Morning Star Institute (MSI) offers classes in mathematics (AMC), literature, computer science and art & design.

The MSI team developed its own curriculum, including the series MSI math textbooks.

All instructors at MSI hold Ph.D. (including professors) or Master's Degree in the area they teach.

Regular in-person and online classes limit to 15 students (writing has no more than 6 students each class).

Learning support system include daily homework and practice, TA-led office hours, etc.

MSI math textbooks are posted online and open to the public.

Students are welcome to use them to establish their math knowledge system.

MSI free Community Service Programs and Classes include:

summer practices for the past 3 years; AMC8, AMC10 and AMC12 mock tests;

each year's 6th Grade Math Placement Test Workshop and GATE / APAAS Prep Workshop;

Calculus Introductory Class; Advanced Geometry Class;

Computer Science Competition Team (ACSL) Coaching; College Application Workshop, etc.

Free classes and homework solution videos are posted online for students to enjoy and study.

Our Team

Co-founder: Jun Wang

Ms. Wang graduated from Peking University, received her master's degree from UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Her work has been published by New America Media, PBS NewsHour, Orange County Register Magazine and the China Daily, where she served as the founding Los Angeles bureau chief.​

Co-founder: Dr. Yifeng Yu​

In 1994, Dr. Yu won first prize (national level) in China 's National High School Math Competition. He graduated from Nankai University's special math class founded by S.S.Chern; received his PH.D degree from University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Yu is a math professor at University of California, Irvine and recipient of the prestigious NSF CAREER award (2012). Research focuses on partial differential equations.

AMC Program Coordinator: Dr. Hongwei Gao

Dr. Gao graduated from Zhejiang University, received his Ph.D degree from UC Irvine. He has been an Assistant Adjunct Professor in the department of mathematics at UCLA.



Math Instructor: Zhen Tian

Ms. Zhen Tian graduated from Shang Hai Fu Dan University, earned her Master of Science degree in Computer Science from State University of New York. She is a former teaching staff at State University of New York, and researcher at UC Irvine. As an enthusiastic teacher, Ms. Tian has over five years experience teaching math in different levels.

Math Instructor: Dr. Ben Yang

Dr. Yang graduated from Peking University, received his Ph.D degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He won a gold medal in 2007 Russian Math Olympiad. Dr. Yang is also a gold medalist in the 2007 International Math Olympiad (IMO).

Course Development Assistant: Dr. Ziran Li

Dr. Ziran Liu received his Bachelor's degree from Nankai University, graduated from New York University (NYU) with a Ph.D. degree in Operations Research and an Master's degree in mathematics. He was an instructor for undergraduate students at NYU before joining Morning Star Institute.

Computer Science Instructor: Dr. Kevin Feng

Dr. Feng received his Ph.D. in CS from University of Texas, Dallas, and has 10+ years of research and development experience in leading financial and IT companies. With 8+ years experience of mentoring students and young professionals, Dr. Feng teaches CS core courses and helps others to build programming and data analysis skills. Many of his students are now working in leading companies, including Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon and Goldman Sachs.

Art & Design Instructor: Dabai Zhu

Graduated from the Department of Architecture of Tongji University in Shanghai, China. Member of Chinese Artists Association and National Watercolor Society (NWS). Deputy director and secretary-general of the Watercolor Professional Committee of Shanghai Artists Association. Mr. Zhu was invited to teach as a guest lecturer at Pontificia Università Lateranense in Rome, Italy. and held art exhibits in Rome, Trento and other cities in Italy, which received with acclaim and was praised by local media as "a ship sailing in the sea of art". Mr. Zhu's works have been selected into international and national exhibits, and won the Gold Award in the Italian International Art Exhibit, the Excellent Award in the International Watercolor Union Exhibit, the Golden Horse Award in the first Chinese Watercolor Exhibit, and have been selected by museum, galleries and institutions in the United States, Europe and Asia, as well as into private collections.

Literacy Program Coordinator: Dr. Myriam Le Van

Dr. Myriam Le Van holds a Doctoral Degree in Comparative Literature summa cum laude from the University of Montpellier. She received the scholarship of the City of Strasbourg Service of International Affairs as a visiting scholar at Harvard University, and also conducted research at Yale University at the department of Slavic Languages and Literature.

Dr. Le Van obtained the highest teaching diploma in France (Professeur Agrégé) and has been teaching English literacy, History, Latin, and French for two decades. In 2019, the American Association of Teachers of French recognized Dr. Le Van for her excellence in teaching. Dr. Le Van homeschooled her three children all the way to college where they were accepted respectively at the age of 15, 16 and 17. Her daughters graduated from Princeton University and her son is a junior at Columbia University.

Literature Instructor: Dr. Eric Le Van

Dr. Eric Le Van earned his Doctoral Degree in Music History and Musicology (Summa Cum Laude) from La Sorbonne University in Paris, France as well as Master’s Degrees from the University of Human Sciences in Strasbourg, France and the Conservatories of Music in Hannover, Germany and Basel, Switzerland.  He also received a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Southern California. A Fullbright scholar and Haven Foundation recipient, he studied literature at the University of Cambridge and published writings on the intersection of music and literature with Music & Arts, Gallo, Tutor, and the Joachim Raff Society.  He leads a literature club for advanced readers focusing on works by great 19th-20th English, American, German and Russian writers. 

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Solène Le Van’s website

Literature Instructor: Solène Le Van

Solène Le Van is a graduate of Princeton University, where she studied French and Italian Literature and Culture and received the “highest commendation” for research on aesthetics, poetry, and music history. An Associate Instructor at Indiana University, she served as an Associate Editor of Classical Music for Picture This Post, a cultural magazine, and held an editorial position for Kunstkammer, a journal of art criticism. A recipient of Highest Honors with Distinction from the Royal College of Music in London, she studied voice and violin as well as criticism with Ivan Hewett, head critic of the Daily Telegraph. A recipient of the Cultural Service Award from the French Embassy in New York for her contributions to French culture as a writer and performer, she has been invited to lecture on literature, music, and the fine arts at Princeton, Stanford, UPenn, the New National Theater in Tokyo, and the SAE Creative Media Institute in Paris. As a high school and middle school writing counselor, she has helped students gain admittance to Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, Carnegie Mellon, Berkeley, USC, the Davidson Academy, Groton, Exeter, Choate, and the Stanford Gifted Program.