The Third National Seminar on Construction of Environmental and Ecological Engineering Disciplines for Colleges and Universities, co-sponsored by the Steering Committee on Teaching of Environmental Science and Engineering Disciplines in Colleges and Universities of the Ministry of Education and the Education Working Committee of Ecological Society of China, organized by Chongqing University, is held in Chongqing from July 9 to 11, 2021. A total of more than 150 experts and researchers from more than 50 colleges and universities throughout China, including Sheng Lianxi, former vice chairman of the Steering Committee on Teaching of Environmental Science and Engineering Disciplines in Colleges and Universities, Li Fengmin and Ji Fangying, members of the Steering Committee, Da Liangjun, member of the Appraisal Group on Ecological Disciplines of the Academic Degree Committee of the State Council, and Lu Xueqiang, an accreditation expert for environmental engineering education of the Ministry of Education, showed up at the event.
Li Zhengliang, dean of the Undergraduate School and director of the Teaching Affairs Office of Chongqing University, extended his congratulations on opening of the Seminar and his warm welcome to experts and researchers present. Li gave a brief introduction to the historic development, and school running philosophy of Chongqing University, and the characteristics of CQU’s environmental and ecological disciplines, current development situation and future opportunities. In his speech, Li spoke highly of the achievements in construction of the environmental and ecological engineering disciplines and put forward new requirements for the construction of the disciplines.
He Qiang, dean of the School of Environment and Ecology of Chongqing University, expressed his heartfelt thanks to the University and participating experts and researchers for their long-term concern and support for the disciplinary and specialty construction of the School. In the speech, He highlighted the great opportunities and development prospects faced by the School in the large-scale protection of the Yangtze River, the green development of the Yangtze River economic belt and the construction of national ecological civilization. He also expressed his hope that the experts and researchers would continue to concern and support the development of environmental and ecological engineering disciplines of Chongqing University.
Sheng Lianxi gave a view of the original intention and development process of the environmental and ecological engineering discipline in China, and expressed his appreciation of the construction results of the environmental and ecological engineering discipline of Chongqing University. Sheng pointed out that the environmental and ecological engineering discipline of Chongqing University answered the major needs of the ecological and environmental protection strategy in the new era of China, and Chongqing University had carried out bold exploration and gained rich experience. According to Sheng, Chongqing University has been selected as the construction site of national first-rate undergraduate disciplines, and has set an example of the construction of environmental and ecological engineering disciplines in China. This indicates that the development of the discipline has entered a new stage.
Li Zhengliang, dean of the Undergraduate School and director of the Teaching Affairs Office of Chongqing University
He Qiang, dean of the School of Environment and Ecology of Chongqing University
Sheng Lianxi, former vice chairman of the Steering Committee on Teaching of Environmental Science and Engineering Disciplines in Colleges and Universities under the Ministry of Education
The Seminar includes 6 invited speeches and 7 conference speeches on topics including the construction path of the first-rate undergraduate programs in environmental and ecological engineering, the construction of core courses and the publication of first-class teaching materials. Attendants had in-depth discussions on the application for first-class undergraduate programs, engineering education certification, planning of teaching material publishing, the establishment of internship alliance, and engineering training and graduation design.
During the Seminar, experts from colleges and universities that have launched the environmental and ecological engineering disciplines a long time ago, including East China Normal University, Chongqing University, Xiamen University, Xi'an University of Arts and Sciences, and construction teams of colleges and universities with newly established disciplines including Nankai University, Harbin University of Technology, Hefei University of Technology, and Beijing University of Architecture, had heated discussion on topics like mission, discipline positioning, development goal, development strategy and development path of environmental and ecological engineering in the national ecological civilization construction strategy.
At the closing ceremony of the Seminar, Yang Yongchuan, vice dean of the School of Environment and Ecology of Chongqing University, delivered a summary speech on behalf of the organizer of the event. Yang pointed out that the Seminar had been a profound, extensive and high-level event. At the Seminar, experts and researchers exchanged experience in disciplinary constructions and had discussion on challenges they faced during construction and development of disciplines, and came up with solving paths and solutions to those challenges. Sheng Lianxi expressed his appreciation of the “undergraduate-oriented” tenet of the event, and spoke highly of the creative styles of the content of the event. Sheng also expressed his great expectations for the disciplinary construction. Prof. Huang Lingfeng from Xiamen University, head of the “Coordinating and Steering Group on Construction of Environmental and Ecological Engineering Disciplines in Colleges and Universities”, expounded the background and significance of establishment of the “Organizing Committee of National Seminar on Environmental and Ecological Engineering Construction in Colleges and Universities” and announced Chongqing University as the chairing organization of the Organizing Committee. Yang Yongchuan was recommended as the chairman of the Organizing Committee.
The National Seminar on Environmental and Ecological Engineering Construction in Colleges and Universities was firstly launched in 2015 as a biennial event. It has been held previously at Xiamen University and Hebei University of Environmental Engineering, and is the most influential national event on environmental and ecological engineering discipline. This year, the event was held in Chongqing, and it is of great significance for the implementation of the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China that highlights the “development of the Yangtze River economic belt oriented by joint efforts toward large-scale protection without large-scale development” and the instructions of President Xi Jinping on how Chongqing should “expedite the construction of a municipality with fine scenery” and “play a demonstrative role in promotion of green development of the Yangtze River economic belt”.
The School of Environment and Ecology of Chongqing University has been attaching great importance to the construction of undergraduate programs and exchanges on education and teaching. It has organized the “Seminar on Reform and Innovation of Environment Discipline Teaching in Colleges and Universities in the New Era of 2019” with substantial support of the University. In 2021, it held the “Third National Seminar on Environmental and Ecological Engineering Construction in Colleges and Universities”, which greatly expanded the influence of CQU in the construction of environment related disciplines.
