Behind the "Academic Celebration" is Fudan's relentless pursuit of innovation, from one day to one month

This year's 118th anniversary celebration of Fudan University is quite special. Starting from May 9th, over 60 renowned Fudan teachers from various disciplines of literature, society, science, engineering, and medicine will take turns presenting academic banquets at the school's cultural landmark, Xianghui Hall, for a month.

On the eve of the 1954 anniversary celebration, the then president Chen Wangdao proposed the idea of promoting scientific research as the center of various activities. The first Fudan University Science Seminar was held that year. From then on, "academic school anniversary" became a tradition of Fudan University.

There is both inheritance and amplification. From one academic conference at the school level in previous years to 31 this year, such high frequency and intensity have made the academic and cultural atmosphere and density of Fudan campus unprecedentedly strong.

There is both continuity and innovation. Academic presentations are not limited to the present tense, but more focused on discussing the future tense, the latest cutting-edge technologies, and the bottlenecks that need to be overcome.

String songs never cease. Jiefang Daily's Shangguan News reporter has learned that Fudan University will further build a mutually beneficial academic and cultural brand, making "encountering an academic report" a collective memory for every student to connect with Fudan University.

"This is the report meeting that I value the most and the one I have prepared the most carefully"

"It's so touching, like going back to the past." When Yan Feng, a professor from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Fudan University, stood at the south hall of Xianghui Hall and gave a lecture on "From Rock Painting to the Metaverse: Trends in Virtual Reality from the Perspective of Humanities and Technology," he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. This is the first time he has stood on the podium of Xianghui Hall since its renovation in 2018. He once performed guitar here during his college years. "Xianghui Hall is very special in the hearts of Fudan people, and I didn't expect to have the privilege of giving a presentation here."

Yan Feng

For this school anniversary report, Yan Feng prepared for several days and repeatedly revised the PPT. "This is the academic presentation that I value the most and also the one I am preparing the most seriously because it is my alma mater's birthday.".

As a Chinese language professor, why would you talk about the metaverse? "I like to view technology from the perspectives of literature and art, and vice versa," said Yan Feng. Virtual reality has existed for a long time, and rock paintings can be seen as the earliest metaverse. "What I want to convey is that many of today's problems cannot be viewed solely from my own disciplinary perspective. Technology is increasingly related to humanities and social sciences, and we need to step out of technology to see technology." At the presentation, Yan Feng had a lively interaction with the audience, so he extended it by half an hour.

In Yan Feng's view, the academic anniversary of Fudan University reflects the characteristics of Fudan University, allowing teachers and students to be exposed to many cutting-edge technologies and promoting exchanges between different disciplines. "For example, Professor Min Hao introduced the currently popular environmental energy Internet of Things, which relies on energy obtained from the environment for power supply without batteries. Professor Xu Yingjin's philosophical perspective on ChatGPT has made us remain vigilant about technology. I have benefited a lot from it."

Professor Zhou Peng from the School of Microelectronics at Fudan University admitted that he felt extremely honored to be invited to give an academic presentation at Xianghui Hall. During his university years, he sang loudly here to commemorate the December 9th Movement. "Xianghui Hall is the holy temple of Fudan students. Master level figures such as Yang Zhenning once gave speeches here, and now it has become the main venue for the school's anniversary academic presentation, highlighting the school's emphasis on academia."

Zhou Peng

"I want to stimulate the curiosity of Fudan students about cutting-edge technology and engage in innovative exploration." Zhou Peng introduced that the main material of existing semiconductors is silicon, which is a three-dimensional structure that cannot be infinitely reduced, and computing and storage are separated, resulting in high energy consumption. And two-dimensional semiconductors fused with silicon are expected to overcome these difficulties, creating a "new blue ocean".

"The academic anniversary is a tradition of Fudan University, and this year's scale and intensity have increased, which is very helpful for the cultivation of academic ecology and soil." Zhou Peng said.

The first time I saw Zhang Wenhong offline, I immediately became a fan

"Super fruitful." Xiao Fulian, a doctoral student in the Department of History at Fudan University, was the most impressive academic presentation for the school anniversary. It was Zhang Wenhong, the director of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Huashan Hospital affiliated with Fudan University, who viewed "human civilization, epidemics, and public health" from a historical perspective. In the long river of time, human history and epidemics have always coexisted, and epidemics will also have a reverse effect on the development of human history. In the era of globalization, the challenge of pandemics has always existed, and international cooperation is an inevitable trend.

Zhang Wenhong

This is the first time she has seen Zhang Wenhong offline, and she immediately became a fan. "Professor Zhang's expression is very personal. He even mentioned the Liangzhu Cultural Site, which is a scholar with a spirit of historical concern."

"The academic atmosphere of this year's school anniversary is particularly strong, and it's rare to see so many famous teachers. Many times I want to go to the scene to listen, but unfortunately time conflicts." Xiao Fulian said, and classmates who attended the lecture also gave feedback that "it's like basking in spring breeze". "These academic lectures have broadened our horizons, and we look forward to the next time."

Rong Shaoqin, a doctoral student at the School of Biomedical Research at Fudan University, took a 1-hour subway ride from Fenglin Campus to Handan Campus in order to listen to the academic report "You are More than Your DNA" on campus anniversary. "The main speakers are all top-notch teachers in our field of epigenetics, and the opportunity is rare. The South Hall of Xianghui Hall is basically full."

A woman is a patient with diabetes before pregnancy. Will she pass on the susceptibility to diabetes to her offspring? At the report meeting, Huang Hefeng, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the Reproductive and Developmental Research Institute at Fudan University, said that the best prevention is to start from the source of life, so her clinic has added a "pre pregnancy clinic". In the view of Shi Yujiang, the leader of the research group at the Biomedical Research Institute of Fudan University, if DNA is compared to a violin, epigenetics is the score played. Aging is not caused by DNA mutations, but by epigenetic disorders.

"The amount of information in this report meeting is very large, which has enhanced my understanding of the cutting-edge issues of epigenetics," said Rong Shaoqin. After the report meeting, he and his classmates in the laboratory continued to discuss it with great enthusiasm.

Hou Ping, a 2000 undergraduate student in the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering at Fudan University, has never returned to the university to attend any academic lectures since graduation. During the school anniversary, he listened to the presentations of two specially appointed professors in the department, Wang Xiangrong and Chen Jianmin, and deeply resonated with them. "Professor Chen mentioned that microplastics not only enter soil and water bodies, but also into the air; Professor Wang talked about how Shanghai can build a 'resilient city', which are all topics of concern to everyone."

Hou Ping met some classmates whom he had not seen in many years at an academic conference and said, "This kind of meeting is very meaningful. This kind of report will be very helpful for improving the forefront of environmental governance in society through live streaming."

From one day to one month, it is a persistent pursuit of innovation

The cultural atmosphere of the "academic anniversary" has been extended from one day to one month, and behind it is Fudan University's persistent pursuit of innovation.

As early as the autumn of 2022, in response to the excessive dispersion of lectures and forums on campus, and the academic activities of various departments being limited to their own disciplines, the Propaganda Department of the Party Committee of Fudan University planned the "Xianghui Frontier Science Lecture Forum" plan to integrate and coordinate the academic and cultural resources of the whole school, forming a cultural brand that focuses on the forefront of science at the school level and promotes disciplinary exchanges.

The 118th anniversary celebration of Fudan University has become an opportunity. Can we gather the strength of the whole school to hold a one month "Xianghui School Celebration Series Academic Report"? The initiative of the School Party Committee Propaganda Department has received strong support from various departments and physical research institutions. By establishing shared documents, each department can choose a suitable activity time on their own, and the school's publicity department will then coordinate with the organizing unit to meet the activity requirements and details one by one. Finally, a total of 69 experts and scholars took the stage to give speeches, of which 24 academic reports were broadcast live or recorded, with a maximum viewing audience of 81000 for a single live broadcast. This has also become a window for Fudan University to give back to society.

Unlike previous years, this year's anniversary academic conference has opened up a channel for alumni to make appointments. The School of Social Development and Public Policy, School of Pharmacy, School of Computer Science and Technology, and Department of Environmental Science and Engineering actively mobilize alumni to return to the campus to review the teacher's report. Professor Tan Zheng from the School of Foreign Languages and Literature received flowers from alumni who rushed in the rain after the report.

The vast majority of speakers are making their first academic presentation at Xianghui Hall. Xianghui Hall is the most historically significant building on campus, witnessing the development and changes of the school. It is a common spiritual home for Fudan people. Principal Lee Teng hui proposed the Fudan spirit of "unity, service, and sacrifice" here. Using Xianghui Hall as the "main venue" for the school anniversary academic conference is perfectly fitting.

Encountering an academic report will become a collective memory of Fudan people, and it will also help this century old university, which has excelled in basic research, radiate a stronger academic temperament and make progress on the path of innovation.