On the afternoon of 20 February, Ding Quiling, President of Shanghai Jiaotong University and academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, went to the School of Materials for research. The Party and Government Office, Reform and Development Office, Graduate School, Academic Affairs Office, Scientific Research Institute, Human Resources Office and other departments were responsible for the research. The leadership of the School of Materials and some teacher representatives attended the research seminar.

Sun Lizhen, Secretary of the Party Committee of the College, made a report on the work of the College, introducing the achievements of the College since the "13th Five-Year Plan" from the aspects of development of disciplines, faculty, teaching awards, and so on. Vice President Li Zhuguo briefly analysed the college's scientific research work and scientific and technological talents.

Ding Quiling after listening to the report pointed out that the direction of materials is very important, the school attaches great importance to the development of materials discipline. College of Materials has good traditional advantages and discipline foundation, in recent years under the leadership of the party committee of the college, the steady development of various undertakings, continuous upgrading, but look forward to the college in the attraction of talents, major projects out of the tip out of the front to see more outstanding achievements and progress.

Ding Quiling put forward three expectations for the future development of the college. Firstly, the School of Materials should adhere to the principle of "grasping talents, grasping platforms and grasping major projects", strengthen the strategic position of talent-led development, strengthen the construction of scientific and technological personnel, deepen the reform of the talent development system and mechanism, and create a favourable environment for the development of talents. Secondly, with the development of AI-related technologies, AI has been widely used in the field of material design and R&D. The college should lay out this direction in advance, which is one of the keys to cultivate new kinetic energy for development and win competitive advantages. Thirdly, the college should establish the cultivation of undergraduate innovative talents as the cultivation goal of education, comprehensively promote the school's talent cultivation "four plans" (Honour Plan, Climbing Plan, Helping to Fly Plan, Bole Plan) in the School of Materials, deepen the undergraduate talent selection mechanism, and achieve the output of undergraduates' top talents.

At the symposium, the participants had in-depth exchanges and put forward valuable opinions and suggestions on talent training, team building, teaching and research, and new building construction of the college in light of the actual work.