On January 9, 2021, the Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering (MEE) at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) hosted a project exhibition in SUSTech’s Convention Center.

With the theme of “We dream, We design, We build”, the exhibition covered five majors, 13 courses, and more than 130 project posters. The projects exhibited were divided into three categories; basic practice, major-oriented practice, and innovation-oriented practice. The exhibition aims to provide students with a platform where they can strengthen exchanges and improve innovative capacity.

Yiming RONG, Head of MEE, noted that the exhibition was different from that of the traditional one and the University would cultivate more talents through a new education model.

MEE has been trying to innovate and seeking for cooperation with top universities in the world in the three courses, including “CAD and Engineering Drawing”, “Awareness and Practice of Manufacturing Engineering”, and “Fundamentals of Mechanical Design”.

As a basic course of engineering, “CAD and Engineering Drawing” is majored by freshmen and sophomores. Students form teams to model the objects they are interested in based on their knowledge and understanding of various fields. The topics vary, such as machinery, architecture, art design, interior decoration, electronics. The course aims to cultivate students’ interest and stimulate their innovative potential. “Awareness and Practice of Manufacturing Engineering” is a compulsory course for mechanical majors. It helps students understand the differences between traditional and modern mechanical manufacturing and to cultivate students’ practical ability. In the exhibition, students worked in groups to make projects and deepened their understanding of practical engineering problems. “Fundamentals of Mechanical Design” takes garbage sorting as the theme. Students are divided into four groups and each group is further divided into three parts, indicating the three steps of garbage sorting: “Splitting machine”, “Speed picker” and “Dex picker”. The project aims to cultivate students’ creative thinking and innovation to better solve problems and meet the need of customers.

Award certificates were handed out for excellent projects and posters in the exhibition. Through online and offline voting, outstanding projects and poster designs were selected, and Yiming RONG presented the certificates to the winners.

Under the guidance of internationalization, diversification, and personalization, MEE has been exploring the “project-oriented ” mode in teaching and training. Since 2018, MEE has hosted four project exhibitions and more than 1200 students have participated in the events.