On the afternoon of September 25, 2024, Professor Lu Jian, Academician of the National Academy of Technical Sciences of France, Academician of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences, and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering of City University of Hong Kong, was a guest at the "Sino-French Excellence Forum" to share his experience of studying in France, research directions, and his experience of Sino-French engineering education. Professor Chen Cailian, Secretary of the Party Committee of the École des Excellence des Engineers de Paris, Professor Zhong Shengyi, Associate Dean of the School of Excellence in Engineering, Professor Cheng Junfang, Associate Professor of the Tenured Teaching Track, Shang Xiaoqing, Assistant Professor of the Tenured Teaching Track, and more than 100 students from many colleges of the university participated in the offline event, which was full, and more than 2,000 people watched the online live broadcast room. The event was moderated by Xu Yuan, a third-year student majoring in energy and power engineering at the École des Excellence des Engineers in Paris.
At the beginning of the lecture, Ms. Zhong Shengyi enthusiastically introduced the keynote speakers. With more than 20 years of study and work experience in France, he became an academician of the France National Academy of Technical Sciences in 2011, the first Chinese among the more than 300 academicians of the academy. His research interests include 3D printing and advanced materials, and he is a leading figure in the field of materials. In addition, Academician Lu Jian has a deep relationship with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, his maternal grandfather and three younger brothers all studied at SJTU 90 years ago, and last year he found precious historical materials in the archives of SJTU.
Academician Lu Jian opened with Mr. Qian Xuesen's thoughts and "Qian Xuesen's Question", emphasizing the close cooperation between scientists and engineers, and pointing out the correct way for universities to cultivate outstanding talents. He then reviewed his experience in France, introduced in detail the "small but fine" elite education model of France engineering schools, and explained the "unique secret" of France universities to cultivate many alumni who have won Fields Medals, Turing Awards and Nobel Prizes.
Based on his study, scientific research and teaching experience, Academician Lu Jian compared the similarities and differences between engineering education in China and France, and summarized several main differences, such as France's engineering education is very focused on industrial practice, has a very close connection with industry, and allows students to be exposed to industrial knowledge very early. He also mentioned that due to the lag of book knowledge, France professors have greater autonomy in teaching, so that teachers can bring the most up-to-date knowledge into the classroom.
Subsequently, Academician Lu Jian shared his academic research and work experience, including the challenges of structural materials, the development of 3D printing technology, and the frontier exploration of 4D printing. In this session, he showed many "black technologies" that made the students jaw-dropping, such as ceramics used for aerospace 4D printing, which can self-transform their physical properties under predetermined stimuli. He then went on to explain technologies relevant to the energy sector of the future, such as gas-electric technology and Turing catalysts in the hydrogen industry, as well as an innovative cogeneration system.
At the end of his speech, Academician Lu discussed the essence of scientific research. He pointed out the importance of models and the need for a close connection between theory and practice, emphasizing that engineers should not only focus on theoretical construction, but also on in-depth experimental verification. Finally, Academician Lu humorously advocated that in scientific research cooperation, we should not only have "specialty dishes" (our own expertise), but also constantly provide "new dishes" (learning new knowledge) to promote the innovation and development of scientific research. Academician Lu encouraged students to learn how to learn and maintain lifelong learning in school to better adapt to changes in the social environment.
In the interactive session after the speech, the atmosphere was warm. Academician Lu patiently answered the students' questions and provided valuable suggestions based on personal experience.
ask
Academician Lu, how did you overcome the language difficulties when you studied in France in 1979, and can you give us some advice on learning French?
answer
When I was studying in France, the conditions were difficult, and a tape recorder was almost equivalent to 20 months of pocket money! You also need to learn French from scratch...... We adopted immersion learning, going to France's homes on weekends to chat and communicate directly in French, rather than translating Chinese into French. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, practice more and communicate more with France teachers.
ask
For engineering students, I would like to ask a question that combines theory and practice. When learning theories, I often don't know how to apply the knowledge I have learned to the industry, and then after I work in the industry, I will face a weak foundation or theoretical problems when learning knowledge in the industry, how to solve them?
answer
The framework education method of the France professor places great emphasis on the importance of mathematical knowledge. This type of education makes it relatively easy to change industries because the basics are solid. I advise students to lay a good foundation so that they can adapt and apply what they have learned more quickly in their future work.
In addition, there were professional teachers on the scene who had an in-depth discussion with Academician Lu on the more academic content of the speech, and the academic atmosphere was strong.
Academician Lu Jian's sharing was full of dry goods, which deeply inspired the students and won warm applause. At the end of the event, Professor Zhong Shengyi presented flowers to Academician Lu Jian, and Professor Chen Cailian presented a hand-painted cartoon portrait. All the participants took a group photo, which drew a successful end to this wonderful speech.
Before the meeting, Academician Lu Jian had an in-depth academic exchange with Zied MOUMNI, the new French dean of the École des Excellence des Engineers in Paris.
Source: Academic Services Department of the Student Union
Author | Dong Hanyan
Edit | Xu Yang, Li Yuhan
Typesetting|Shao Haiyang
Editor-in-charge|Zhou Xiangyu
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