SEPE Holds Its First Kun-Xue Talent Incentive Fund Donation Ceremony

SHANGHAI, Dec. 5, 2024(USST) – USST’s School of Energy and Power Engineering (SEPE) observed the grand ceremony of the LIU Huakun - DOU Shixue (Kun-Xue) Talent Incentive Fund Donation and its First Kun - Xue Talent Scholarship Awarding Ceremony in the Large Auditorium on the Jungong Rd. campus.

In October 2023, 2024, on the occasion of the 117th anniversary of the founding of USST, Academician DOU Shixue and Academician LIU Huakun donated one million yuan to establish the Kun - Xue Talent Incentive Fund. This year, they made another generous contribution of one million yuan, aiming to inspire the younger generation of students to strive for self-improvement and self-reliance, contributing to the realization of the national “dual carbon” strategy and the sustainable development of global energy.

In his speech, President ZHU Xinyuan spoke highly of Academician DOU Shixue and Academician LIU Huakun for their spirit demonstrated in their profound patriotism and long commitment both as scientist and educator both as scientist and educator to nurturing the next generation. He encouraged the students and faculty members present to follow the academicians’ example and focus on the cultivation of “a lofty aspiration, academic excellence, and noble virtues” to provide strong support for the comprehensive promotion of the great cause of building up a strong country and the realization of national rejuvenation.
First, President ZHU encouraged the students and faculty members present to embrace a lofty aspiration, strive for scientific excellence, and apply technological achievements to the great cause of realizing the Chinese-style modernization, propelling China to move forward from a major energy producer to a global energy powerhouse.
Secondly, he urged the students and faculty members present to achieve academic excellence by upgrading their disciplinary competence, broadening their global vision, studying diligently and innovating along the path pioneered by the two academicians, actively engage in cutting-edge field exploration, and contribute Chinese wisdom to the global energy transformation.
Thirdly, he called on the students and faculty members present to cultivate noble virtues, muster up their courage to face challenges fearlessly, carry forward the two academicians’ spirit of self-improvement, self-reliance and unflinching courage, and take practical and effective actions to work out a satisfactory answer sheet for the people of the New Era.
During the ceremony, DOU and LIU engaged with the students and faculty members warmly, sharing their life stories of perseverance and passion for education. Academician DOU, based on his own growth experience and journey of struggle, talked about his original intention of cultivating talents by establishing the Kun-Xue Talent Incentive Fund to serve the cause of the construction of USST into a high-level university, lend a helping hand to the young faculty members in their growth and development, and inspire students to bravely shoulder the responsibilities of their times. Academician LIU encouraged the students present to become the new generation of their times with comprehensive development in character, wisdom, health, wellness, aesthetics, and work, and to dedicate their youth to the construction of a powerful, modern, socialist country, writing out a magnificent chapter belonging to the New Era.
In June 2023，Academician DOU and Academician LIU founded the Institute of Energy Materials Science (IEMS) at USST. Within merely 18 months of its establishment, the institute has brought together four academicians, over 20 national-level and provincial-level leading talents, more than 120 teaching staff, researchers, and doctor-degree and master-degree postgraduate students in the field of new energy materials. As of 2024, ten institute members have been selected as highly cited researchers worldwide.

The high-quality academic environment fostered by the IEMS for talents at different levels has injected significant impetus into scientific research, advancing steadily toward its mission and goals. This progress has also bolstered USST’s disciplinary construction significantly, propelling its position in the Academic Ranking of World Universities published by Shanghai Ranking Consultancy from the 700s in 2022 to the 400s in 2024. Furthermore, disciplines like Materials Science and Chemistry have achieved progress by leaps and bounds in their ESI rankings.
Dedicated to the research of key technologies for new energy materials, the IEMS continues to contribute to the realization of China’s “dual carbon” goals and the sustainable development of global energy.