Recently, the 12th General Assembly of the Chinese Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (CSTAM) and the joint expanded meeting of the 11th and 12th Councils were held in Ningbo. At the meeting, the inaugural list of CSTAM Fellows was announced, and the new Council was elected.

Three academicians from our school—Du Shanyi, Han Jiecai, and Leng Jinsong — were selected as part of the inaugural class of CSTAM Fellows.

Additionally, Academician Leng Jinsong was elected Vice President of the 12th Council, and Professor Guo Licheng was elected as an Executive Council Member.

Profiles of the Elected Fellows

Du Shanyi

Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, expert in mechanics and composite materials, professor and doctoral advisor at HIT SOA. He has long been engaged in teaching and research on structural mechanics of aircraft and composite materials. He has contributed significantly to the application of advanced composites and the study of fundamental issues in near-space vehicles. He is a recipient of the 2nd Qian Xuesen Mechanics Award presented by CSTAM.

Han Jiecai

Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, expert in composite and optical materials. Since 2021, he has served as President of Harbin Institute of Technology. He is also a professor and doctoral advisor at SOA. His research focuses on ultra-high temperature composite materials, infrared optical crystals, and thin-film materials.

Leng Jinsong

Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, expert in smart materials and the mechanics of composites, professor and doctoral advisor at SOA. He has long been engaged in research on the preparation, mechanical analysis, structural design, and application of intelligent materials.

Overview of the Mechanics Discipline at HIT

Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) is home to one of the earliest-established mechanics disciplines in the People’s Republic of China. In 1952, HIT founded the nation’s first teaching and research office in theoretical mechanics. In 1961, the Department of Engineering Mechanics was established. In 1981, it became one of China’s first group of first-level disciplines authorized to grant doctoral degrees. In 2007, it was designated a national key first-level discipline

. In 2017, it was selected for China’s first round of the “Double First-Class University Initiative

. The discipline boasts national key laboratories, national mechanics experimental teaching demonstration centers, and has produced a large number of influential experts and educators in mechanics. It has contributed significantly to talent cultivation for the Party and the country. 

In recent years, the discipline has:

 Undertaken over 20 major or key national-level projects,

 Published more than 2,000 papers in international journals,

 Published 15 monographs,

 Been awarded 5 national-level “First-Class” courses,

 Won one Second Prize for National Teaching Achievement.

In 2021, HIT’s Base for Training Top Talents in Mechanics was selected for China’s “Top Talent Training Program 2.0 in Basic Disciplines”, and the Engineering Mechanics major was included in the Ministry of Education’s “Strengthening Basic Disciplines Initiative (Qiang Ji Plan)”. The textbook Theoretical Mechanics (8th Edition) was awarded First Prize in the inaugural National Outstanding Textbook Awards.

About CSTAM and the Fellowship Program

The Chinese Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (CSTAM) was founded in 1957 under the joint initiative of prominent scientists including Qian Xuesen, Zhou Peiyuan, Qian Weichang, and Guo Yonghuai. To enhance its membership system, recognize academic excellence, encourage continuous innovation, and promote the development of mechanics in China, CSTAM established the Fellow system in 2024. A total of 61 scholars were selected as the the inaugural Fellows, the highest honor bestowed by the Society upon its members.