Origins of the School of Materials Science and Engineering
In the University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB), the School of Materials Science and Engineering (SMSE) has a long and rich tradition in higher-education and technological innovation. The School was initially founded in October 1996 with the creation of three departments and one research group: the Department of Metal Processing, the Department of Surface Science, the Department of Corrosion Engineering and the Research Group of Foundry Technology. In December 1998, the Department of Applied Science of Materials Physics and the Department of Physical Chemistry – which previously belonged to the School of Application Science – were incorporated into SMSE. As of 2016 the School of Materials Science and Engineering consists of four departments and one institute, including the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, the Department of Materials Physics and Chemistry, the Department of Materials Processing and Control Engineering, the Department of Inorganic Nonmetallic Materials, and the Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Systems Materials.
As a whole, SMSE offers three specialties that have been designated by the government as “Key National Disciplines,” which are Materials Science, Materials Processing and Control Engineering and Materials Physics and Chemistry. As a result, SMSE has the right to grant masters and doctoral degrees, and it also sponsors various post-doctoral research stations conducting work on these fields. Due to its outstanding academic, research and publishing achievements and the rigorous training received by students, USTB has been consistently recognized as one of China's top universities. In 2007, a national assessment conducted by the Ministry of Education ranked SMSE as the second best materials science school in China, while the Chinese Academy of Management Science ranked SMSE as first for 2006. As for international rankings, according to the United States Thomson Reuters ESI (Essential Science Indicator) 2001-2010 evaluation, our discipline ranked 16th worldwide. Furthermore, in 2011 Thomson Reuters further reported that the total number of SCI (Science Citation Index) papers submitted by MSE have been ranked in the world’s top 1% for 2010.
Internationally Renowned
The School of Materials Science and Engineering is renowned both at home and abroad for its strong and experienced faculty. We have over 112 Professors and 79 Associate Professors, which include six scholars formally recognized by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Engineering, ten Yangtze River scholars, six national Jay Green Fun winners, one national-level teacher, one winner of the Ministry of Education University Youth Teacher Award, seven individuals recognized the Ministry of Education's Century Talent Program, and 29 individuals recognized by the Ministry of Education New Century Talent Program. Additionally, in supporting a full range of research on materials processing and analysis, we have attained research equipment with a net value of more than 300 million Yuan. The School also has authorized and obtained 403 patents, published 48 books written by our departments, and in nearly five years, has cumulatively published over 4,726 academic papers published in domestic journals and over 1,456 SCI papers.
Furthermore, the School of Materials Science and Engineering is at the technological forefront of China, being led by talented individuals such as KE Jun, a scholar whose “Material Test” class was a huge success and became a model for materials science reform in China. In 2007, relying on the State Key Subject of Materials Physics and Chemistry, Professors XIAO Jimei and KE Jun led the establishment of the undergraduate Materials Science Experiment class to provide high-level research training to talented students. In order to internationalize our students, the School of MSE established in 2008 the Undergraduate International Class of Materials and Engineering, whose purpose is to familiarize USTB students with international educational practices, which is done by focusing on the development of the students' communication skills, leadership, global awareness, and English-speaking abilities. Due to its successful implementation and expected positive impact for China's educational system, in 2009 the International Class pilot program was listed as one of “Beijing's municipal innovative and experimental training zone.”
Looking to the Future
SMSE's objective is to focus, develop, and promote joint research of science and technology, to push the international frontiers of science and technology and meet the State's technological demands, and to carry out research and technological innovation in order to promote the transfer and commercialization of scientific and technological achievements. An additional focus is to nurture talented individuals in scientific research and in team-building, according to progressive and conscious social structures that encourage cross-cultural collaboration, in order to steadily improve MSE’s research abilities and engage in key scientific research projects. In the past three years, MSE professors and students have participated in over 336 international and domestic conferences, and every year we collaborate with foreign universities and scientific research institutions on hundreds of academic exchanges with various institutions ranging from Oxford University in the United Kingdom and Aachen University of Technology in Germany, as well other prestigious institutions around the world to engage in constructive partnerships.
For more than 60 years, SMSE has trained over 20,000 talented individuals in fields designated as pillars of China's modernization. For the 2015 academic year, we have seven international students in SMSE graduating from USTB, as well another six in our school who are enrolled in a study abroad program and are going back home to finish their studies. Furthermore, we have over 20 international students currently in SMSE who are projected to graduate over the next few years. We have achieved this under the outstanding leadership of LUO Gan and other party and state leaders including WANG Chongyu, YE Hengqiang, ZHOU Bangxin, KE Wei, HE Jilin, WANG Yide, GUOLIANG Chen, and in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as well as dozens of state and private enterprises.