On April 22, Professor ZHUGE Yan of University of South Australia (UniSA), a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, and her delegation visited Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture (BUCEA) to discuss cooperation and deliver a special academic lecture. President ZHANG Dayu presented her with the certificate of Honorary Professor. Vice Presidents CHEN Zhaohui and YI Tinghua, along with leadersheadsof related departments and schools, attended the event.

President ZHANG gave a warm welcome to Professor ZHUGE and her delegation. He noted that BUCEA has always upheld its mission of serving the capital’s urban and rural development, and is committed to cultivating industry elites and providing technological support. He emphasized that UniSA, as one of Australia’s leading universities of science and technology, has achieved remarkable results in fields such as civil engineering, environmental science, and new energy technology. Professor ZHUGE, as an alumna of BUCEA, has brought honor to her alma mater through her academic achievements and international influence, he added. He expressed the hope that the two universities can deepen cooperation in areas such as joint talent training, academic exchanges and mutual visits, and collaborative research projects. He also suggested further expanding the joint training programs in fields like intelligent construction and environmental engineering, stressing the importance of promoting deep integration of the two universities in cultivating international talent and fostering technological innovation.

Professor ZHUGE expressed gratitude for BUCEA’s warm reception. She said she feels very honored to return to her alma mater and be appointed as an Honorary Professor. UniSA and BUCEA have already accumulated considerable experience in Sino-foreign cooperative education and joint studentjointtraining, and the cooperation between the two universities has broad prospects. She stated that in the future, she will make full use of her academic resources and international networks to assist BUCEA in optimizing its international development plan, promoting the construction of research teams and the introduction of high-level overseas talents, and actively participating in the development of key laboratories for the civil engineering discipline.

During the subsequent Honorary Professor appointment ceremony, President ZHANG presented the appointment certificate to Professor ZHUGE. The two sides agreed to carry out in-depth cooperation in discipline development, scientific research, technological innovation, and talent training moving forward.

After the meeting, Professor ZHUGE and her delegation visited the laboratories and the Science and Technology Culture Plaza. They gained an in-depth understanding of BUCEA’s experimental research and innovative achievements in the field of civil engineering.

In the afternoon, Professor ZHUGE delivered an academic lecture to faculty and students of the School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, attended by Vice President YI and over 180 faculty and student representatives. Professor ZHUGE elaborated on the progress of her team’s research, and Vice President YI provided a concluding summary of the lecture. Professor ZHUGE also gave detailed answers to questions from three students. At the end of the event, athestudent representativespresented her with the mascotsof the School.