Supervised by the International Centre for Engineering Education under the auspices of UNESCO (ICEE), nine members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), at the invitation of China Youth Daily, China Engineering Education Accreditation Association (CEEAA) and the Education Quality Evaluation Agency of the Ministry of Education, delivered “ The First Class of the Semester for 2023 Engineering Freshmen” on China Youth Daily’s omnimedia platform on September 18, to share their experiences and views, and unveil the mysteries of the engineering and science and technology, opening the door to the future for the engineering freshmen. 

 
“The First Class of the Semester” for 2023 engineering freshmen

In the form of interview, nine distinguished CAE members delivered “The First Class of the Semester” to 2023 engineering freshmen, introducing the exciting world of engineering majors such as materials science, electronic information, instrument, automation, textile, machinery, energy, computer and geology in simple language. Each of them shared their passion and insights, to help students better understand the key elements and prospects of these majors.
 
NIE Zuoren, a member of CAE and President of Beijing University of Technology, introduced the majors of materials. In the history of development of human society, materials are a milestone in the evolution of human society. Materials are substances that people use to make useful components, and new materials, new energy and information are the three pillars of modern society. As a multidisciplinary cross-cutting field, the materials majors are designed to develop students' ability to apply multidisciplinary knowledge in an integrated way.

ZHANG Hongke, a member of CAE and a professor of Beijing Jiaotong University, introduced the majors of electronic information. He believes the electronic information majors are very important and necessary to drive the development of all walks of life in the information age, with branches such as electronic information engineering, electronic science and technology, communication engineering, microelectronics science and engineering, opto-electronic information science and engineering, and information engineering. 

LONG Teng, a member of CAE and President of Beijing Institute of Technology, introduced the majors of instrument. Without advanced instruments, scientific progress is impossible. Instruments are crucial to a country's scientific research. China is still weak in this area, and urgently needs more outstanding young talents.

TANG Lixin, a member of CAE and Vice President of Northeastern University, introduced the majors of automation. Automation majors have a wide range of applications and plays a very important role in improving quality and efficiency in various fields, especially in manufacturing and industry. It will greatly help students to improve their way of thinking, comprehensive ability, system design ability and innovation ability. Only by perseverance and maintaining craftsmanship can the blueprints of design be truned into a beautiful reality.

ZHU Meifang, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Dean of the College of Materials Science and Engineering at Donghua University, introduced the majors of textile. The majors, which are closely related to the major needs and economic development of the country as well as people’s health and lives, focus on the basic knowledge and skills about fibers and their synthetics.

LIN Zhongqin, a member of CAE and President of Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society (CMES), introduced the majors of mechanical. China is the country with the largest number of engineering students in the world, with around 200,000 mechanical engineering students graduating each year, which occupies the largest number among the 31 categories. Mechanical majors encompass mechanical design, mechanical manufacturing and mechatronics, etc. Students of the majors are expected to acquire a solid theoretical foundation and the abilities of practice and innovation. 

TAO Wenquan, a member of CAS and a professor of the School of Energy and Power Engineering at Xi'an Jiaotong University, introduced the majors of energy and power, which encompass three branches of energy and power engineering, energy and environmental systems engineering, and new energy science and engineering. Prominent scholars such as ZHOU Peiyuan, CHEN Daxie, WANG Buxuan, YANG Shiming, CEN Kefa and QIAN Xuesen have made significant contributions to this field. Perseverance is most important quality to the success in this field. 
Wushour Slamu, a member of CAE and a professor of Xinjiang University, introduced the majors of computer. Combining computer hardware and software, the majors are system-oriented, with a focus on application, emphasizing both theory and practice. The youth should boldly seek major breakthroughs from 0 to 1 in the technological frontiers as well as key technologies and fields by seizing the opportunities and closely linking their personal development with national development.

HAO Fang, a member of CAS and President of China University of Petroleum (East China), introduced majors of the geology. Geology is a discipline and a professional field closely linked to modern science and technology. HAO said the research should be viewed as a career to be lifelong committed, and the passion makes one successful.

ICEE supervised academically “The First Class of the Semester” for 2023 engineering freshmen, and played an important role in the recording and filming of the lesson, making a positive contribution to the development of engineering education in China.