On the morning of August 30, the opening ceremony for 2025 graduate students of the Department of Chemical Engineering was held in Classroom 2101 of the No. 3 Teaching Building. More than 150 people attended the ceremony, including Lu Yangcheng, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Department; Zhang Qiang, Dean of the Department of Chemical Engineering; faculty representatives; and new graduate students. The ceremony was hosted by Ouyang Yunfei, a 2024 doctoral student from the Department of Chemical Engineering.
Remarks by Professor Zhang Qiang
In his opening remarks, Professor Zhang Qiang extended a warm welcome to the 2025 cohort of graduate students. He encouraged them to shoulder the mission of the new era and regard serving the nation as their highest pursuit; to position themselves clearly within the discipline and deeply understand the evolving connotation of chemical engineering; to proactively embrace frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence, strengthen their professional foundations, master intelligent tools, and grow into interdisciplinary and innovative talent empowering the future of chemical engineering. He urged students to aspire high, cultivate virtue, pursue true scholarship, refine real capabilities, and seize opportunities to contribute to solving national “bottleneck” challenges—thus realizing personal value and writing new chapters of their lives while contributing to the country’s development.
Remarks by Professor Wang Tiefeng
Speaking on behalf of the faculty, Professor Wang Tiefeng shared his insights on “how to spend one’s graduate years meaningfully.” He encouraged students to remain true to their scientific aspirations, using ideals as their sail and perseverance as their oar; to focus on real problems and grand challenges, allowing national strategies and industrial demands to drive innovation; to cultivate resilience and confront scientific difficulties and failures with courage; and to pursue well-rounded development by broadening horizons and strengthening character, striving to grow into responsible and passionate chemical engineers of Tsinghua.
Remarks by Ou Yu
Ou Yu, a direct-entry doctoral student from the 2022 cohort and recipient of the National Scholarship, delivered a speech as a representative of the graduate students. Centering his remarks on “moving forward amid uncertainty, building relationships with advisors and group members, and finding reconciliation with oneself,” he shared insights on breaking major research problems into verifiable “small steps,” establishing clear and measurable expectations with advisors, collaborating actively and providing timely feedback within research teams, facing failures with rigor and responsibility, and developing a sustainable rhythm for scientific research.
Remarks by Zheng Zhuofan
Zheng Zhuofan, Secretary of the Graduate Student League Branch of the Department of Chemical Engineering, shared reflections on growth during graduate studies. He emphasized viewing scientific research as one’s first professional undertaking, striving to become both politically committed and professionally competent, and pursuing well-rounded development. He encouraged students to ground their aspirations through ideological guidance, practical training, and volunteer service, and to fulfill the responsibility and value of Tsinghua’s young chemical engineers by serving major national needs and solving real industrial problems.
Remarks by Liu Zhengzuo
Liu Zhengzuo, President of the Graduate Student Union of the Department of Chemical Engineering, reviewed the department’s longstanding spirit and called on incoming students to draw strength from the conviction of “starting with myself, starting now.” He introduced cultural and athletic platforms such as the May Fourth Cup, the December Ninth activities, and the Student Festival, as well as academic platforms such as the Graduate Academic Festival and the Doctoral Forum. He invited new students to join the Graduate Student Union to help build bridges between faculty and students and to balance academic advancement with all-round development during their time at Tsinghua.
Remarks by Zhang Jin
Zhang Jin, an incoming Engineering Doctorate (Innovation Leadership Program) student, spoke on behalf of the new cohort. She expressed sincere gratitude to the faculty for their dedication to education and, drawing on her understanding of the program’s training goals, shared her experience in extracting research questions from real engineering pain points, driving breakthroughs through “innovation–creativity–creation,” and transforming laboratory results into industrial products. She called on her peers to keep national priorities in mind, step out of their comfort zones, remain curious and inquisitive, apply critical thinking, embrace lifelong learning, and promote the integration and mutual reinforcement of academia and industry.
Remarks by Li Jinliang
Li Jinliang, recipient of Tsinghua University’s Special Scholarship for Undergraduates and a 2025 Outstanding Graduate, also spoke as a representative of the incoming cohort. Reflecting on his four years in the Department of Chemical Engineering, he reviewed the department’s legacy and traditions. He encouraged all new students to explore the frontiers of their fields as researchers, think independently, and create boldly. He urged them to integrate personal scientific aspirations into the national mission of revitalization, advance in cutting-edge areas such as low-carbon energy, advanced materials, and green chemical engineering, carry forward the spirit of Tsinghua Chemical Engineering, and embark on a shared journey worthy of their mission and responsibility.
Following the speeches, the presentation ceremony for the 2025 “Future Scholar Scholarship” was held. The scholarship is established to attract, select, and support students with strong academic aspirations and outstanding academic potential to pursue doctoral degrees. It is awarded to full-time, academic-track, non-commissioned and non-directed doctoral students. Twelve students, including Luo Meiqi, received this honor. Professor Lu Yangcheng presented the certificates and took group photos with the award recipients.
Presentation of the “Future Scholar Scholarship”
With the conclusion of the “Future Scholar Scholarship” ceremony, the opening ceremony for the 2025 cohort of graduate students of the Department of Chemical Engineering came to a successful close. The heartfelt guidance from faculty, the experience sharing by senior students, and the motivation brought by the scholarship collectively outlined a clear path for the growth of the new students. Participants expressed that they would take this ceremony as a new starting point—carrying forward the fine traditions of Tsinghua Chemical Engineering, living up to expectations, devoting themselves to scholarship, strengthening capabilities through research and practice, and striving to become outstanding talent serving national strategic needs, contributing youthful strength to the development of the chemical engineering discipline and the cause of national rejuvenation.
Group Photo
