On the afternoon of May 28th, 2020, the Academic Committee of Chongqing Jiaotong University convened the third plenary session of 2020 in Conference Room 408 of Mingde Building. Tang Boming, President of the University, Vice Presidents Yi Zhijian, ,Zhao Mingjie and Huang Chengfeng, attended the meeting. Participants of the meeting included forty-one persons: members of the Academic Committee, member representatives of the Second Young Experts Committee of the University and member representatives of the First Humanities & Social Science Academic Experts Committee. The meeting was chaired by Professor Song Qiankun, Chairman of the Academic Committee.

The meeting was held in two phases.

During the first phase, Professor Han Xi, Secretary-General of the Academic Committee read out the adjusted list of members of the Academic Committee, the list of members of the First Humanities & Social Science Academic Experts Committee and the list of members of the Second Young Experts Committee. Tang Boming issued appointment letters to members of the Academic Committee.

In the second phase, Professor Song Qiankun; Professor Li Hongxiu, representative of the Humanities & Social Science Academic Experts Committee; and Professor Deng Tao, representative of the Second Young Experts Committee, reported to the meeting on near-term work results of the Academic Committee and working ideas of the Humanities & Social Science Academic Experts Committee and the Second Young Experts Committee. Attending members spoke freely and offered advice and suggestions on matters such as disciplinary construction, cultivation of young talents, academic ethnics, and related topics to be considered by the university. Huang Chengfeng, Vice President of the university and Chairman of the First Humanities & Social Science Academic Experts Committee said it was necessary to further enhance interdisciplinary integration between humanities and sciences; Du Zixue, committee member, argued that interdisciplinary integration is an inevitable trend today, and the university should improve its existing structure and set up a new school—School of Technical Research and Development—to develop teaching and scientific research as two independent systems; Wang Junjie, committee member, suggested that the University should set up the Ethnics Branch under the Academic Committee to further strengthen scientific research integrity education and prevent academic fraud; members, including Xu Maozeng, Yang Jianxi, etc. claimed that the existing criteria for recognition of academic achievements should be changed and the focus should be put on peer recognition, and that in the background of interdisciplinary integration, the University should divert its orientation of talent assessment; members, including Ye Siqiao, Ge Xianlong, Chen Jian, Cao Xuejuan, Chen Renxiang, Chen Xuejun, etc. argued that the environment for young experts to grow is unprecedentedly friendly, which brings along both stress and opportunities, and that the University should provide young scholars with more team support and promotion to allow them to contribute to build a high-level university.

President Tang Boming raised several suggestions based on opinions from committee members. According to Tang Boming, a rich humanistic spirit is the symbol of a high-quality university. The promotion of academic spirit, the building of academic teams and even the boycott of academic frauds are closely related to humanistic quality and our demands for culture, history and philosophy. Therefore, members of the Academic Committee shall promote their scientific spirit, pursue academic innovation, advocate scientific spirit, enhance team building and firstly resist academic fraud under the Regulations of the Academic Committee.

The President cited the foreword of 1980 Applied Mathematics and Mechanics by Qian Weichang, and stated that the University should “arm engineering science with mathematics, revitalize mechanics and enhance basic research”, so as to drive the development of mathematics and mechanics disciplines and advance engineering disciplines from civil works to waterway transport, aviation and intelligent transport of the University. The University should score some achievements in big data and intelligent transport and continuously improve its academic reputation and status. All members of the University should pay attention to the planning for developing the Science City in the High-Tech Zone and guide academic research of the University into a new phase following the motto of “Pursuit of Virtue, and Communications to the World”.