The program was an academic competition for doctoral students nationwide. On April 24th, the Institute for Translational Brain Research ("ITBR") issued a call for academic papers nationwide. After a rigorous selection process by experts, the list of selected participants was announced on June 20th. On June 27th, the ITBR held an on-site reporting and evaluation session in the first conference room on the basement floor of Building 2, Fenglin Campus, Fudan University.

The entire conference was presided over by Professor Wei Lu, the head of the ITBR Postdoctoral Workstation.

At the beginning of the meeting, Professor Xiang Gao, Chairman of Jicui Yaokang, delivered a speech, highly affirming the significance of this program. He emphasized that young people are the hope of scientific research and believed that through this program, we can discover young talents who truly have potential and will develop well in their research careers. At the same time, he encouraged young people to pursue their interests and strive to explore the essence of life.

Subsequently, five doctoral students respectively from the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin Engineering University, the Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligent Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Ruijin Hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University delivered thematic presentations in sequence.

Li-Bo Zhang gave a presentation entitled "Neural Indicators of Pain Discrimination Based on Signal Detection Theory."

Min Zhang gave a presentation entitled "From Sensors to Neurons: Innovation and Applications of Optical Techniques."

Weike Li presented on "Whole-Brain Gene Editing Intervening in Core Symptoms of an Autistic-like Mouse Model."

Haizhou Jiang gave a presentation entitled "The Role and Mechanisms of Neuropeptide Regulation in BAT Thermogenesis and WAT Browning."

Wenying Xu presented on "The Cortico-Habenular Circuit Mechanism of Motivation Decline in Chronic Pain."

The five presenters, wearing commemorative shirts, eloquently shared their research stories, some with comprehensive systems, some with agility and flexibility, some with unconventional ideas, and some with captivating narratives.

The experts ingeniously used humorous and witty language to inspire the presenters to delve deeper into their thoughts. Both faculty and students in attendance were fully engrossed, attentively listening and learning about new methods, new perspectives, and new ways of thinking.

After the presentations, the judges conducted a comprehensive and in-depth evaluation of the presenters' academic achievements, research capabilities, logical thinking, and academic potential. After intense competition (independent scoring by experts), we determined the final results of the competition. With the inspiring music playing, Professor Wei Lu announced the awards, and Professor Xiang Gao presented them. Finally, the winners took a group photo with the experts.

The younger generation is formidable! Young people are the successors, and it is our shared idea and wish of the ITBR and Jicui Yaokang to be their guides, providing timely guidance and encouragement, and helping them grow into the backbone of the country's scientific research. We firmly believe that the continued organization of the "Future Science Star" program will guide and inspire more young talents to engage in scientific research and make greater and more important contributions to scientific progress and social development.

Finally, warm congratulations to all the winners of this program and heartfelt thanks to Jicui Yaokang for their support. Through multi-faceted collaboration, we look forward to having more outstanding doctoral students participate in the "Future Science Stars" program. With this platform, they can broaden their horizons, seek opportunities, and strive to grow into young scientists who will pioneer new chapters in scientific research.