It's another harvest season, and it's time to leave the year. With the end of the high school entrance examination, recently, various schools in Minhang held graduation ceremonies, and countless graduates will bid farewell to their alma mater and embark on a new journey in life. For every student, the Principal's Speech at the Commencement Ceremony is the "last lesson" before leaving the school.
In their speeches, what values and life philosophies did the principals convey? What are the new expectations for students? What words struck you the most?
To be a member of Jiao Tong University who influences and changes the world
- Remarks at the 2024 Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony
Ding Kuiling, President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
June 26, 2024
Dear Students,
Hello everyone! The summer trees are shady, and the grass is not stopped. Today, we gather here on the Jingjing Campus to hold the 2024 Undergraduate Graduation Ceremony of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. First of all, on behalf of the school, I would like to express my warm congratulations to the students, and express my high respect and heartfelt thanks to the teachers, relatives and friends who have worked hard to nurture and care for you!
Four years ago, you came to Jiaotong University with your ideals, and the student number starting with "520" has become a number exclusive to you, and it has also become a unique memory that you are closely connected with Jiaotong University. Four years of cold and summer, time is like an arrow. In you, I see the vigor of hard work, which is the hard work in the self-study classroom, the analysis and verification of repeated operations and observations in the laboratory, the dedicated investment in carefully reviewing the teaching videos on the Canvas platform, and the responsibility of the national economy and people's livelihood in social practice; I have also seen your joys, sorrows and sorrows in real life, both the confusion in the face of the gap between beautiful dreams and the pressure of reality, and the anxiety in the face of uncertainty in the future.
Every era has its own unique opportunities and challenges, carrying the ideals and pursuits of a generation of young people. Looking at you in high spirits, I can't help but think back to the time when I graduated from college 39 years ago. In the eighties and nineties of the last century, after the reform and opening up, China's rapid development and economic take-off began, but the high-tech industry had just started, and there was a huge gap between the developed countries, catching up with the world, integrating into the world became an urgent need for national development, and mastering more knowledge and building the motherland with what we learned was what we thought at that time. Today's China has made great achievements that have impressed the world and displayed vigorous vitality. At the same time, the international situation is unpredictable, the undercurrent of great power competition is surging, and the competition in science and technology is becoming increasingly fierce, which is reshaping the development pattern of the world. In the new era, you should look at the world with confidence, and think deeply about how to seize the opportunity in the changing situation, accumulate strength, lead the change, and influence and change the world with positive actions. This is the mission of the times for contemporary youth, and it should also become the unremitting pursuit of every Jiao Tong University student. As you are about to start a new chapter in your life, around the theme of "being a member of Jiaotong University who influences and changes the world", I would like to share three experiences with the students.
First, dare to be the first and take the first step to impact and change the world. Compared with the known, the unknown world is more vast, and new problems brought about by changes in the situation, social changes, and technological changes are emerging one after another. Dare to be the first means the courage to break through the shackles of tradition, the belief of not being afraid of difficulties and obstacles, and the courage to challenge the unknown, which can be to try new methods and put forward new theories, or to open up new tracks and explore new paths, and then continue to reach new heights.
Looking back, the history of Baixi Jiaotong University is a history of daring to be the first and forging ahead, and it has written several "firsts" in the reform and opening up of China's higher education. Generations of Jiao Tong University people have inherited and carried forward the fine tradition of "daring to be the first in the world" with practical actions, showing a mindful pattern based on the present, focusing on the long-term, boldly exploring and leading the future. As early as more than 30 years ago, Qian Xuesen sent a letter to Comrade Zou Jiahua, then Vice Premier of the State Council, and forward-looking put forward suggestions for the development of high-performance batteries and electric vehicles, which provided important inspiration for the development of the mainland's new energy vehicle industry. Today, a large number of SJTU people have always been active in the front line of scientific and technological innovation, exploring the unknown world, leading technological change, and contributing wisdom and strength to the realization of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-reliance. In the just-announced 2023 National Science and Technology Awards, 8 achievements of SJTU were awarded, including 2 first prizes, demonstrating the responsibility of SJTU people to integrate academic pursuit into the great cause of building a strong country in science and technology, and writing a new chapter in the courage of SJTU people.
Students, daring to be the first is the initiative to seek new ideas and changes, and it is an important cornerstone to cross the known and the unknown, from following and running to leading. During your studies, you have a preliminary understanding of the basic logic of scientific research and the value of innovative breakthroughs for the times and personal development. Facing the future, we must put the fine tradition of daring to be the first into the bag of a new start, dare to do things that others have not done, take the road that no one has walked before, keep the overall situation in mind, focus on the future, have the courage to jump out of the existing framework, and be a pathfinder in new tracks and new fields.
Second, to accumulate the power to influence and change the world. Since the 18th century, every scientific and technological revolution has promoted the leapfrog improvement of productivity, and then changed the face and pattern of the whole world. Behind the scientific and technological revolution, the solution of every bottleneck problem and the breakthrough of key technologies are often the accumulation of a large number of small changes, just like a trickle of water accumulates into a river, which can converge into a surging torrent and rush forward. In the face of rapidly iterating and updating knowledge and technology, only by maintaining active thinking and the desire for knowledge, persisting in advancing day by day, and working tirelessly, can we find a way to break through and form a force to lead change.
Professor Ding Hong of the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute of our university is the first full professor in the American physics community to return to China full-time, and he has focused on the field of condensed matter physics for decades, with an average of one new discovery every 10 years, and the four discoveries he has made so far have had an important impact on physics. He said that he was "lucky", but I think that behind the "luck" is the persistence of many years of perseverance, gathering sand into a tower. As he himself often said, focus on the areas you can change, insist on deep cultivation and perseverance, and engage in scientific research like polishing grit, although the appearance of grit is simple and unpretentious, but it shines after thousands of sharpenings. He once compared scientific research to a "marathon", and for the needs of experiments, he sometimes spent several weeks in the underground laboratory, and even spent more than half a year in the underground laboratory, which can be said to be "not seeing the light of day". It is the accumulation of decades of "sun arching" that has gradually brought the dream into reality, lifted the mystery of the "ghost particle" Weyl fermions, and made a major breakthrough in the frontier field of international physics. Now, he is working hard to realize his next dream, and he expects to discover the path to topological qubits in about five years.
Students, throughout history, it is difficult for us to predict when major changes will occur, and it is also difficult to predict when the inflection point in the development of science and technology will come. Although "greatness cannot be planned", I believe that "greatness can be accumulated", which is also a point I expressed when the School of Artificial Intelligence was established in April this year. Influencing and changing the world cannot be achieved overnight, and it is often the result of promoting small progress and solving small problems. Graduation is a new starting point for "re-accumulation", and I hope that you will develop a good habit of lifelong learning and build a solid foundation for innovation and breakthroughs at the moment of knowledge explosion; I also hope that you will continue to study and improve based on your own positions, uphold the persistence of "grinding a sword in ten years", seek "small breakthroughs" and "small discoveries" in the progress with each passing day, and accumulate strength for the "big leap" that affects and changes the world.
Third, we need to influence and change the world in an inclusive way. The diversity of regional environment and cultural background has formed a rich and colorful world, and the progress of information technology has promoted interconnection and built a community with a shared future that is closely linked to each other. At the same time, the existence of the "information cocoon" has narrowed everyone's cognitive horizons, and technical barriers have exacerbated the conflict. Self-closure can only make oneself stand on an island, only the sea can open up the pattern, with the attitude of "not rejecting the crowd, the party is the river and the sea", and the mind of "inclusiveness, exchange and mutual learning", respect differences, accept diversity, embrace changes in learning, work and life, and continuously stimulate the innovative vitality of building a better world.
The university is a place where masters gather, and it is also an open platform for close interaction with the world, which not only allows you to increase your knowledge and improve your literacy, but more importantly, opens your horizons and inspires your thinking. During the four years of study and life at SJTU, you have had conversations with friends from all over the world, exposed to and understood different cultures, and learned about a more diverse world. Communicate with experts and scholars from different backgrounds, collide with cross-disciplinary knowledge, and feel the breadth and profundity of different disciplines. In the future, we must adhere to the principle of inclusiveness and inclusiveness, open personal boundaries, be good at listening to and accepting different voices, deepen understanding and mutual trust with others, and learn from others' strengths and make up for our own shortcomings; Open the boundaries of the field, promote cross-integration and collaborative innovation, and inspire inspiration and achieve win-win results through cross-border exploration; Open the boundaries of time and space, actively absorb the achievements of ancient and modern Chinese and foreign human civilizations, deepen international cooperation and exchanges and mutual learning, devote ourselves to the great cause of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and gather strong momentum to influence and change the world.
Students, those who dare to be the first are not afraid, those who advance with the day are not slack, and those who embrace all rivers are inexhaustible. Influencing and changing the world is not a grand narrative that is out of reach, but based on the position of active action and tempering oneself to improve day by day, we can promote the world we live in for a better place. Today, you are about to embark on a new journey of youth, or choose to continue your studies and climb the academic peak, or go to the urban and rural grassroots to benefit the people, or serve economic development and promote social prosperity, or enter international organizations to participate in global governance.
On the shore of Siyuan Lake, the willows are still clinging, and the air is filled with reluctance and expectation. This is the end of a journey, but also a new beginning, a classroom for your lifelong growth, not only within this campus, but also between the vast mountains and seas. I hope that in your future study and work, you will not only have the pursuit of influencing and changing the world, but also have the right way to open up a better life. Insist on exercising for half an hour every day to maintain a healthy body; Read a good book every month and experience the joy of reading; Go to a new place every year, feel different customs, meet new friends, and welcome a better tomorrow with an optimistic and positive attitude.
No matter where you are, your alma mater is your eternal spiritual home, always here to care for you, watch over you, and look forward to your return home often.
I wish you all the best for the future! Thank you!
Messages from the principals
There is deep reluctance
There is more earnest entrustment and earnest expectations
Give children the motivation to move forward
Starlight lives up to the rush
I wish you all a happy graduation and a bright future
Photo: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Editor: Tang Jingxian Preliminary Review: Gao Shuting Review: Shi Sijia Final Review: Liu Kenbo
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