specific PT-DNA Sequences (Guo H.W. ’20)
EBF3’s Inhibitory Effect on Microglial Inflammation: An in Vitro Study Using BV2 Cells (Zhou. M.S. ’22)

Environmental Science

Biomass Recycling: A Structural and Functional Study of Biochar and Magnetic Carbon (Ding J.R. ’19)
Exploring Changes in EPS During Cyanobacteria Growth Cycle (Liu L. ’23)

Paleobiology

The Origin of Animal Skeletons: Evidence from Early Cambrian Small Shelly Fossils (Fan Y.H. ’22)
Study of Ontogenetic Stage of an Unknown Dinosaur by its Bone Histology (Xu, Y.T. ’22)

Materials Science

POTS Modification on FAU Membrane for Oil/Water Separation (Liu Y.J. ’19)
An Artificial Motion and Tactile Receptor Constructed by Hyperelastic Double Physically Cross-Linked Silk Fibroin Lonoelastomer (Xu Z.Y. ’23)

Cognitive Science

Confidence and Optional Sampling during Perceptual Decision-Making (Zhang Y.X. ’20)
Explore the Intercorrelation between Attention and Negative Emotion (Zhang C.J. ’23)

Planetary Science

AGN Feedback and Coevolution of Galaxy (Xu H.Z. ’21)
Statistical Studies of the Critical Factors Controlling Auroral Intensity in the Southern Cusp Region Based on DMSP / SSUSI (Yu X. ’21)

The Zeal Labs Experience

The research project I worked on was an ongoing research project. Although I didn't participate in it fully, the time I spent on the project brought me closer to the university environment and real scientific research. It also enhanced my understanding of laboratory protocols, safety procedures, lab life, and even interpersonal skills. The experience of conducting experiments in the lab made me realize that I truly enjoy the process of experimentation and I would genuinely enjoy it if I pursue a career in scientific research in the future.
(Liu Y.J. '19 )

Doing practice problems was actually a regular part of my high school life, but engaging in Zeal Labs research program is a completely different experience. Unlike solving problems to find a specific answer or achieve a particular goal, this program is more like continuously exploring and seeking truth in a vast desert of knowledge without a specific destination in mind. My suggestion is to invest a significant amount of time in experiencing the process of scientific research. Seek guidance from professors, mentors, and even other graduate students in the same research group, and you will gain a clearer vision for your future plans. (Zhang Y.X. '20)

Zeal Labs is a fantastic program that provides us with a unique opportunity to explore things that are difficult to access at our age. Therefore, I hope that all the members will take it seriously and do their best to excel in the final poster and presentation. Make sure to make good use of the resources provided by Zeal Labs, including your PhD mentors, professors, and other resources within the research institution. These are resources that you can directly or indirectly utilize and make sure you seize this opportunity. (Zhou R. '19 )

A Typical Day at Zeal Labs

Xia, H.X.

Research Field: Biology

MPP⁺ Affected Astrocyte Network

The lab to which I was assigned works from 9 am to 5 pm every day. On a typical day, I started experiments in the lab at 9 am in the morning, took a lunch break at 11:30 am, and then started the experiment or data analysis at 1 pm in the afternoon, and finished the day at 5 pm. The work we did varied from day to day, as experiments required in each stage of the project were different.

My main task at the beginning was to cultivate cells, including transferring cell colonies from one petri dish to another, observing their status, and assessing whether the dish base needed to be replaced. In downtime, I helped other lab members in the research group to do some basic experiment operations. In the next stage, I focused on observing the status of cells. I transferred cells to a petri dish in the morning, observed their status, and took micrographs through a microscope in the afternoon. Later, after completing the main experiment, I moved on to data processing. In the morning and afternoon, I analyzed the results of previous experiments and summarized them on the computer. I then completed the academic posters and conference-style presentations required by Zeal Labs.

During my time in the lab, I learned that science research is definitely not easy. I had heard this statement before, but I did not know what scientific research was really like. Zeal Labs enabled me to discover that a straightforward experiment may take several days to complete. There existed long experiments—such as the one I did—which took three weeks to complete, and if I failed, I had to do it all over again. Indeed, there is always uncertainty in the science research process, which researchers have to bear with. In the face of failure, a researcher has to troubleshoot by analyzing every single step to find out what went wrong. It would be very tedious because many things can go wrong in an experiment.

My research mentor was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. In the beginning, I didn’t understand much about the project. My mentor took me with him in his experiments and walked me step by step through a set of protocols. After a while, he let me help with some basic operations. Other lab members were also approachable. In addition to my own project, I also got to see what they were doing.

Zhai, J.J.

Research Field: Chemistry

When I arrived at the lab, I did not jump into experiments immediately. In the first two days, senior lab members toured me around the laboratory building and introduced various instruments to me. I began my experiments on day 3. My mentor first took me to do a calcination experiment. The entire experiment took 6 hours, cycling from heating to cooling. In the afternoon, we used the calcined material for the photoreaction experiment. It took 20 hours for the experiment to complete. Then we performed NMR, analyzed the data, and then planned the next step based on our results. A research project consists of multistage experiments, and we decided what to do next based on results from the previous stage. In the downtime, my research mentor will walk me through the literature, and take me to other senior lab members to observe their projects.

On a typical day, I went to the lab at 8:30 am to prepare for lab work on that particular day and started experiments at 9 am. We would have lunch at 11:30 am and continue our work at 1:30 pm. On some days, lab members would work overtime in the evenings. Our working days were Monday to Saturday, and we had a day off on Sunday. There was a group meeting once a week, starting at 630pm on Monday and ending at 10. Sometimes, lab members continued to work in the lab even at the end of group meetings.

I kept being open-minded and encountered many high-end experimental instruments that I had never seen before. Before I started Zeal Labs, I was worried that everyone in the lab would be super busy, minding only their own businesses and not taking care of others. But the reality was quite the opposite. My research mentor and other lab members were all very friendly and enthusiastic about their own projects.

A Rigorous Academic Training

Online Courses

Before the program begins, students are required to complete a series of video courses, covering essential academic topics. These courses will help students prepare themselves for the upcoming academic journey.

Lab Experience

Learning from and collaborating with researchers on a one-on-one basis, students will immerse themselves in the front line of scientific research. Through this immersive experience, students will develop deeper understanding of fields of their interests and gain insights into of the research process.

Academic Foundation Test

Upon the completion of the video courses, students are required to undertake and pass corresponding assessments. Timely and successful completion of these assessments is a mandatory requirement for subsequent participation.

Academic Symposium

At the end of Zeal Labs program, students will participate in the Zeal Labs Symposium. Each student will present and defend their research work in front of judges and classmates. Upon successfully completing the program, students will be awarded with a certificate of completion and their performances will be evaluated and graded in the official transcripts.

The concept of Zeal Labs may initially sound daunting. After all, during the program, a high school student is required to break away from his or her familiar lecture-based learning paradigm and complete academic exercises that are typically undertaken by undergraduate students. Indeed, Zeal Labs was conceived to be challenging both academically and socially. The main idea is to nudge our students beyond their comfort zones, challenging them to assimilate vast amounts of knowledge within a limited timeframe and to embrace the complexities of investigating research questions for which no pre-existing solutions are readily available. Such deliberate disorientation is a crucial element of the program, which will cultivate our students’ adaptability and deepening their understanding of the real-world research process.

Upcoming Programs

We are excited to announce that the application for Zeal Labs 2026 Summer Program is OPEN!

SessionⅠruns from 2026.07.06 – 7.24. The offline academic symposium will be held in Shanghai on 2026.07.26.

SessionⅡruns from 2026.07.27 – 8.14. The offline academic symposium will be held in Shanghai on 2026.08.16.

The application will opens on 2026.02.15 and the deadline for application is 11:59 PM (Beijing Time) on 2026.05.31.

For more information regarding the admissions process, please refer to Zeal Labs page of the Admissions and Apply sections.

We invite passionate and intellectually curious students to explore the forefront of scientific research, to experience the real life of a scientific researcher, and to embark on an immersive journey of scientific exploration. Please follow our official WeChat account “Zeal Labs” or visit our website for the latest updates. If you have any questions, please contact us at contact@augeoedu.com.