HUTB Hosts 2025 Outstanding Student Awards Ceremony and Launches "Spark the Future, Color Our Youth" Student Festival
2025-05-28
On the afternoon of May 27, the university hosted the 2025 Outstanding Student Awards Ceremony and launched the "Spark the Future, Color Our Youth" Student Festival at the Xiangjiang Lecture Hall in Xiangjiang Building. Academician Chen Xiaohong, Secretary of the CPC HUTB Committee and Director of Xiangjiang Laboratory, Zhang Ling, Vice President of HUTB, and Yang Liangqi, Gan Dejian, and Hou Junjun, members of the CPC HUTB Committee and Vice Presidents of HUTB, attended the event. The event brought together heads of relevant functional departments and leaders of all secondary schools, academic advisors, and student representatives—including international students, graduate and undergraduate scholars—alongside award recipients.
The university’s flag guard marched in precise formation escorting the national flag. The ceremony commenced solemnly with the stirring strains of the national anthem, as all attendees rose to their feet and joined in singing.
Academician Chen Xiaohong, Secretary of the CPC HUTB Committee and Director of Xiangjiang Laboratory, delivered a keynote speech titled "Role Models Chart the Course, Shouldering Responsibility for the Future." On behalf of the CPC HUTB Committee, she extended warm greetings to all students and offered heartfelt congratulations to every awarded collective and individual. She highlighted that we collectively witnessed the recipients of the "Excellent and Diligent HUTB Student Academician Award Fund," the "University Student of the Year," and the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fund’s top teams—individuals who built ladders of excellence through diligence, penned chapters of relentless endeavor with their youth, and paved future paths with innovation. Together, we will inaugurate the 2025 "Spark the Future, Color Our Youth" Student Festival—a transformative platform for every young scholar to showcase their brilliance, temper their resilience, and hone their skills. We call upon all students to dive into the activities with unwavering passion, unleashing the full force of their creativity and talent.
At this pivotal moment—as China advances toward fully building a modern socialist society and achieving its Second Centenary Goal, while our university strides toward becoming an innovative, first-class institution—Secretary Chen Xiaohong shared four expectations with HUTB students: First, cultivate a nation-minded spirit to broaden the horizons of your youth. Emulate the surging Xiang River—flowing tirelessly day and night, honing your original aspiration in the rapids of service; stand firm like the towering Yuelu Mountain, becoming an unshakable pillar of responsibility through steadfast commitment; shine as Changsha’s beacon, illuminating the land with the radiance of our era, safeguarding and amplifying its brilliance.
Second, master your discipline with depth—forging an unyielding hardness in core competencies. With the perseverance of "sitting on a cold bench for a decade" to delve into scholarship, the tenacity of "not returning until Loulan is conquered" to tackle challenges, and the fearless spirit of "embracing sacrifice for lofty aspirations" to scale new heights—students must expand their knowledge base, refine professional skills, and achieve holistic growth to become a new generation capable of shouldering great responsibilities in this era.
Third, dare to explore and experiment—elevating the horizons of integrated innovation. Through interdisciplinary exploration, relentlessly pursue new knowledge, frontiers, and technologies—actively engage in the "AI+" initiative, cultivate self-driven learning and practice, and uphold the pioneering, innovative, and practical attitude. Let the torch of youth blaze bright through relentless struggle and dedication, as you grow into the vanguard of building China into a global leader in technology and culture.
Fourth, stay grounded and pragmatic—accumulating the profound depth of life experience. Proactively master cutting-edge technologies like big data, AI, and advanced computing, while drawing nourishment from humanities classics, artistic cultivation, and historical heritage. Through daily accumulation, refine your character and enrich your inner world—ensuring your growth embodies both technical mastery and intellectual depth.
During the outstanding student recognition segment, Academician Chen Xiaohong presented awards to 50 exceptional recipients of the "Excellent and Diligent HUTB Student Academician Award Fund", honoring excellence in four categories: Excellence Award, Practice Award, Inspiration Award, and Moral Integrity Award. Since its establishment in 2020, the Academician Award Fund has recognized outstanding students for six consecutive years, honoring a total of 190 recipients. Among them, alumni awardees have become industry leaders, contributing HUTB’s wisdom and strength to high-quality economic and social development.
Vice Presidents Zhang Ling and Gan Dejian present awards to 30 outstanding students honored with the title of "HUTB Student of the Year."
Vice Presidents Yang Liangqi and Hou Junjun present awards to representatives of the inaugural cohort of project teams selected for the "HUTB Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fund."
At the launch ceremony of the "Spark the Future, Color Our Youth" Student Festival, attending leaders and student representatives jointly poured "waters of hope" onto the "Tree of Growth"—a symbol of HUTB’s enduring spirit. Amid resounding applause, the 2025 "Spark the Future, Color Our Youth" Student Festival was officially launched. The festival features five thematic pillars—Ideals & Beliefs, Technological Innovation, Cultural Arts, Mental Wellness, and Physical Vitality—showcasing diverse events including the "Know Our History, Understand Our Spirit" campus trivia competition, red-themed educational galas, the "Eaglet Plan" innovation and entrepreneurship roadshow, and academic achievement exhibitions.
During the conference, members of the "Culture + Technology" Integrated Development Alliance and faculty-student performers from the School of Music presented a dazzling array of artistic performances, including the dance "Red Oil Umbrellas Beneath Youth", mixed vocal quartet "Song of Yangtze River", chamber music "Under the Cherry Tree", and choral pieces "What the World Gave Me" and "Sons of China".
In a culminating moment, the 50 recipients of the "Excellent and Diligent HUTB Student Academician Award Fund" invited Academician Chen Xiaohong to the stage for a collective performance of "Dedication", with faculty and students joining in unison. Through heartfelt recitations and songs, the assembly paid tribute to Academician Chen Xiaohong’s decades of unwavering dedication to educational advancement, technological innovation, and talent cultivation—empowering disciplinary development with groundbreaking research, and illuminating the university’s high-quality growth through selfless devotion. The event culminated in a rousing chorus of "Song of Hunan University of Technology and Business" by all attendees, marking a perfect conclusion to the proceedings.
Following the ceremony, an interactive "Youth Inspiration Sharefair" engaged attendees through peer-led storytelling circles. Seven exemplary students—Tang Hongkai, Chen Yanbo, Chen Feiyang, Zheng Bowen, Liu Jing, He Yi, and Yin Jiajia—delivered speeches expressing profound gratitude for Academician Chen Xiaohong’s mentorship and the university’s nurturing environment. They shared their journeys in scientific research, innovation, academic competitions, acts of courage, and social service, embodying the HUTB spirit of "rooting deep to grow tall" while showcasing their patriotic dedication, pride in their alma mater, and relentless, upward-striving ethos.
(Written by Li Meiqi, Ling Yaqin and Zhang Gaoyang and photo by HUTB Converged Media Center)
