From October 12 to 15, 2026, at the 8th National Science Experiment Exhibition and Showcase held at the Optics Valley Campus of the Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Shaanxi Normal University delegation — composed primarily of faculty and students from the university’s Institute of New Concept Sensors and Molecular Materials — won the national second prize for their science experiment presentation titled “Leaving ‘Danger’ Nowhere to Hide”.

On the stage, their presentation used the scenario of “a suspicious object found on a bus” to bring years of research and development of Prof. Fang Yu’s group in the field of film fluorescent sensors to life. It vividly illustrated how these sensors work to detect “dangerous substances” such as TNT, RDX, and illicit drugs, and highlighted their potential applications in public safety, counterterrorism, and drug control.

The project showcases the breakthrough achieved in the development of film fluorescent sensors — from concept to reality — in China’s high-end sensor sector, as well as the team’s years-long journey of overcoming challenges. It was supervised by Prof. Liu Taihong, Ms. Luo Yanyan, and Ms. Zhang Helan, with participating students including Hou Ming, Tian Yiping, Wang Nuoxuan, and Hu Ruoyu. The university’s Office of Science and Technology provided full organizational and coordination support throughout the project.

The national science experiment competition aims to showcase the latest achievements in science popularization across the country through a “science plus art” format and is one of the highest-level competitions in China’s science popularization field. With the theme “Striving Forward in the 15th Five-Year Plan: Writing a New Chapter in Science and Technology”, this year’s event — organized by the Science and Technology Daily — brought together 168 teams and more than 700 participants from across the country, setting a new record for the number of participants in the competition’s history.