Riding the winds of knowledge

After studying and researching around the world, Ablimit Aili hopes to bring green technologies and research opportunities back to Xinjiang.

To make those choices, young people first need to understand what is possible. Ablimit believes one key to science education is giving children opportunities to meet scientists and engineers in person.

"If they can see a real-life example of someone working in science, they'll know that becoming a scientist is a genuine career option," he said.

His own journey offers one such example: a student from a village in Yengisar went on to become a researcher.

While pursuing his doctorate in mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder in the US, Ablimit studied radiative cooling, a technology that uses certain materials to release heat into outer space, reducing reliance on conventional cooling systems.

He found that radiative cooling generally works better in dry environments, where the air contains less water vapor.

That finding brought Xinjiang to mind. With its dry climate and substantial demand for cooling during the summer, could the region's natural conditions help improve cooling efficiency and reduce energy consumption in buildings?

"I realized that my hometown was part of the scientific question, and also part of the answer," he said.

Today, Ablimit focuses primarily on two research areas: green buildings and smart microgrids.

Green building research tackles a practical challenge: How can buildings reduce air-conditioning use in summer and heating demand in winter without sacrificing indoor comfort?

Smart microgrids address another question: How can a village or industrial park use rooftop solar panels, energy storage systems and other technologies to generate, store and manage its own electricity?

Both fields hold considerable potential for Xinjiang.

In Ablimit's view, the region's natural conditions, including abundant sunshine, wind resources and large temperature differences between day and night make it promising for research and applications in both areas.

He hopes to establish joint laboratories with universities and companies in Xinjiang, find suitable buildings in places such as Kashgar for pilot projects, and bring students from Xinjiang to Zhejiang for research opportunities.

For now, however, that vision remains unrealized. It is another goal he hopes to achieve, one step at a time.

That is also a message he would share with his younger self and children growing up in Yengisar today. "Knowledge is like a staircase. Every problem you figure out becomes another step that can help you go farther in the future. The world is much bigger than what you find in textbooks," he said.

But however far those steps take them, he hopes they will remember where they started.

"You will go to many places in the future but never forget the wind of Yengisar. It is dry and scorching hot, but it comes from the place that shaped you into who you are," he added.

guiqian@i21st.cn