On April 9, the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) held its 2023 Open Day.

The event, held in a combination of in-person and virtually, attracted 750,000 people through live streaming and 12,000 students and parents to participate in a series of activities on campus.

This year marked the largest number of participants in the University’s open day, where students listened to keynote speeches from Fields Medal winner Efim Zelmanov, members of the SUSTech leadership team, and faculty members, and participated in various exhibitions and tours of different facilities.

The open day kicked off at Runyang Stadium, where the University’s leadership team, faculty members, and guests gathered to hear about the development and achievements of SUSTech.

On behalf of SUSTech, Fengliang LI, University Council Chairperson, welcomed the students and parents attending the event.

He said that in recent years, SUSTech has made great strides in the recruitment and development of its faculty, talent training, discipline construction, scientific research, and influence both domestically and internationally, and the achievements are apparent for all to see.

Last year, SUSTech was selected into the list of “Double First-Class” universities, becoming the first university from Shenzhen and one of the youngest to be named on the list. After more than ten years of hard work, SUSTech has embarked on a new path in innovation and the development of higher education.

Chairperson LI hopes that the high school students will take this opportunity to join SUSTech, experience the beauty of the University, and use the broad platform of SUSTech to improve their knowledge, broaden their horizons, develop their personalities, and realize their goals in life.

Qikun XUE, President of SUSTech, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony, highlighting the University’s advantages through its high-quality faculty, talent training, and location.

He pointed out that as a “Double First-Class” university, SUSTech has three major tasks: cultivating first-class students, attracting high-level talents to support the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), and solving many major scientific problems and key technologies.

He said that the University has formulated a medium- and long-term development plan and implemented a set of approaches of “Three Major Development Strategies” and “Five Major Action Plans” with talent training at its core. With the “Shenzhen DNA” of reform and innovation, SUSTech will continue to grow and develop into a world-class research university.

Hongwei FANG, Vice President and Provost, also spoke at the opening ceremony, discussing topics such as talent training, academic and mentor systems, research-led education, and international education.

Efim Zelmanov, Chair Professor of the Department of Mathematics at SUSTech and Director of the Shenzhen International Center for Mathematics, spoke about his experiences of conducting scientific research and why he chose to join SUSTech.

In his remarks, he noted that three years ago, he was invited to SUSTech to establish the Shenzhen International Center for Mathematics. “Through that visit, I found that my heart belongs here, so last year, I chose to join SUSTech as a full-time faculty member,” he said.

He said that Shenzhen is a city that exudes energy, and SUSTech is also a university that radiates energy. The University has an extraordinarily fast growth rate, and cited an important concept in mathematical derivatives to describe the development of SUSTech. “Derivative refers to the speed at which a function changes, and SUSTech’s derivative will be rapid,” Prof. Zelmanov noted.

Prof. Zelmanov offered an invitation to all the candidates, saying, “We don’t promise you a calm and an easy time; we promise you a busy and exciting time”.

For the interactive exchange session, academicians of the University spoke about creating a first-class undergraduate course and discussed the background of the University.

The academicians including included Li JIN, Vice President and Acting Dean of the College of Business, Dongfeng GU, Acting Vice President, Zhenghe XU, Dean of the College of Engineering, Mingjie ZHANG, Dean of the School of Life Sciences, and Shuhong YU, Dean of the Institute of Innovative Materials.

They discussed SUSTech’s innovative approaches to undergraduate education and shared examples of how students have grown and developed at the University.

Afterward, Hongjia YANG, an undergraduate student from the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, who is moving on to Tsinghua University for his postgraduate studies, shared his experiences and growth at SUSTech.

Other students of SUSTech pre-recorded videos that were shown at the event, including Jiayi LIU, a student from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, who was admitted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Yuanzhe WEI, a student from the Department of Mathematics, who was admitted to MIT and Brown University, and Yang CHEN, a student from the Department of Biology, who was admitted to Harvard University.

They discussed how their education at SUSTech provided further opportunities to study at some of the most renowned universities worldwide, demonstrating SUSTech’s ability to cultivate top-notch innovative talents and highlighting the University’s academic experience, mentorship programs, undergraduate scientific research, and global vision.

Jianwei TAN, Director of the Office of Admission, spoke to the high school students and parents about SUSTech’s admissions policy, and answered questions related to admission applications that were of concern to candidates both online and offline.

The open day was an interactive experience for all in attendance, with a variety of activities happening throughout the campus.

All departments, centers, academies, student organizations and societies, as well as the High School Affiliated to the Southern University of Science and Technology (HSAS), set up booths and display items in the exhibition area of Runyang Stadium.

Faculty members and students of the Center for the Arts performed at various sites on campus, including Banyan Square, Lynn Library, Runyang Stadium, etc., adding a unique charm and atmosphere to the event.

Other universities, such as Nanjing University, Tongji University, Sun Yat-sen University, South China University of Technology, Shenzhen University, and Shenzhen Technology University also participated in the exhibition on campus.

In the Third Lecture Hall, classrooms were designated for each department so that candidates and parents could hold discussions with faculty members and staff to get a more in-depth understanding of SUSTech’s faculties and so on.

Guided tours were also provided of various locations, which were of high interest to guests in attendance. They included locations such as the multiple libraries and museum centers, the Public Analysis & Testing Center, the SUSTech-PKU Institute of Plant and Food Science, the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, the Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, and the School of Design.

This is the second occasion where the open day has been held in a combination of in-person and virtually. Although many people from outside Shenzhen were unable to attend the event in person, they were able to stream the broadcast live through SUSTech’s various platforms.

The event demonstrated SUSTech’s philosophy, development and academic achievements, enrollment policy, talent training, and high-level faculty with praise from the participating students and parents.