Recently, the 2018 China (International) Functional Materials Technology and Industry Forum was held in Tianjin, hosted by the Functional Materials Society of China Instrument and Control Society and the Chongqing Functional Materials Journal. During the conference, a sub-forum on the construction and development of functional materials was set up to provide a communications platform for domestic education on functional materials.
A photo of experts and scholars taken in front of School of Material Science and Engineering
In order to promote the development of China's emerging strategic industries, the Ministry of Education approved the establishment of undergraduate majors in functional materials in 2010, and began to recruit undergraduates in 2011. At present, 35 colleges and universities have successively established the subjects of functional materials, which have trained a group of urgently needed talents for related industries and achieved fruitful results. With the rapid development of the economy, many new requirements for the construction of functional materials have arisen. This sub-forum aimed to explore the key issues of talent training in the new engineering period, find solutions to the bottleneck in functional materials for emerging national strategic industries, develop the research and practice of engineering education reform, and promote the healthy and orderly development of functional materials education. Many experts and scholars attended the sub-forum, from Tianjin University, Dalian University of Technology, Northeastern University, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin University of Technology, Shijiazhuang Railway University, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Shenyang Aerospace University, Shenyang University of Technology, Henan Normal University, Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology, etc. Prof. Du Xiwen from Tianjin University, Prof. Liang Jinsheng from Hebei University of Technology, and Prof. Lu Yan from Tianjin University of Technology served as chairmen of the sub-forum.
Prof. Du Xiwen hosted the opening ceremony and delivered a welcome speech. During the sub-forum, Prof. Huang Wei, Associate Dean of School of Materials Science and Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, gave a report on the "Development of Functional Materials in Dalian University of Technology". Prof. Liu Debao, Associate Dean of School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin Polytechnic University, gave a report on the "Teaching Technology Model of Functional Materials in Tianjin University of Technology". Prof. Liang Jinsheng gave a report on the "Professional Talents Training System for Constructing Functional Materials for Major Requirements of Ecological Civilization Construction--Record of Professional Education Teaching Practice of National Comprehensive Reform Pilot Construction of Functional Materials". Prof. Du Xiwen gave a report on "Tianjin University's functional materials training mode". These reports on the construction of functional materials and the training mode for talents were passed during the forum. Experts also had a discussion about the construction of education and teaching of functional materials in China, and reached consensus on the development and construction of disciplines.
At the same time, the experts discussed the functional material curriculum system, and agreed that the core curriculums should contain basic courses such as Materials Science Foundations and Material Analysis Methods. Furthermore, they decided to cooperate in the development of the core course on functional materials, and write materials for the course.
During the forum, the experts also discussed the folk cooperation methods of functional materials, and unanimously agreed to establish a professional alliance on functional materials in Chinese universities to carry out strategic cooperation in student development, enterprise cooperation and setting standards. The Secretariat was established as a permanent institution for internal communication and external publicity. The members of the Secretariat include Prof. Du Xiwen from Tianjin University, Prof. Huang Wei from Dalian University of Technology, Prof. Li Xiaodong from Northeastern University, Prof. Liang Jinsheng from Hebei University of Technology, and Prof. Yin Hongfeng from Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology.
Experts proposed that the member units of the alliance take turns once a year. The third forum would be held by Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology in October 2019. They discussed the means and ways of establishing official institutions for functional materials and proposed to set up a teaching guidance committee for functional materials. The forum established a cooperation platform for functional materials in domestic universities, clarified the work direction of functional materials construction, put forward clear goals for current work, and achieved fruitful results. In the future, China's university functional materials professional alliance will work together to promote the development of functional materials and cultivate outstanding professionals for the national strategic emerging industries.
By: School of Materials Science and Engineering
Editor: Qin Mian and Keith Harrington
