On October 12, at the Materials Science and Technology (MS&T) 2022 Annual Conference (MS&T22) and the Material Advantage (MA) 2022 Annual Awards Conference in Pittsburgh, USA, the student team of the International School of Materials Science and Engineering of our University, titled as Material Advantage　Wuhan　University　of　Technology　Chapter, was awarded the 2021-2022 Chapter of Excellence Award. The team has won the award for five consecutive years, continuously improving the international influence of our school's materials discipline.

The Material Advantage is a platform for students majoring in materials science and engineering to exchange, innovate and compete, which was jointly initiated by four major societies in the field of international materials research—American Ceramic Society, Association for Iron and Steel Technology, American Society for Metals International, Mineral Metals and Materials Society. At present, more than 100 universities worldwide such as the University of California and Columbia University have established the Materials Advantage Chapter. Material competitions and exchanges are held at the annual MS&T Conference. The Chapter of Excellence Award is an important award jointly signed by the presidents of these four societies and presented to the elite MA chapters to recognize the student teams’ outstanding contributions in materials science and engineering technology innovation, international cooperation, and community service, with no more than 5 winners per year. This year’s awards were also given to teams from the Colorado School of Mines, Iowa State University, the Indian Institute of Technology, and the Technical University of Morelia in Mexico.

As the first MA chapter in China, the WUT MA Chapter has always been focusing on the goal of building a world-class materials discipline, cultivating top-notch innovative talents, constantly improving the team charter, and carrying out scientific and technological innovation and community services. Over the past year, under the leadership of Professor Chen Fei, Dr. Dai Chen, and Mr. Tang Hui, the WUT MA Chapter has provided students with a high-quality platform for exchanges at home and abroad. It focuses on innovation by actively encouraging students to participate in global materials competitions from academic posters to speeches with a goal to broaden students' international vision and comprehensive ability. It also focuses on cultivation by organizing high-end academic exchange such as International Vision Lectures, Distinguished Scholar Forum and Spark Enlightenment Program in an effort to stimulate students' professional interest and independent innovation. What’s more, it focuses on cooperation by collaborating with other MA chapters of universities across the world—Northeastern University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Penn State University, University of Connecticut, to name just a few—to enhance its international reputation and influence. Thanks to its outstanding overall performance, the WUT MA Chapter won the 2021-2022 award among more than 100 teams worldwide.

This is the fifth consecutive year that the WUT MA Chapter has won the award. It will continue its international practice in making international innovations, providing an international platform for students and cultivating top-notch innovative talents with an international vision.

Written by: Lu Jiaqi

Translated by: Wu Jingxian

Proofread by: Wu Jingxian