From May 23 to 25, the 63rd China Higher Education Expo and the Forum on Higher Education Reform and Development were successfully held in Changchun. The event featured fourteen concurrent forums, including the Forum on the Reform of Top-Tier Innovative Talent Training Mechanisms, hosted by Harbin Engineering University (HEU). President SONG Yingdong delivered the keynote address, sharing HEU’s experience and achievements in cultivating top-level innovative talent.
Experts Convene to Address Talent Training Challenges in the Intelligent Era.
The forum was attended by JIANG Enlai, Vice President of the China Association of Higher Education, who delivered a keynote speech. Distinguished speakers included ZHENG Qinghua, Party Secretary of Tongji University; LI Peigen, former President of Huazhong University of Science and Technology; SONG Yingdong, President of HEU; XU Shoukui, Party Secretary of Changzhou University; ZHOU Lei, Vice President of Fudan University; HONG Jun, Vice President of Xi’an Jiaotong University; WU Jianghao, Vice President of Beihang University; and LU Jinyu, Director of Academic Affairs at Southeast University. The forum was co-hosted by HEU Vice President ZHAO Yuxin and GENG Jing, Executive Dean of the Undergraduate College.
President SONG highlighted HEU’s strategic initiatives to advance independent training of engineering talent in the new era. These include establishing a new ecosystem for cultivating top-tier talent, exploring AI-driven teaching and learning models, and developing an institutional framework to support innovative talent development. He expressed a strong commitment to contributing HEU’s expertise to the ongoing reform of higher education in China.
The forum attracted over 300 experts and scholars who engaged in in-depth discussions on the independent cultivation of top-tier innovative talent in the context of the intelligent era.
Launch of “Xinghai”: China’s First Large-Scale Education Model for Naval and Marine Disciplines.
At the Expo’s opening ceremony, HEU officially launched the “Xinghai” Education Model on the National Smart Higher Education Platform. As China’s first large-scale language model dedicated to education in naval architecture and ocean engineering, “Xinghai” garnered significant attention during its debut.
LIN Huiqing, President of the China Association of Higher Education, along with leaders from the Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Education and the Provincial Higher Education Association, visited HEU’s exhibition booth. They received detailed briefings on the AI³ talent training model and the “Xinghai” education platform, explored student innovation projects, and praised HEU’s outstanding achievements in talent cultivation.
From Sky to Sea: Integrating Industry and Education in Engineering Talent Development.
Visitors experienced cutting-edge technologies, including commanding the robot “Big White” via VR headsets and gesture control. A hybrid experimental aircraft capable of both flying and water gliding, an autonomous underwater robot for precise biological sampling, and a 3D-printed smart vehicle with path-following and remote-control capabilities were among the highlights.
The Expo featured more than 6,000 companies, over 3,000 distinguished guests, and attracted more than 100,000 visitors. Exhibition zones included the revitalization area for Northeast China, a talent zone, an outdoor experience zone, and an enterprise zone.
HEU established a special interactive display area showcasing projects such as 3D drone assembly and underwater retrieval robots. High school students from institutions including Changchun No. 11 High School visited the booth to learn about HEU’s history, academic strengths, and research achievements while engaging directly with the technology exhibits.
MA Pengbo, head of HEU’s “Lighting the Future” Marine Technology Student Team and a 2024 master’s candidate from the College of Underwater Acoustics Engineering, delivered a presentation as an outstanding student representative, highlighting the university’s cutting-edge scientific research accomplishments.
