On the morning of June 29, 2021, the first “Wu Xiaolan Highest Honorary Degree Award” Presentation Ceremony was held in Linhong Building, South China University of Technology (SCUT), and attracted nearly twelve thousand viewers in live streaming. This Award, set up by Guangdong Wu Xiaolan Charity Foundation, is given for outstanding graduates of School of Materials Science and Engineering (SMSE), SCUT. Attending the event were Professor Junbiao Peng, Dean of SMSE, Miaoxian Wu, Standing Deputy Secretary of CPC SCUT SMSE Committee, Professor Guangzhao Zhang, Associate Dean of SMSE, Professor Suhong Yin, Associate Dean of SMSE, Li Ren, Associate Dean of SMSE, Bimei Li, Associate Dean of SMSE, and Shuli Peng, Deputy Secretary of CPC SCUT SMSE Committee.
The 12 recipients were recommended by classmates, and carefully selected from over 800 graduates of SMSE by external experts, the Undergraduate Teaching Steering Committee and the Academic Degree Evaluation Committee of SMSE. All the outstanding candidates were awarded certificates of honor, medals and bonus checks.
Ms. Wu Xiaolan wrote an inscription for the awards and recorded a video for the ceremony, congratulating the award winners and expressing expectations to them, appreciating their excellent academic performance, and encouraging them to make persistent efforts and strive for new heights in their studies and life. Gaowa Bao, President of the Foundation, Dingjie Wu, Vice President of the Foundation, and Jun Chen, Vice President of the Foundation, also extended their congratulations to the students through video messages.
In order to promote the spirit of gratitude, the Foundation has also set up the "Wu Xiaolan Teaching Award” and "Wu Xiaolan Management Service Award", which were nominated by the recipients of the Highest Honorary Degree Award. The students took this opportunity to showed their sincere gratitude to the teachers and staff members who had helped them most while studying at university, sharing their glory and joy together.
Chibin Zheng, an award-winning undergraduate, has published 2 papers in SCI as the first author and obtained 4 invention patents. He said the honor is both an affirmation and a spur to him. He would continue to lay a solid foundation of professional theoretical knowledge and study hard to make contributions to the national development, helping to solve bottleneck problems the field of new materials.
Zhou Shangxiong, a postgraduate award winner, has been serving as a class monitor for a long time. He has participated in various volunteer activities, published 12 papers in SCI, of which 4 are as the first author, obtained 7 authorized invention patents, and won the national scholarship and awards in science and innovation competitions. He said that during the seven years of study in SMSE, he has received a lot of support and guidance from the School and teachers. He would try to make progress continuously and be a useful person to the country construction in the future.
The Guangdong Wu Xiaolan Charity Foundation, founded in 2009 by Wu Xiaolan, is registered under the Department of Civil Affairs of Guangdong Province. Wu Xiaolan served as the Deputy Mayor of Shenzhen and Vice Chairman of China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation. The foundation aims to build a bridge of love for social vulnerable groups, children and youth living in deprived and impoverished places, disabled and elderly people, and people living in disaster areas, focusing on public welfare activities, environmental protection, energy conservation and pollution reduction.
