On May 19, 2024, the award ceremony of the 27th Forum of Sciences & Arts of Nanjing University was held in the Guosheng Lecture Hall of Panqi Building, organized by the Kuang Yaming Honors School. The ceremony was attended by Professor Zhou Jilin, a member of the standing committee of the CPC Nanjing University committee, Minister of the Department of Graduate Students’ Affairs, and Executive Vice Dean of the Graduate School; Yuan Junying, Member of the National Academy of Sciences, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Foreign Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Wang Jun, Executive Vice Dean of the Undergraduate School, Executive Dean of the College of First-Year Students, and Dean of the Kuang Yaming Honors School; Lu Dexin, the General Supervisor in Student Teaching at Kuang Yaming Honors School; Zhou Yuan, Party Secretary of the Kuang Yaming Honors School; Qiao Weihong, former Party Secretary of the Kuang Yaming Honors School; Shao Zebin, Dean of the Honors College at Nanjing Normal University; Wu Congxin, Deputy Party Secretary of the general Party branch, and Vice Dean of Sun Yueqi Honors College at China University of Mining and Technology; Lu Li, Deputy Minister of the Department of Graduate Students’ Affairs at Sichuan University; as well as 200 faculty and student representatives from Kuang Yaming Honors School of Nanjing University, Chu Kochen Honors College of Zhejiang University, Zhiyuan College of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Wu Yuzhang Honors College of Sichuan University, Honors College of Nanjing Normal University, Sun Yueqi Honors College of China University of Mining and Technology. The ceremony was hosted by Yu Ziqi, a 2023 undergraduate student of the Kuang Yaming Honors School.
In his opening speech, Zhou Jilin expressed high respect for the faculty and students who participated in the forum and worked hard. He emphasized that Nanjing University has always adhered to the educational philosophy of “fostering integrity and promoting rounded development of people, while serving the nation.” The university has followed the path of nurturing talents with the goal of “repaying the motherland and serving people,” proposing the “NJU plan” and making “NJU contributions” to the cultivation of top-tier innovative talents. This year marks the second anniversary of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s letter to Nanjing University’s young scholars who have returned from studying abroad. He highlighted the university’s focus on deepening the system construction of top-notch innovative talent through the “Forging Ahead Initiative”. He remarked that Kuang Yaming Honors School serves as a pioneering force and experimental field for the cultivation of outstanding talent in basic disciplines at Nanjing University. The school has continuously deepened the integration of science and education, while optimizing its approach to talent cultivation, based on the new era requirements of integrating education with teaching and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration. He expressed his hope that the school will make even greater contributions to the cultivation of top-tier innovative talent, in alignment with national strategic needs.
The Forum of Sciences & Arts of Nanjing University has accumulated a total of 7,534 papers from various disciplines over the years. This year’s forum received 591 academic papers from honors colleges and related departments of peer universities across the country, covering fundamental disciplines such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, literature, history, philosophy, as well as interdisciplinary fields. Many of the academic achievements presented in the forum have been published in prominent domestic and international academic journals, generating significant academic influence and positive social reputation. The outstanding students from universities such as Peking University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zhejiang University, Sichuan University, Fudan University, Shandong University, Sun Yat-sen University, Hunan University, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Industry, Zhejiang Normal University, China University of Mining and Technology participated in the forum. Through academic salons, academician lectures, and other activities, the forum provided a platform for academic and inter-university exchanges.
Following the evaluations by the forum’s review committee, a total of 159 award-winning papers were selected. Among them, 11 articles were awarded first prize, 42 articles were awarded second prize, and 61 articles were awarded third prize in the “Freshman Track” based on expert review, while 17 articles were awarded first prize, 72 articles were awarded second prize, and 60 articles were awarded third prize in the “Regular Track” after both “expert evaluation” and “on-site presentation.” Dong Hao, Vice President of Kuang Yaming Honors School, read the expert comments on some of the outstanding papers, and leaders and faculty members from the participating universities presented awards to the winning students.
In his concluding remarks, Dean Wang Jun thanked the faculty and students for their support and participation in the Forum of Sciences & Arts. He encouraged students to enjoy the process of participation and to learn more from it, broadening their horizons. He expressed hope that future forums would inspire more academic enthusiasm and innovation, further promoting exchange and cooperation between academia and students. He wished for greater success for the next forum.
In his closing remarks, Dean Wang Jun expressed his gratitude to all the teachers and students for their support and participation in the Forum of Sciences & Arts. He hoped that the students would enjoy the competition process, and also gain more knowledge and broaden their perspectives. He expected that such forums in the future could further inspire students’ academic enthusiasm and innovative spirit, and enhance communication and collaboration between the academic community and students. He wished the next forum greater success.
With the holding of the Forum of Sciences & Arts, the Kuang Yaming Honors School held the “Little Blue Whale Academic Week” event, aimed at enriching the content of the “Honor Cultivation Program for Outstanding Talent” and providing an academic exchange platform for faculty and students from all disciplines across the university. During the week-long event from May 13 to May 20, the school held a scientific research mentor appointment ceremony, invited Zhang Donghui, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Yuan Junying, Member of the National Academy of Sciences, to present lectures. Students from various disciplines across the university attended the expert lectures and engaged in direct interactions with the research mentors, inspiring their research potential and fostering their innovative spirit.
