Department III · Research Mentoring & Programs · 研究指导

From First Question to Finished Paper.

Original research — scoped, executed, written, and defended — guided week by week toward the competitions and qualifications that reward genuine intellectual work: ISEF, Regeneron STS, S.-T. Yau, Thermo Fisher JIC, and EPQ.

⁂ Judge

Regeneron ISEF Grand Award Judge — Physics & Astronomy

The credential that shapes how every project is read and advised: method, novelty, independence, and defence — from the inside of the evaluation room.

The Five Programs

Method, Not Names · 五个研究方向

I ISEF

Regeneron ISEF

国际科学与工程大奖赛

⁂ Grand Award Judge · Physics & Astronomy

The world's largest international pre-college science competition demands a project that is original, independently executed, and defensible to subject specialists. Tian2 advises across every phase — question selection, experimental or computational design, write-up, and board defence — read with the precise eye of a Grand Award Judge in Physics & Astronomy.

Research question scoping and novelty check
Methodology design, controls, and statistical plan
Research paper and abstract (SRC / ISEF format)
Display board structure and narrative arc
Oral defence rehearsal with evaluator-level Q&A

II Regeneron STS

Regeneron Science Talent Search

再生元科学奖

Society for Science's most selective US high-school competition scores each submission on four equal criteria — Entry Form, Scientific Merit, Student Contribution, and Scientific Potential — out of 20. Tian2 has built an AI-evaluation system calibrated against the official rubric and 463 scored submissions, and uses it to critique applications before they are submitted.

Rubric-mapped gap analysis (4-criterion, /20 scale)
Research paper review and structural rewrite guidance
Application essays (Tasks 1–10) editorial critique
Mentor letter strategy and contribution documentation
Top-400 pattern analysis — see the findings report

III S.-T. Yau

S.-T. Yau Science Award

丘成桐中学生科学奖

China's most prestigious secondary-school science award spans Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science, and Economics. Tian2 guides students from tractable question to written research report and oral defence, with subject-level expertise across all tracks. A 213-page bilingual white paper sets out the award's landscape in full.

Subject-specific hot-topic scoping and feasibility review
Original bilingual research paper guidance
Oral defence strategy and panel Q&A rehearsal
AI-use compliance review (per 2024–25 award regulations)
White paper — winner analysis by subject: see below ↓
Full winners archive 2020–2025 — browse 393 papers →

IV Thermo Fisher JIC

Thermo Fisher Junior Innovators Challenge

青少年创新挑战赛

Society for Science's competition for grades 6–8 rewards genuine inquiry, clear communication, and a well-reasoned investigative design. Tian2 has produced a bilingual Chinese strategy guide for JIC entry and applies the official JIC rubric as an evaluation framework throughout project development.

Project-idea selection and inquiry framing
Data-collection design, variables, and controls
Science fair abstract and research plan write-up
Display board structure and oral pitch coaching
Pre-submission rubric critique

V EPQ

Extended Project Qualification

高阶项目资格 · Pearson Edexcel P301 / P302

The UK's Pearson Edexcel EPQ (Unit P301 / P302) is a standalone A*–E qualification that asks students to plan, research, and write a 5,000–6,000-word dissertation, then present and defend it. Tian2 has developed a full 18-skill pipeline — from proposal to final presentation — covering every required deliverable to Pearson's AO1–AO4 assessment criteria. Plagiarism and AI-detection targets are built into every draft stage.

Research proposal and title formulation (AO1)
25-entry activity log documenting the process (AO1)
5,000–6,000-word dissertation with full citations (AO2–AO3)
Annotated bibliography (25+ academic sources)
PPTX presentation deck and oral evaluation coaching (AO4)
Gantt chart and project-management record

How the Work Moves

Four Phases · 工作方法

Question

Find a question that is genuinely open, tractable with available tools, and interesting enough to sustain a year's work. Field, method, and target venue are chosen together — not retrofitted at the end.

Execute

Design the study — experimental, computational, or theoretical — and carry it out rigorously. Statistical hygiene, honest controls, and an honestly-reported null result matter as much as a positive finding.

Write

The paper is the project. Every result is set out in full, every limitation named, every source cited. Clarity for a non-specialist evaluator is a first-class goal — not an afterthought.

Defend

Oral defence is rehearsed against the exact rubric: board judges for ISEF, thesis panels for Yau, evaluators for EPQ. Anticipated questions are answered with precision — not deflected.