A few days ago, the Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study (HIAS), UCAS just concluded the new postgraduate enrollment. Nearly half of the students come from 985 Project Universities and two-thirds are from 211 Project Universities.
HIAS is becoming a favorite institute for more and more outstanding graduates to study further, although its first enrollment began last year.
"Science-education Integration" is the greatest characteristic of talent training of HIAS, the new-type teaching and scientific research institution located on the bank of the Qiantang River. "Science" refers to scientific research, while "education" refers to teaching. How does HIAS deal with the relationship between scientific research and teaching and explore a unique innovative talent training mode?
"Chief Professor" Supervisors Are All Front-line Researchers.
Students Participate in National Projects with Academicians and "Outstanding Young Scholars" Conduct Scientific Research.
Recently, Chen Yueqian, a first-year postgraduate student of the HIAS School of Environment, was a little excited. She was about to leave for the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing for scientific research practice.
"The Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences should be the top research institute in China to study the ecological environment. Former college students were very envious when they heard that I was going to the amazing institute to do experiments," Chen Yueqian said with a smile.
At present, the seven schools of HIAS are all organized by relevant institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. For example, the School of Environment is jointly organized by the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology.
"As the leader of national science and technology and the national team of scientific research, the Chinese Academy of Sciences has undertaken about one-third of the major projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and built nearly two-thirds of the major national scientific and technological infrastructure. Its nature index has ranked first in the world for nine consecutive years." Zheng Chonghui, Executive Vice President of HIAS, said that the research institutes organizing the schools of HIAS are some of the representatives, and their scientific research platforms are also the practice platforms for HIAS postgraduate students. They can really enter the laboratory and join the research group to conduct scientific research under the guidance of supervisors and teachers of the project team.
In order to better cultivate students' scientific research ability, HIAS has a special science-education system, i.e., the professor lab mechanism that makes chief professors accountable. "The professor's lab is often composed of a chief professor, two young scholars, and a cultivated talent. The professor's lab is not only the basic scientific research unit of HIAS but also the main teaching department. Members of the lab have to complete different teaching tasks while carrying out scientific research. Teachers and supervisors are front-line researchers. Students can get more practical guidance in theoretical study and scientific research practice," Zheng Chonghui said. HIAS has 59 professor's labs. Chief professors, such as Academician Wang Jianyu and Academician Jiang Guibin, all teach students in the classroom. In the first academic year, Academician Wang Jianyu independently teaches students the 64-hour professional core course "Optoelectronic Engineering", and more than 40 outstanding young people also take on the teaching tasks.
Some of the industry's academic celebrities in the professor's labs enable HIAS students to enjoy the top academic resources in scientific research. Li Haojie, the first doctoral student enrolled by Academician Wang Jianyu in HIAS, is deeply impressed by this. He remembers that his supervisor took him to an academic exchange meeting of the "Taiji Program on Gravitational Wave Detection". As soon as he entered the meeting, he was stunned. In addition to Academician Wang Jianyu, there were also a large number of industry leaders such as Academician Wu Yueliang, chief scientist of the "Taiji Program". "I was listening quietly to the scientists when they were discussing the 'Taiji Program'. I was flattered that I could participate in such a high-end academic conference as an ordinary doctoral student," Li Haojie said. He is now a member of the sub-project team of the Taiji Program under the guidance of his supervisor.
"HIAS enables students to participate in the most cutting-edge scientific research projects in the country. In this immersive scientific research atmosphere, students can appreciate more cutting-edge scientific research ideas and receive stricter scientific research training, which will be more conducive to cultivating innovative talents for the country," said Wang Jianyu.
Set up Schools of Interdisciplinary Research for Multidisciplinary Teaching
Cultivate Innovative Talents in Terms of Virtue
Although the schools of HIAS are undertaken by relevant institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as a new teaching and research institution, HIAS is different from the institutes in talent training mode, which is particularly obvious in teaching.
"A closer look at the names of HIAS's seven schools reveals something special. For instance, the School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering features not only infrared physics and optoelectronic technology, but also optics and laser applications. It is a unique interdisciplinary collaborative research and teaching innovation system," said Dai Ning, Executive Dean of the School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering.
Traditionally, institutes focus on a special field, but science is a complex, multi-field discipline. The lunar exploration satellite launched by China is the product of interdisciplinary research. For example, the laser altimeter component on the satellite is in the charge of the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, and the shooting system component is developed by the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, CAS. 70% of the latest scientific achievements published in the top international journals Nature and Science are interdisciplinary. "HIAS has broken the traditional system and mechanism since its establishment. By setting up interdisciplinary schools, it focuses on cultivating innovative scientific research talents in multidisciplinary fields."
Dai Ning is the former deputy director of the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, one of the "outstanding young scholars" and the doctoral supervisor. "The training model in the institute is relatively simple. Students mainly do research related to their majors, as if they are working. However, HIAS enjoys a great academic atmosphere. Its curriculum system is very complete, including both professional courses and humanistic activities. In this environment, it is easier for students to be inspired." His analysis hits the nail on the head. HIAS attaches special importance to the teaching of general education courses. Only when the students know the theories well can they conduct deeper research. Students are also encouraged to participate in various innovative design competitions and other activities, and everyone enjoys this sound learning atmosphere.
It is worth mentioning that HIAS has regarded "cultivating top inter-disciplinary innovative talents" as its highest goal of talent training, and the institution is committed to training the world's leaders in cutting-edge science and technology, R&D personnel of independent core technologies, and drivers of new industry development. In terms of curriculum program, we take professional practice education and innovation and entrepreneurship education as the foothold and build an "excellent young talent ecosystem" for the exchanges between postgraduate students and well-known entrepreneurs and investors by specially appointing three types of industrial talents, including "industry consultants", "innovation and entrepreneurship supervisors", and "ecological partners" and relying on HIAS innovation and entrepreneurship lectures and science and technology innovation club activities. At the same time, various forms such as the joint construction of training bases by the government, enterprises, and universities (research institutes) are established to set up a link between industrial needs and talent training and a postgraduate education and training system with the deep integration of "enterprises, universities and research institutes".
Among the many courses and activities, the most distinctive and popular one is the "HIAS Lecture". This is a HIAS version of "Lecture Room" aimed at improving students' humanistic quality. Academicians, elites, and celebrities from all walks of life are often invited to give lectures to students. They offer students knowledge, lead them to think, and help broaden their horizons.
"Our doctoral and postgraduate students will be elites in major national scientific and technological engineering and builders of socialism in the future," Ma Lisong, Secretary of the Party Committee of HIAS, said. HIAS should not only help cultivate more "international, innovative, entrepreneurial, and compound" high-level talents but also train them in terms of virtue. To this end, HIAS will conscientiously study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's series of important statements on education and adhere to the original aspiration and mission of cultivating talents for the Party and the country. In addition, it will hold up to the fundamental task of cultivating talents in moral education and patriotism, carry forward the spirit of "Two Bombs and One Satellite", and answer the fundamental question of General Secretary Xi Jinping on "whom we will train, how to train them, and why to cultivate them". HIAS will work hard to cultivate scientific and technological elites who will undertake the great task of national rejuvenation.
Editor: Yang Qiaoying
