A team from NUAA takes part in the 2025 China International College Students' Innovation Competition. [Photo/en.nuaa.edu.cn]
Teachers at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics are helping students grow through hands-on innovation competitions, turning academic learning into practical research experience.
At the university's College of Materials Science and Technology, a team led by Professor Tang Xiaobin from the Nuclear Technology and Interdisciplinary Innovation Research Center has been guiding students through many innovation projects. According to the team, a typical project cycle lasting one and a half to two years allows students to experience the entire innovation process.
During these projects, students deepen their professional knowledge through technical research, broaden their perspectives through market analysis and strengthen their sense of responsibility through teamwork. At the same time, overcoming difficulties during the research process helps them build resilience — skills that will support their future careers in research, technology development or entrepreneurship.
Students and their mentors work on a project. [Photo/en.nuaa.edu.cn]
Their efforts have produced a series of notable achievements. In the Challenge Cup National College Students' Extracurricular Academic Science and Technology Contest, the team won the grand prize in 2025. At the China International College Students' Innovation Competition, the team first secured a national gold award in 2023. In 2025, it achieved further success by winning a gold award in the industry challenge track.
Many of the award-winning projects are rooted in cutting-edge interdisciplinary fields related to nuclear science and technology. These competitions have become an important platform for transforming research results into practical applications while inspiring students to pursue scientific exploration.
