Recently, HIT hosted the Symposium on Opportunities and Challenges in Mechanics in Harbin, under the guidance of the Department of Mathematical and Physical Sciences of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). Ni Peigen, deputy director of the department, and Han Jiecai, president of HIT and a member of CAE, delivered remarks at the opening ceremony. Also in attendance were Academician Guo Xu of Dalian University of Technology, Academician Duan Huiling of Peking University, and Academician Ma Cheng of the Naval Research Academy. Nearly 200 experts and scholars from universities, research institutes, and relevant companies across China attended the symposium.

The symposium in progress

Ni Peigen noted that as major national initiatives move forward and engineering systems become increasingly complex, new demands are being placed on mechanics research, while important opportunities are emerging for the field. He called on the experts and scholars attending the symposium to ensure that their research responds to practical needs, strengthen academic exchange and collaboration, place greater emphasis on validating research results, and invest in developing research talent. He also urged them to clearly understand the objectives and strategic focus of the special program and to bring together the expertise and resources needed to advance major national initiatives. Ni emphasized the importance of strengthening the foundations for the field's continued development and aligning mechanics research more closely with national priorities. He called for new breakthroughs in addressing important scientific questions and tangible contributions to major national initiatives. These efforts, he noted, would create new opportunities for mechanics to advance and demonstrate the discipline's foundational importance and its role in underpinning scientific, technological, and engineering progress.

Ni Peigen delivering remarks

Han Jiecai stated that the symposium gathered the top intellect and strength in the field of mechanics nationwide, aiming to jointly assess the opportunities and challenges in the development of the discipline and to pool efforts to advance the implementation of the key special project Mechanics: Technical Science and Application. He expressed his expectation that the participating experts and scholars would take the implementation of this project as an opportunity to further target national needs and disciplinary frontiers, and deeply distill scientific questions. He encouraged them to build upon their research accumulation, strengthen the synergy among universities, research institutes, and industry sectors, and enhance innovation in basic theories and methods. By striving to produce landmark achievements of great scientific and practical value, they can make new contributions to elevating China's mechanics research level and enhancing its capacity to serve national strategic needs and national economic development.

Han Jiecai delivering remarks

The opening ceremony was chaired by Zhang Xingxing, dean of HIT SOA. The symposium covered three main topics, with Academician Ma Cheng chairing the discussions. Academician Guo Xu, Academician Duan Huiling, and Professor Peng Zhike of Shanghai Jiao Tong University gave presentations on topics including digital and intelligent mechanics, mechanics under extreme conditions, and interdisciplinary mechanics. They also joined discussions on key questions and emerging research frontiers in the field.

Participants discussed in depth how to broaden the scope and future prospects of mechanics research, highlight the foundational importance of mechanics and its role in supporting advances in other fields, and address major technological and engineering needs in relevant industries.

初审：陈东萍 

复审：智喜洋

终审：吴洪兴