RunLin Wang A Passion for Science

RunLin Wang lights up and shines when he speaks of his passion and excitement for Biology and Chemistry.  A twelfth grade student currently attending Sir Winston Churchill High School, RunLin was featured in the Calgary Herald this year as a Compelling Calgarian, and was one of four high school students selected to represent Canada as an Olympiad competitor at the 2018 Olympiad competition.  As an Olympiad competitor, RunLin took his education into his own hands, exceeded the necessary high school curriculum, learning beyond the borders of the average student and expanding his passion for STEM courses.  STEM courses are all courses involved in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.  It doesn’t take long to discover that coupled with RunLin’s drive and passion he is not only an exceptional talent, but also an individual that hopes to one day make a positive difference to those around him through the Biological Sciences.

When discovering and pursuing his passion for the Biological Sciences RunLin encountered a roadblock with standard education.  He noted that the standard high school curriculum helped him learn the basics of the sciences, but left him with many unanswered questions.  These unanswered questions are what led him to reach out to Dr. Robert Edwards at the University of Calgary.  After months of working in the lab environment with other students RunLin is incredibly grateful for the experience, describing his relationship with Dr. Edwards as one of “friendship and mentorship”.  RunLin also says that “Something that I really value isn’t really within the realm of science but is the friendship and mentorship that we have developed; for example it was my birthday in August and we ended up having a birthday cake with a couple of the students which was really nice.  It’s a great sense of community.  Getting to know Dr. Edwards, there’s a genuine sense of mentorship; working together with him closely has been a really inspiring experience.  I don’t have a family member who is a professor and it’s been a really nice experience to interact with a close member of academia.”  Working closely with Dr. Edwards, RunLin is realizing his dream and is able to more fully approach what he describes as “the idea of form fits function”; this being that everything is connected and that everything has a specific form to meet its specific function.  RunLin says that “everything is structured and is perfect in a sense, and that’s really the beauty of Mother Nature. That’s the beauty that brought me into biology and is what has really captivated me from the beginning.”  The passion that initially captivated RunLin is clear in how he speaks about the research he launched with Dr. Edwards and how he continues to view the world through the lens of “form fits function”.

RunLin explains the original idea that got him hooked on the Biological Sciences, how form fits function can be applied to the most basic of principles:

“Once I was driving in the backseat and a dandelion seed flew into the car.  I was going to throw it out the window, but I picked it up and really looked at how it was constructed.  The parachute structures were very brittle and easy to pull off, but were just strong enough to hold on when it was blowing in the wind; there was barely anything there to hold it to the plant because the plant doesn’t want to waste energy.  Following this need for form to fit function the seed isn’t encased in a harder shell than necessary to hold more moisture, every part of it seems to be perfectly crafted to do its specific job.”

By applying this thoughtful method of thinking to his everyday life, not only to dandelion seeds but to everything around him, RunLin fuels his curiosity and drives himself further in his research.  For someone so young he exemplifies the natural-born curiosity of a scientist, a person who sees the world differently and wants to understand what makes it so unique. 

The same curiosity and drive that pushed RunLin to pursue University level research in high school inspired him to become an Olympiad competitor.  The Olympiad competition is a series of international competitions in the STEM courses where each country is able to nominate a certain number of high school competitors in each particular subject.  RunLin was one of four Canadian Olympiad competitors in 2018 and participated in both Biology and Chemistry, winning silver Medals in each subject.  RunLin says that “It’s honestly been a great honor to have that sort of experience, to have that sort of competition and experience has been amazing.  To be surrounded by those sorts of people has been amazing”.  After competing in the Olympiad competition RunLin is tutoring to inspire other young people to pursue their dreams in the hopes that they are not deterred or intimidated by the size of the competition; “In grade eleven I started offering free tutoring sessions for other youth; I think most importantly it gives a sense of encouragement for them because people are intimidated that it’s a national competition.  People think that because they are competing against people from Vancouver or Toronto or other cities and provinces that they might not stand a chance, and I really want to instill a sense of belief in people that they can be successful in the Olympiad competition from Calgary and Alberta.” 

When asked where he sees his tutoring and research moving in the future RunLin said that he wants to help others and see his research make positive and impactful change in the world:

“I definitely want to continue to do research throughout my undergraduate and PhD, and beyond that my ultimate goal isn’t to win a Noble prize or achieve great recognition, but honestly is to see something that I’ve done research on work in society helping people.  Maybe it won’t make a vast impact and change the world, but hopefully it will benefit one person in a substantial way.  Just having that experience, truly believing you have helped a person: that would be enough for me.”

With everything that RunLing has accomplished as a high school student, and with the genuine and honest attitude with which he is approaching each new challenge, there is no doubt that he will continue to make a positive impact on not only one person, but on his community and the Biological Sciences World.      

An Article By Glynndon Dobson