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Celebrating the 100th Birthday of Mr. Zhang Shouhua at the Symposium
On the morning of October 26th, 2016, a symposium was held at the University of Science and Technology Beijing to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mr. Zhang Shouhua, a famous metal material scientist and educator. Mr. Zhang Shouhua attended the event.
Many distinguished guests attended the event. Among them were Mr. Yin Ruijue, who is the former Vice Minister of Ministry of Metallurgical Industry and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, as well as a 1957 alumni of USTB, Mr. Wang Chongyu, an academic of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a 1954 USTB alumni, Mr. Ke Wei, an academic from the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a 1957 USTB alumni, Mr. Ge Changchun, an academic from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mr. Xie Jianxin, an academic in the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Mr. Liu Zhenjiang, the Party Secretary of the China Iron and Steel Association, Mr. Li Jingbo, the former Party Secretary and former President of USTB, current USTB President Mr. Zhang Xinxin, Vice-President Mrs. Wang Ge, and Vice-President Mr. He Minqing. Mr. Jiang Yong, who is the Dean of the School of Materials Science and Engineering, hosted the event.
In the beginning, Zhang Xinxin discussed Mr. Zhang’s vast knowledge and work experience, after which he highly praised Mr. Zhang for the development of the School of Materials Science and Engineering. Afterwards, even professors and staff from various materials-related disciplines enthusiastically acknowledged the outstanding contributions to SMSE Mr. Zhang has made, and they expressed their sincere gratitude for his guidance.
During Yinrui Yu’s speech, they spoke of not only Mr. Zhang’s work as the birth of modern materials science in China and the developmental impact this has had for the country, but also made a call for the training of thousands of new materials science professionals. According to the speech, Mr. Zhang’s hard work, humility, charisma, diligence towards research, and indifference to fame and wealth have all worked to win his peers’ respect and love.
In a speech, Li Jingbo shared anecdotes of Mr. Zhang's deeds, and spoke of him as quiet, indifferent to fame and fortune, of his generosity and tolerance, and of his selflessness in helping his students and peers succeed.
Mr. Zhang Shouhua was born on October 26, 1917 in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. In 1935, he was admitted to the Department of Mining and Metallurgy of Tangshan Institute of Technology of National Chiao Tung University. He received a bachelor's degree in mining and metallurgy. Subsequently, he worked in Sichuan Dadukou Iron and Steel Plant and the Qi River Electrification Project. In 1944, he went to the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) to study and obtain a master's degree in metallurgical engineering, after which he found work in the United States at the Westinghouse Electrical Manufacturing Company and the Carnegie Institute of Metal Works. In 1948, Mr. Zhang returned to the (National) Jiaotong University Tangshan Institute of Technology to teach, where he was eventually hired as an associate professor and tenured professor.
In 1952, Mr. Zhang was appointed by the Ministry of Education of the Central People's Government as a member of the preparatory committee of the Beijing Iron and Steel Institute. Mr. Zhang was then appointed professor and head of the Department of Metallurgical Heat Treatment, the Department of Technology, and the Department of Metal Science (later the Department of Materials Science and Engineering) at the Beijing Iron and Steel Institute. In 1981, he was appointed as the first batch of doctoral supervisors in China.
In 1952, Mr. Zhang also presided over the creation of China's first professional metallurgical heat treatment. He edited China's first “alloy steel” textbook, later renamed as the revised textbook publication of “iron and steel materials,” and which was awarded various prizes by the Ministry of higher education. Mr. Zhang also played a leadership role in the development of the element, composition and steel research for China’s first artificial satellite – “Dongfanghong 1” – a rocket shell with low-alloy ultra-high strength steel. Thanks to his outstanding contributions in the field of science and technology, Mr. Zhang has been awarded the title of “Advanced Individual” by the State Commission of Science and Technology, the State Planning Commission, the State Economic Commission, the State Science and Technology Commission, the National Science and Technology Commission, and the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry. His important contributions led to “the joint recognition of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission,” and his dedication to national defense science and technology earned him a Medal of Honor, as well as a large number of national, provincial and ministerial level science and technology awards. His deeds have been recorded in the books “Chinese Science and Technology Experts Biography” and “The 20th Century Academic Achievements of Renowned Scientists in China Overview.”
Xu Shaowen, Deputy Secretary-General of the Beijing Alumni Association, and University of Science and Technology Beijing professors Liu Guoquan, Xie Xishan and Hu Benfu, from the different perspectives, reviewed Mr. Zhang's scientific research and history in education, and ultimately expressed their best birthday wishes to the centenary.
Wang Ge, He Minqing and materials college teachers and students gave Mr. Zhang birthday presents and flowers to express gratitude and the highest respect in recognition of his positive influence on thousands of people’s lives.
At the event, Mr. Zhang gave his own speech, recalling bits and pieces of his work and school life, stating that the University of Science and Technology Beijing is like a home to him, thanking the government and university leadership for the event and for their care of him after his retirement, before finally urging students and professors to strive for progress and the development of the materials science field.
Also present at the symposium were Mrs. Fu Junzhao, former Secretary-General of the Chinese Metals Society and former Dean of Academic Affairs at the University of Science and Technology of Beijing, and Zhu Hui, the former Vice-Secretary of the Party Committee of the Department of Materials of the Beijing Iron and Steel Institute. Additionally, representatives from the Beijing Institute of Aeronautical Materials, Iron and Steel Research Institute, Southwest Jiaotong University, Shanghai University and other enterprises and institutions were also present at the event, as well as other private individuals including family and friends, USTB alumni, retired professors, and Mr. Zhang’s former colleagues, totaling more than 130 people at the birthday event.