Prof. YANG Wei, expert in solid mechanics, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), fellow of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), and international member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), delivered a lecture related to mechanics and engineering science at the invitation of NingboTech, officially kicking off a series of lectures to be made by academicians in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the university. Over 250 faculty members and students from the School of Mechatronics and Energy Engineering, the School of Civil Engineering and Architecture and the School of Design attended the event.
Academician YANG, specializing in microscopic fracture mechanics, nanomechanics and lithium-ion battery coupling failure, expounded on “how mechanics and engineering science complement each other” and “roles of mechanics scholars in the development of engineering science”. Starting with stories of ten members of the Executive Board of the Chinese Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (CSTAM), and the rise of applied mechanics, YANG elaborated on the Boundary Layer Theory come up with by Ludwig Prandtl and introduced three influential figures in aerospace--Ludwig Prandtl, Theodore von Kármán, and Tsien Hsue-Shen (QIAN Xuesen).Inextricable links between mechanics and engineering science were thus demonstrated through his vivid description of the history of mechanics. He then focused his lecture on the relations between mechanics and engineering science, citing some landmark events like how Academician TIAN Yongjun led his team to create nanotwinned diamond with unprecedented hardness and stability and how Prof. LI Tiefeng and his team successfully made the self-powered soft robot which managed to explore extreme depths of the Mariana Trench.
Prof. YANG Deren, President of NingboTech, expressed sincere gratitude to Academician YANG for showing the beauty and tradition of mechanics as well as the relations between mechanics and engineering science by using plain and humorous words and citing first-hand experiences.
During the Q&A session, Academician YANG answered questions posed by the audience like “how to get well prepared for the transition from being a graduate to a postgraduate” and “how women can overcome difficulties when conducting scientific research”. He also encouraged female scholars to commit themselves to scientific research and to fully unleash their potential.
As part of a series of events in celebration of the 20th anniversary of NingboTech, more academicians will be invited to share their views about cutting-edge technology in the near future. It’s expected that teachers and students will be motivated to engage themselves in research, which will surely promote the development of the university.
