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Fu Song: Aerospace -- An industry where one can strive and reap rewards for a lifetime
Release Time
2018/09/26
The level of aerospace technology reflects a nation's comprehensive strength. While all Chinese people are deeply inspired and encouraged by the success of Shenzhou VI, many students aspiring to a career in aerospace are eager to learn about the development of Tsinghua University's School of Aerospace Engineering. In this issue of "Department Heads Talk about Majors," we invited Professor Fu Song, the vice dean of the School of Aerospace Engineering, to give an introduction. Tsinghua's aerospace engineering program has developed alongside the nation. Reporter: Tsinghua's aerospace engineering department was established in the 1930s, the earliest in China. In 1952, it was relocated during the adjustment of departments and institutions. In 1958...
The level of aerospace development reflects a nation's comprehensive strength. While all Chinese people are deeply inspired and encouraged by the success of Shenzhou VI, many students aspiring to a career in aerospace are eager to learn about the development of Tsinghua University's School of Aerospace Engineering. In this issue of "Department Heads Talk about Specialties," we invited Professor Fu Song, Vice Dean of the School of Aerospace Engineering, to provide an introduction.
Tsinghua's School of Aerospace Engineering develops alongside the nation's progress.
Reporter: Tsinghua's aeronautical engineering department was established in the 1930s, the earliest in China. It was relocated from Tsinghua University in the 1952 adjustment of departments and institutions. In 1958, Tsinghua established the Department of Engineering Mechanics, and in May 2004, the School of Aerospace Engineering was founded. Could you talk about the professional foundation and development of Tsinghua University's School of Aerospace Engineering?
Fu Song: Tsinghua's aerospace discipline has a long history. As early as the 1930s, Tsinghua established China's first aerospace engineering department. At that time, the department had many internationally renowned experts, such as Professor Theodore von Kármán, an expert in aerodynamics from Caltech, who taught at Tsinghua. Professor von Kármán was the mentor of Qian Xuesen, the father of China's aerospace program. With such a starting point, Tsinghua's aerospace discipline developed rapidly, cultivating a group of outstanding talents and making significant contributions to the establishment of China's aerospace discipline and the development of aerospace technology.
In the 1950s, during the adjustment of departments and institutions in higher education, in accordance with national arrangements, the aerospace engineering department was relocated from Tsinghua to participate in the establishment of Beihang University. In the late 1950s, to develop national high technologies represented by "two bombs, one satellite," the university successively established the Department of Engineering Mechanics and Mathematics and the Department of Automatic Control, conducting relevant scientific research and talent cultivation. The Department of Engineering Mechanics had several major specialties, such as solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, and engineering thermophysics. After more than 40 years of development, these disciplines have become key disciplines in their respective fields and rank first in the Ministry of Education's key discipline assessment.
After the reform and opening up, the university, with the support of relevant departments, established an aerospace fund to encourage teachers to conduct research in the field of aerospace. Starting in the 1990s, in the process of building a world-class university, Tsinghua clearly proposed the goal of developing aerospace disciplines and established the Space Technology Research Center, achieving several valuable scientific research results. Among them, the "Aerospace Tsinghua No. 1" microsatellite and "NanoStar No. 1" were successfully launched in 2000 and 2004, respectively. In May 2004, Tsinghua established the School of Aerospace Engineering, hoping to continue contributing to the country's high technology and cultivating cutting-edge talents for the nation.
Reporter: You mentioned aviation and aerospace just now. What are the differences between them?
Fu Song: Aviation traditionally refers to flying in the air. Traditionally, as long as it leaves the ground, it should be considered aviation. However, after the advent of airplanes, it generally refers to flying at an altitude of 10,000 to 20,000 meters. Aerospace, of course, means leaving the atmosphere, generally at least about 100 kilometers above the ground. Of course, with the development of science and technology, the difference between "air" and "space" in scientific and technological terms is becoming smaller and smaller. Therefore, there is a new term called "air-space vehicles," which I think everyone will be more familiar with in the future.
Cultivating comprehensively developed aerospace talents
Reporter: Tsinghua has always been known for its solid foundation, and the School of Aerospace Engineering is a typical discipline that requires a solid foundation. How does the School of Aerospace Engineering do this?
Fu Song: Emphasizing a solid foundation remains a very important principle in our education. After research, we have drawn on the educational models of internationally renowned universities such as MIT and Stanford. Within a comprehensive university, we have established a School of Aerospace Engineering with a relatively broad range of research areas, such as aviation, aerospace, and propulsion. What are the advantages of our approach? Graduates have a wider range of adaptability after employment, which aligns with the characteristics of the aerospace industry. It can be said that the aerospace field encompasses everything, requiring all kinds of professionals. We cultivate "broad-based and solid-foundation" comprehensive talents from this perspective.
In terms of education, the School of Aerospace Engineering has the university's basic course platform and a large teaching platform jointly built with the School of Mechanical Engineering. The School of Aerospace Engineering has also established its own teaching platform, providing a good foundation for cultivation. On this basis, our students have a relatively free range of choices and can choose their own direction according to their interests, such as aircraft design, aerodynamics, structure, strength, etc. From this perspective, we can achieve a solid foundation and a broad scope, which is also the successful experience of some famous foreign universities.
Reporter: Tsinghua's School of Aerospace Engineering has a strong faculty, which is known in academia and industry. Academician Wang Yongzhi, chief designer of the Shenzhou V spacecraft, was the first dean of the School of Aerospace Engineering. Could you elaborate on this?
Fu Song: Yes, our dean, Academician Wang Yongzhi, is the chief commander of China's manned spacecraft technology. He is very concerned about the curriculum construction of Tsinghua's School of Aerospace Engineering and attaches great importance to arranging experts to lecture to the students. The School of Aerospace Engineering has a strong faculty team. For example, in addition to Academician Wang Yongzhi, there are Academicians Huang Kezhi, Du Qinghua, Guo Zengyuan, and Yang Wei, all of whom are long-term teachers at Tsinghua. In addition to academicians, we also have a strong team of young teachers, including five "Changjiang Scholars" professors from the Ministry of Education and a group of recipients of the "National Outstanding Youth Fund." These are important guarantees for the continued development of Tsinghua's School of Aerospace Engineering.
Reporter: The aerospace industry is a hands-on industry with a strong industry and practical nature. How does Tsinghua's School of Aerospace Engineering ensure that students learn hands-on?
Fu Song: Tsinghua's School of Aerospace Engineering has established close ties with the industry. For example, shortly after the establishment of the School of Aerospace Engineering, we established a joint research center with the Shenyang Aircraft Design Research Institute, allowing our students to participate in the institute's work hands-on. We connect with the industry, recommending students to intern at units and departments such as Shenyang Aircraft Manufacturing Company, Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation, the Air Force arsenal, and the Liyang Engine Factory. Students learn and train in practice. We also have close ties with international aerospace departments. For example, we have established the "GE-Tsinghua Propulsion and Power Technology Research Center" with GE Aviation, allowing our students to enter domestic and international first-class industries faster through learning and research.
"Aerospace" is a discipline with a particularly strong industry and practical nature. During student internships, the School of Aerospace Engineering took the lead in establishing two undergraduate practical education bases at Tsinghua University, enabling students' practical education to move towards the industry and hands-on experience.
In terms of research, Tsinghua's School of Aerospace Engineering has established many research centers with domestic and foreign research institutions and companies, such as the Ministry of Education's "Key Laboratory of Fracture Mechanics" and "Key Laboratory of Heat Transfer Enhancement and Energy Saving." The School of Aerospace Engineering currently has four international joint research centers, such as the "Tsinghua University-SMC Aerodynamics Research Center" and the "Tsinghua-IHI Heavy Industry Technology Research Center." These ensure that Tsinghua's School of Aerospace Engineering has an important technical force in research, cooperating internationally and moving towards international first-class standards.
Reporter: To my understanding, there are many new research directions in the international aerospace field. How is Tsinghua University's aerospace department progressing in this aspect?
Fu Song: We closely follow the latest developments in international aerospace, and of course, we also have many of our own strengths. For example, as mentioned earlier, Tsinghua was the first university in China to conduct research on small satellites several years ago. We were the first university in China to launch a small satellite, and the CubeSat is another advancement. In the aviation field, Tsinghua students have enthusiastically carried out research work on small aircraft and drones, even incorporating such work into their graduation projects and theses. New research directions, such as near space, hypersonic, and large aircraft, have been included in China's medium- and long-term development plan, and faculty and students from the aerospace department are actively participating.
Aerospace is an industry where one can strive and reap rewards for a lifetime.
Reporter: How has the job placement of Tsinghua's aerospace department graduates been in recent years?
Fu Song: China's aerospace industry has developed very rapidly in recent years. How fast? From the perspective of candidates, it means there will be no shortage of jobs or things to do in the future. The aerospace department at Tsinghua might be unique, perhaps even nationally unique, in that half of our students are "pre-booked" upon enrollment. We recruit four classes a year, and the employment direction of two classes is already determined upon admission: one is the aerospace class, "pre-booked" by the aerospace sector; the other is the national defense class, "pre-booked" by the military.
In the past, people may not have been very familiar with aerospace. However, in the past two years, those who have sought employment in the aerospace sector will realize that the competition is fierce. These sectors need a large number of talents, but they also have high requirements for personnel quality. Young people hope to showcase their talents, and the aerospace industry provides a vast stage for them to do so.
In addition to aerospace-related sectors, Tsinghua's aerospace department students have another important employment area, which is also a rapidly developing field in our country: shipping. China is now the world's largest shipbuilding country, and the shipping industry has a strong demand for talent in recent years. From the employment situation of students in the past two years, we are pleased to see that many students have entered the shipping industry. Therefore, our employment field can be said to encompass the three "航" (navigation, aviation, and aerospace). I believe that choosing aerospace is choosing a career where one can strive and reap rewards for a lifetime. (Edited by Xiang Nan)
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