On the morning of June 1st, the Second University Students Science and Technology Cultural Festival of Hainan University kicked off at the Multi-Functional Gymnasium at Haidian Campus. Zhu Shuangping, official from the Education Department of Hainan Province, Feng Guizhen, official from Hainan Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Xu Wei, member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice Chairman of the Hainan Association for Science and Technology, Fu Xuanguo, Chairman of the University Council, and other HNU leadership members including Cao Bing, Gao Tiangong, Qiu Xiguang, He Yong, Zou Yonghua, Liu Qian, Li Buhong, Chen Jun, Han Shumei, Tan Yong, and Yang Zhixin, attended the opening ceremony.

The Festival kicked off. Photo from School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Photo of the opening ceremony by Wang Xinyu

At the opening ceremony, Zhu Shuangping highlighted the efforts and achievements Hainan Province had made in establishing multi-channel scientific and technological innovation platforms, guiding colleges and universities to further innovative education, and enhancing the creativity of college students. He said that the strategic blueprint for the development of Hainan Free Trade Port has presented the province with new historical opportunities and missions. Given the increasing demand for self-reliance in science and technology, coupled with high-quality development of innovation and entrepreneurship, it was imperative to strengthen the cultivation of talents in scientific and technological area. Hainan University, in the context of scientific and technological advancement, needs to transform research findings into practical applications through innovative and entrepreneurial training for its students, and ultimately improve the conversion rate of scientific and technological achievements.

During his tour in exhibition, Fu Xuanguo engaged warmly with the innovation teams, acknowledging the significant progress achieved by both teachers and students in technological innovation and entrepreneurship, and urging everyone to find ways of transforming research outcomes. He emphasized that the Festival is not merely a technological and cultural showcase that Hainan University endeavors to host with broad participation of students. It serves as a vital bridge between aspiring students and innovation teams, and a pivotal tool to encourage students’ creative thinking, spark their enthusiasm for innovation, and foster their creativity, ultimately contributing to the cultivation of an innovative cultural environment within the campus.

Fu Xuanguo is interacting with student team. Photo by Liu Xinyu

At the opening ceremony, Liu Qian, a member of HNU leadership, made brief introduction to efforts made and achievements obtained by the University in recent years in innovation and entrepreneurship education. Representatives of top students and their advisors spoke at the ceremony, sharing their experiences in technological innovation and entrepreneurship.

In the event, recognition was given to outstanding research reports, excellent book review compositions, videos, and external practice bases that demonstrate excellence in innovation and entrepreneurship. Additionally, students with good performance and their mentors in innovation and entrepreneurship competitions, as well as individuals and teams who have distinguished themselves in their efforts within this field, were honored for their exceptional contributions.

On the day of opening ceremony, a diverse array of experiential activities unfolded simultaneously, including innovation and entrepreneurship education development achievements exhibition, university students’ scientific and cultural exhibitions, science popularization in the experimental teaching center, ceramic-making workshops, food science and technology achievements, and observations of university student formula racing. Moreover, the Hainan University Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education Forum, the National Award-winning Teams Sharing Session for University Students Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competitions, the Students Exchange Forum on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the Cross-Campus Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education Forum were also held.

Photo of the China International College Students Innovation Competition Forum by Wang Xinyu

Hainan University has prioritized the full credit-based system, collaborative innovation centers and residential college system in its comprehensive reform to pioneer a novel mechanism for fostering innovative and entrepreneurial talents by integrating different Schools, different disciplines, and different majors. This strategic shift has transformed talent cultivation with focus on a single discipline to the integration of multi-disciplines, emphasizing personalized growth and sustainable development of students. Hainan University boasts the School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a national-level experimental teaching demonstration center, a hub for cultivating exceptional students in fundamental disciplines, an engineering training center, and an experimental teaching center. The university has been consistently strengthening its professional laboratories and training centers development, offering 840 open and shared laboratory projects. These comprehensive initiatives have provided teachers and students with ample platforms for innovative and entrepreneurial practices, thereby enhancing students’ innovative capabilities and the overall quality of talent development. In recent years, Hainan University has been approved to be one of the universities with the first national-level innovative and entrepreneurial college, and its students have won numerous awards, including the gold medal in the China International College Students’ Innovation Competition, the global gold medal in the International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition, and the top prize in the Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM/ICM).

The 2nd Science and Technology Cultural Festival, with the theme of “Tech Embarks Dream, Intelligence Empowers Youth”, will hold featured activities, including exhibitions of innovative achievements, themed competitions, interactive science experiences, and innovative education forums throughout the year.  Moreover, it will serve as the host for several prestigious competitions, such as the 9th National Biomedical Engineering Innovation Design Competition for College Students, the 19th National University Students Intelligent Car Race in South China, the China International College Students Innovation Competition (2024) Hainan Division, and the 11th National Undergraduate Mechanical Innovation Competition Hainan Division. Notably, the 9th National Biomedical Engineering Innovation Design Competition for College Students, set to take place in Sanya in July, has attracted over 10,000 participants from 250 universities, including Tsinghua University, Peking University, Zhejiang University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Fudan University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Southeast University, and Sichuan University.

Over 1,000 participants attended the opening ceremony, including heads of innovation and entrepreneurship programs, faculty and student representatives from universities across the province, external mentors of Hainan University’s innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives, representatives from external enterprises representatives of innovation and entrepreneurship bases, and faculty and students representatives of Hainan University.

Source from HNU News

Translated by Hu Xiufang

Proofread by Chen Chuanxian, Yang Jie