About Ray
Hi there! I’m from Guangzhou, China, and welcome to my weblog.
OK, melop is not my real name, but the net name I’ve been using since I registered my first email account. My English name is Ray Cui and Chinese name in Pinyin is CUI Rong-Feng. I’m an undergraduate student of already graduated the Biology department in the Sun Yat-sen University in July, 2008 with a Bachelor’s Degree. Now its my second year of the four year courses.
I’m applying to graduate programs for now and hope this line can be changed into something else soon.
Ornithology and web designing are what I like most, I like listening to music too(who don’t?).
More about me
I’m not an outgoing person and never talk to strangers (in real life ;D) , most of my friends started the conversation in the first place. However, I’m patient and careful (or you can say “boring”). But wait, I’m not a boring person! I’m acting as a different person in front of my best friends, I’m funny, gentle and easy to get along. Besides, I love animals especially birds, haha.
Besides birding, I do some web designing in my spare time, and of course I listen to music, lol. Since I got my Nikon D70s, I start taking photos, not easy but practice makes perfect you know. Flickr thus became my favourite site after that, and I’ll post my works there.
Computer Skills
Besides basic skills in some popular programs, I’m also familiar with the following programs/technologies:
- XHTML
- css and web standard
- Javascript/Actionscript
- Asp, Asp.net (C#)
- Php (Basic)
- Fireworks
- Photoshop (basic)
Scientific Interests
Maybe it’s not the time to decide yet, but I definitely have something that I want to study in my life. Birds of course, I’ve been thinking of becoming an ornithologist, hope I could make it. Among so many bird groups, I’m especially fascinated by parrots (Psittaciformes) due to their diversity , wide-spreading and unique structure compared to other groups which makes their origin a mystery. Also, pigeons(Columbiformes) and pheasants(Galliformes) attracts me a lot.
Some other groups with specialized courtship behaviours also are my interested subject, such as bowerbirds, cock-of-rock.
Currently, together with some of my classmates, I’m doing a survey on gobies(Gobiidae) in south China. The goby family is so huge (about 1,800 spp.) that it takes a lifetime to be an expert. So, I’m not an expert on gobies, not even close. But I’m happy that I was given this project because I have opporunity to communicate with some real goby experts, such as Helen Larson who taught me lots of knowledges on these tiny creatures. Here’re some pictures here to let you know what our gobies look like.
Education and honour
Education
Well, as anyone else, I went to elementary school, middle school then high school, and now I’m in university majoring in life science.
- Long long ago.. Elementary School attached to Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou.
- 1998 – 2001 The No.6 middle school of Guangzhou
- 2001 – 2004 The No.6 high school of Guangzhou (Actually the same one as above
) - 2004 – NOW Biology department of Sun Yat-sen University.
Honours
I completed a science project on photosynthetic bacteria while attending high school, and won some awards, one of which was really awesome and gain many wonderful experiences including traveling to Portland, OR and visiting Disneyland.
- 2004 May The 55th ISEF, A second award in Microbiology. Had the minor planet #20858 named after through the CERES connection programme.
- 2004 Feb Second award for future scientists in China
- 2003 Aug The 5th competition of innovation in science and technology for Chinese adolescents
- And several in computers that I couldn’t remember.
- 2002 Won a small English song contest in our school. HAHAHA. The song I sung with some fellows was Westlife’s Swear it again
