Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Encyclopedia
Beihang University, previously known as Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics is a major research university located in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

.

BUAA was founded on October 25, 1952 with an area of over 100 hectares, BUAA is one of China's leading universities on research and education. It is regarded as one of the best engineering universities in China and has a great influence on China's aeronautical
Aeronautics
Aeronautics is the science involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of airflight-capable machines, or the techniques of operating aircraft and rocketry within the atmosphere...

 and astronautical
Astronautics
Astronautics, and related astronautical engineering, is the theory and practice of navigation beyond the Earth's atmosphere. In other words, it is the science and technology of space flight....

 industry.

Initial years

BUAA was formed in 1952 from a merger of the aeronautical departments of Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University , colloquially known in Chinese as Qinghua, is a university in Beijing, China. The school is one of the nine universities of the C9 League. It was established in 1911 under the name "Tsinghua Xuetang" or "Tsinghua College" and was renamed the "Tsinghua School" one year later...

, Peiyang University, Xiamen University
Xiamen University
Xiamen University , colloquially known as Xia Da , located in Xiamen, Fujian province, is the first university in China founded by overseas Chinese. Before 1949, it was originally known as the University of Amoy. The school motto is "Pursue Excellence, Strive for Perfection "...

, Sichuan University
Sichuan University
Sichuan University is one of the oldest national universities in China. It is ranked No. 8 among the Chinese universities according to the 2010 Academic Ranking of World Universities....

, Yunnan University
Yunnan University
Yunnan University is one of the largest and most prestigious universities in Yunnan province, China. Its main campuses are located in the provincial capital city of Kunming...

, Northwestern Engineering College
Northwestern Polytechnical University
Northwestern Polytechnical University is a University located in 127#, Youyi West Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.-History:...

, North China University
Beijing Institute of Technology
Beijing Institute of Technology , formerly known as 北京工业学院, is a leading public, co-educational, national key university, located in Beijing, China. Established in 1940 in Yan'an , the university used to be administered by the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense...

, and Southwest Aeronautical Institute
Chongqing University
Chongqing University is a comprehensive national university in the Shapingba District of Chongqing municipality, China. It is a member of the Project 211 and Project 985 which aims to transform Chinese universities into better research institutions.-History:...

.
The meeting announcing the founding of the Beijing Institute of Aeronautics (BIA) was held in the auditorium of Beijing Institute of Technology on October 25, 1952. In the early days of the university, most of the faculty and students lived on campuses of Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University , colloquially known in Chinese as Qinghua, is a university in Beijing, China. The school is one of the nine universities of the C9 League. It was established in 1911 under the name "Tsinghua Xuetang" or "Tsinghua College" and was renamed the "Tsinghua School" one year later...

 and Beijing Institute of Technology
Beijing Institute of Technology
Beijing Institute of Technology , formerly known as 北京工业学院, is a leading public, co-educational, national key university, located in Beijing, China. Established in 1940 in Yan'an , the university used to be administered by the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense...

 before they moved on to their own new campus, which was chosen in May, 1953 and located at the BaiYanZhuang Village, Haidian District, in the western suburb of Beijing. Construction of campus buildings started on June 1, 1953. More than 60,000m2 of buildings were completed within 6 months. By October, 1953, all students and some of the faculty moved to the new campus and started their daily work and study. Initially, there were two departments with 4 majors: Aeroplane Design and Aeroplane Technology in the Department of Aeroplane Engineering, and Engine Design, Engine Technology in the Department of Aeroplane Engine Engineering.

BUAA was among China's first 16 key universities back in the 1950s, and among the top 15 for priority development during China's 7th Five-Year Plan period (1986–1990). During the 8th Five-Year plan it was listed among the top 14 for priority development, and at the start of the 9th Five-Year Plan BUAA was among the first batch of 15 universities in “project 211 for Higher Education
Project 211
Project 211 is a project of National Key Universities and colleges initiated in 1995 by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, with the intent of raising the research standards of high-level universities and cultivating strategies for socio-economic development...

.”

Name change

Since 1952, this university was named the "Beijing Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics". Since May 1988, it has been known as the "Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics". In 2002, the university board decided to change the English name of the university to Beihang University and keep the abbreviation BUAA.

Nowadays

The university has 48 undergraduate programs, 144 masters' programs, 49 doctoral programs, and 14 postdoc
Postdoctoral researcher
Postdoctoral research is scholarly research conducted by a person who has recently completed doctoral studies, normally within the previous five years. It is intended to further deepen expertise in a specialist subject, including acquiring novel skills and methods...

 stations. At present, the university has 26 schools and departments. Total number of faculty and staff are over 3300, including 16 academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Chinese Academy of Sciences
The Chinese Academy of Sciences , formerly known as Academia Sinica, is the national academy for the natural sciences of the People's Republic of China. It is an institution of the State Council of China. It is headquartered in Beijing, with institutes all over the People's Republic of China...

 or Chinese Academy of Engineering
Chinese Academy of Engineering
The Chinese Academy of Engineering is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for engineering. It was established in 1994 and is an institution of the State Council of China...

, more than 1700 full or associate professors, 476 supervisors of doctorate programs. BUAA is home of 23,000 undergrad and graduate students. and about 530 international students. It has 89 laboratories including 1 National Lab and 2 State Key Laboratory. The university is equipped with all ancillary facilities. The university library, with an area of over 24,000 m2, has a collection of over 1.2 million.
In 2005, French leading Grande École
Grandes écoles
The grandes écoles of France are higher education establishments outside the main framework of the French university system. The grandes écoles select students for admission based chiefly on national ranking in competitive written and oral exams...

 of engineering "École Centrale" associated with BUAA to create a top level engineering graduate program called École Centrale de Pékin
École centrale de Pékin
In 2005, Centrale Graduate School, as a French University-grade Grandes écoles of engineering, helped to open École centrale de Pékin, a new educational partner of their network supporting the Centralien engineering curriculum, at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in...

. This program's intake consist in the very best Chinese students graduating the National College Entrance Examination
National College Entrance Examination
The National Higher Education Entrance Examination, or commonly known as Gao Kao, is an academic examination held annually in the mainland of the People's Republic of China. This examination is a prerequisite for entrance into almost all higher education institutions at the undergraduate level...

.

BUAA's is also famous for its top sports facilities including modern gymnasiums
Beihang University Gymnasium
Beihang University Gymnasium is a 5,400-seat indoor arena located on the campus of Beihang University in Beijing, China. It hosted weightlifting competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics and powerlifting competitions at the 2008 Summer Paralympics.-Reference:...

 and sports grounds.

Colors

The official school colors are blue and white, which symbolize the sky and clouds respectively.

Anniversary and Homecoming

October 25 is the anniversary and the following weekend is homecoming weekend.

Education and teaching

As one of the top-ranked research university, BUAA has had more than 40 projects that were ranked first in China, since it was established in 1952. Nowadays, it has evolved into a university of engineering science and technology with an emphasis on aeronautical and astronautical engineering, covering such diverse fields as science, technology, liberal arts, law, economics, management, philosophy, foreign languages and education.

BUAA has actively and intensively developed its international academic exchange programs and cooperation. It has established cooperation with 152 universities and research institutions from 40 countries, including the Canada, UK, France, Germany, Russia, United States, and 122 scholars have been invited as honorary professors to Beihang University. Every year, on average, about 1000 foreign experts and scholars come to BUAA to give lectures, to visit, and to take part in international conferences, and discussions for scientific cooperation; and every year over 600 BUAA faculties go abroad to give lectures, participate in academic conferences or conduct cooperative scientific research.
Since its founding BUAA has been one of the key universities given priority for development. In the new century and millennium, BUAA was officially listed in China's Action Plan for the Revitalization of Education in the 21st Century. Over the past 50 years BUAA has provided about 80000 professionals of high caliber in various disciplines for China. BUAA has 42 research institutes or interdisciplinary research centers, 11 key disciplines of the national level, and 89 laboratories (including 4 national key laboratories, 5 national specialized laboratories, and 12 provincialor ministrial-level key laboratories.) In recent years BUAA has ranked among the foremost in China in terms of funding for scientific research. The university is equipped with all ancillary facilities. The library, with an area of over 24,000 m2, has a collection of over 1.2 million books. BUAA's sports facilities include a modern gymnasium
Beihang University Gymnasium
Beihang University Gymnasium is a 5,400-seat indoor arena located on the campus of Beihang University in Beijing, China. It hosted weightlifting competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics and powerlifting competitions at the 2008 Summer Paralympics.-Reference:...

 and a sports ground with sophisticated equipment. BUAA has become one of the China's important bases for scientific and technological innovation and quality education of high-level personnel.

What's more, BUAA serves as one of several top research institutes that are responsible for cultivating intelligence of military oriented technology for China's national defense cause. BUAA's development are closely related with the development of China's defense ability. Of several prestigious defense-related institutes administered by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, BUAA has better opportunities.

For years, the employment rate of the graduates in BUAA has been ranked at the top of all universities across the country. BUAA's graduates are flowing into top technological research institutes of China or top foreign companies such as Microsoft or Google. However due to intensive competition, not all students can take the lead. But for such a young engineering university, it's endeavoring to make improvements to produce leaders of its fields for the community.

Undergraduate

In BUAA, undergraduate education is focused on training creative specialized graduates with solid basic knowledge and can also study and work independently in the science field with necessary skills. Centering on this aim, BUAA has a credit-based education plan, which is flexible for students to plan their college life. With the distinct feature of diverse talents cultivating plan, students can gradually concrete an individualized cultivating mode on top of the perfection of the former general education. BUAA is now trying to establish a leading system of undergraduate education as a research-oriented university.

Postgraduate

As for postgraduate education, BUAA concentrates on the specialized talents with a good background of theoretical knowledge and a profound understanding of their major knowledge through the academic programs, who have the ability to innovate, who are self-starters, and who are willing to devote themselves to scientific endeavor and team-working. BUAA is among the very first academic institutes established graduate schools in China and it is also one of the universities which have the authority to approve advisors for doctoral programs. On the training of graduate students, BUAA keeps reforming deeply, developing positively, guiding diversely, enhancing construction, stressing innovation, improving the quality of teaching, emphasizing creativity, constructing a proper environment for the cultivation of specialized personnel and creating highly qualified graduates.

Teaching

BUAA was among the nation' s first 16 key universities back in the 1950' s, and among the top 15 for priority development during China' s 7th five-year-plan period (1986–1990). During the 8th five-year-plan it was listed among the top 14 for priority development, and at the start of the 9th five-year-plan BUAA was among the first batch of 15 universities in "project 211 for Higher Education." As it entered the new century and millennium, the university was again listed in China' s Action Plan for the Revitalization of Education in the 21st Century. Thanks to the tireless efforts of several generations of people BUAA has grown into an open, multi-disciplined, research-oriented university of engineering science and technology with an emphasis on aeronautical and astronautical engineering. The university now has 40 undergraduate majors, 65 master programs, and 36 second-level doctorate programs in 2ndlevel disciplines and 12 post-doctorate stations. In 10 disciplines of the 1st level BUAA is authorized to confer doctor and master degrees. BUAA, as a center of both higher education and scientific research, has become one of the important bases for quality personnel education and scientific research in China.

Research

There are many scholars in BUAA, who are influential home and abroad. They are characterized by integrity, persistence in academic pursuits and patience in teaching; they have firm command of professional knowledge. They are representatives of school power in the society. There are also well-known lecturer who have been granted titles such as Expert of Outstanding Contribution, State Expert with Outstanding contribution of Science and Technology, Young Expert and Advanced Teaching Staff of Science and Technology.

At present there are ten "Yangtze River Scholar Award Program" professors in BUAA. They have become academic leaders in their respective fields for their profound academic accomplishments, plentiful and substantial academic fruits; they are promoting relentless advancement of education and research in BUAA. "Yangtze River Scholar Award Program" is a trans-century creative talent program funded by Ministry of Education
Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China
The Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China , formerly Ministry of Education, Central People's Government from 1949 to 1954, State Education Commission from 1985 to 1998, is headquartered in Beijing. It is the agency of the State Council which regulates all aspects of the...

 and Hongkong Li Ka-Shing Foundation in 1998. This program aims to attract young talented people to devote to increase the colleges creativity and academic influence.

BUAA is home to some of China's top research labs. Of them, the National Laboratory of Software Development Environment, National Computational Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, National Laboratory of Aero-engine and Air Heat, and National Laboratory of Aeronautics and Astronautics represent BUAA's top facilities.
Following the principle of “based on national defense, aiming at the market, serving society”, BUAA has given full play to the comprehensive advantage of many disciplines working together, making itself one of the most important innovation centers. Since its foundation, the university has had more than 40 projects that were ranked first in the country and has received more than 900 awards for achievements, which have made BUAA one of the top-ranked universities in the field of high tech. In addition, BUAA has filled scientific and technological gaps nationwide by making and launching spacecrafts of different models, such as, “Beijing -1” , the first light aircraft
Light aircraft
A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a maximum gross take-off weight of or less.Many aircraft used commercially for freight, sightseeing, photography and scheduled flights are light aircraft.Examples of light aircraft include:...

 in China; “Beijing -2” , the first sounding rocket
Sounding rocket
A sounding rocket, sometimes called a research rocket, is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight. The origin of the term comes from nautical vocabulary, where to sound is to throw a weighted line from a ship into...

 in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

; “Beijing -5” , the first unmanned aircraft in China; “BEE” series; coaxial rotors helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...

. BUAA has also invented a flight simulator in automation, a silicon compiler
Silicon compiler
A silicon compiler is a software system that takes a user's specifications and automatically generates an integrated circuit . The process is sometimes referred to as hardware compilation.Silicon compilation takes place in three major steps:...

 in computer science, a Phase Change Disk in material and information storage, a robot of multi-degree freedom in artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...

 and assisted in the successful launch of the Shenzhou spacecraft
Shenzhou spacecraft
Shenzhou is a spacecraft developed and operated by the People's Republic of China to support its manned spaceflight program. The name is variously translated as "Divine Craft," "Divine Vessel of God," "Magic Boat" or similar and is also homophonous with an ancient name for China...

.

The university has worked hard to gain partners in research through technological development, transfer of research findings, manufacture of products and education of personnel. It has also spared no effort to promote collaboration in production, learning and scientific research, and to expand the application of its scientific research by strengthening the cooperation between the government and university, undertaking large-scale construction programs, and building joint R&D centers and laboratories with enterprises. Now the university has established 6 major State Labs, namely “the Lab of Aeronautical Engine Pneumatic Power”, “the State Lab of Calculating Fluid Dynamics”, “the Lab of Software Development Environment” and “the National Base of Mechanics”, and 12 major Labs at provincial levels. For years, the funding for scientific research at BUAA has been increasing at an annual rate of over 20%, which ranks among the best in all the universities in China in terms of its achievements, funding and academic standing.

SRTP

In 2005, BUAA initiated the Student Research Training Program (SRTP) to involve undergraduates in research through credit incentives. All granted projects are funded by Student Academic Office. Excellent project holders will be given extra credits for their achievements. Students often publish papers and file patent applications during the training program.

Student life

Students in BUAA come from different provinces of China, so there are plenty of cultural diversities and mixture of dialect in the campus. Students have the chance to enlarge their social network during their study.

Feng Ru Cup

Feng Ru Cup, named after China's first aircraft designer and aviator Feng Ru, is an annual competition of student scientific innovation works in BUAA. It is like Senior Project
Senior Project
Senior ProjectStudents, usually in their senior year of high school, choose a topic of interest to them and create a senior project that consists of the four P's:* Paper* Project* Portfolio* Presentation-How it works:...

 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. This competition attracts thousands of students each year. All first prize winners can continue their graduate studies exempt from entrance examination
Entrance examination
An entrance examination is an examination that many educational institutions use to select students for admission. These exams may be administered at any level of education, from primary to higher education, although they are more common at higher levels....

 in BUAA.

Student societies

There are various of student societies and activities to join, from sport clubs to scientific interest groups. Student scientific and engineering innovation groups can have fund from different entities, e.g. departments, schools and companies. All students activities are organized by Communist Youth League of China, BUAA branch.

Gender balance

However, the common concern of engineering universities is also shared in BUAA—the gender balance. In some serious engineering departments like the School of Jet Propulsion, School of Mechanical Engineering and School of Astronautics, female students are so rare that the ratio of male to female students in an undergraduate class can be as low as 7:1.

Schools and departments

  • School of Material Science and Engineering
  • School of Electronic Information Engineering
  • School of Automation Science and Electrical Engineering
  • School of Jet Propulsion
  • School of Aeronautic Science and Engineering
  • School of Computer Science and Engineering
    • Department of Computer Science and Technology
  • School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation
  • School of Economics and Management
  • School of Mathematics and Systems Science
  • School of Physics and Nuclear Engineering
  • School of Biological and Medical Engineering
  • School of Public Management
  • School of Foreign Languages
  • School of Transportation Science and Engineering
  • Department of Systems Engineering of Engineering Technology
  • School of Astronautics
  • School of Pilot
  • School of Software
  • School of Law
  • School of Continuing Education
  • School of Instrumentation Science & Opto-electronics Engineering
  • School of New Media Art and Design
  • School of Distant Learning
  • School of Advanced Engineering
  • School of Chemistry and Environment
  • School of Transportation Science and Engineering
    • Department of Civil Engineering
  • International School
  • École Centrale de Pékin
    École centrale de Pékin
    In 2005, Centrale Graduate School, as a French University-grade Grandes écoles of engineering, helped to open École centrale de Pékin, a new educational partner of their network supporting the Centralien engineering curriculum, at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in...


Notable people

The chief engineers of the Shenzhou
Shenzhou
Shenzhou may refer to:*Shenzhou , or "Divine Land", name of China*Shenzhou City, in Hebei, China*Shenzhou , an album by ambient musician Biosphere*Shenzhou program, a manned spaceflight initiative by the People's Republic of China...

 space project, Qi Faren
Qi Faren
Qi Faren is the chief designer for Chinese spacecraft since the launch of the prototype Shenzhou manned spacecraft in 1999. He was born in 1933 and graduated from the Beijing Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 1957...

 戚发轫 and Wang Yongzhi
Wang Yongzhi
Wang Yongzhi , born in Changtu County, Liaoning, China, is an aerospace scientist and academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He is notable for being the general architect and designer of China's first manned spacecraft Shenzhou 5 and Shenzhou 6...

 王永志, as well as the Shenzhou commander Yuán Jiājūn 袁家军, the former minister of education
Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China
The Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China , formerly Ministry of Education, Central People's Government from 1949 to 1954, State Education Commission from 1985 to 1998, is headquartered in Beijing. It is the agency of the State Council which regulates all aspects of the...

, Zhū Kāixuān 朱开轩, the former governor of Liaoning
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...

 and Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...

, Zhāng Guóguāng 张国光, and the former vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference [], shortened as 人民政协, Rénmín Zhèngxié, i.e. "People's PCC"; or just 政协, Zhèngxié, i.e. "The PCC"), abbreviated CPPCC, is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China...

, Lǐ Pèiyáo 李沛瑶, are graduates of Beihang.

External links

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