Recently, Tianjin University (TJU) scooped a Grand Prize, a First Prize, a Second Prize, and two Third Prizes in the 17th “Challenge Cup” National Undergraduate Extracurricular Academic Science and Technology Contest Final held online, pocketing the National Victory Cup eventually. With the outstanding total score, TJU students also made a clean sweep of the prizes in the related special competitions, achieving a record high in the “Challenge Cup”.
Hailed as the “Olympic Games” of scientific and technological innovation among Chinese college students, the Cup was undertaken by Sichuan University this year, co-sponsored by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, the Chinese Association for Science and Technology, the Ministry of Education, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the National Federation of Students, and the People’s Government of Sichuan Province. The ever-growing contest, with its magical appeal and influence on the youthful intellectuals, boasted 1233 entries from the mainland shortlisted for the final round, of which 49 Grand Prizes, 109 First Prizes, 320 Second Prizes, and 755 Third Prizes were confirmed ultimately.
Among them, projects from TJU stood out, especially with the Grand Prize winner named “Research on the Integration Technology of Terahertz Antenna Array Based on High-Performance Lithium-based Dielectric Ceramics”. Guided by Prof. Li Lingxia, Zhan Yu, an undergraduate from the School of Microelectronics, completed the project by comprehensively modifying the lithium dielectric ceramic materials and designing and simulating the terahertz antenna array within the 5G and 6G terahertz frequency bands. The developed materials were lightweight, stable, and cost-effective with low loss and simple craft, whereas the structure of the mentioned array possessed high gain and excellent efficiency to match the specific frequency band. All the pertinent technology might pave the way for 6G.
The First Prize was awarded to “Fairy in the Ocean—Modular Multifunctional Intelligent Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV)”, a project of the School of Marine Science and Technology accomplished jointly by postgraduates Zhou Jian, Zhu Jixiang, Li Xuewei, Chen Xiangyu, Hu Yingjun, Wu Meiyi, Li Mengyuan, and undergraduate Liu Zhiyuan, under the instruction of researcher Zhang Anmin and teacher Chang Shuai. They focused on the deficiencies of the existing USV in the structure, function, and transportation, thereby innovatively developing the modular multifunctional intelligent USV with convenient transport, easy operation, and flexible suitability for various sensors. Marine geodesy, cartography, and environmental detection could benefit from the achievement.
The Second Prize project “Realizing the Dream of the ‘Suspended Elderly’ Going Downstairs—Research and Optimization of Elevator Installation Mechanism in Old Residential Areas of Tianjin” was finished by postgraduates Han Xuan, Kong Debo, and Wang Yuge from the School of Architecture, who had followed advice from Prof. Song Kun. The “suspended elderly” refers to those aged 60 and above living in the old multi-storey residential compounds without elevators, and thus their crying need for going out freely with better living quality became the primary concern of the team. They deeply reached the relevant communities to conduct their research logically through data collection, questionnaire surveys, in-depth interviews, etc., hence analyzing the residents’ intention to pay for the installation of the elevators, the obstacles in front of the related enterprises, and the insufficiency of the corresponding policy. Finally, a set of integrated sustainable implementation modes of elevator installation in those areas was proposed, which was approved by Yan Jianwei, a member of Tianjin CPPCC, and further acquired recognition from relevant authorities.
By: Han Shiyu
Editor: Qin Mian
