With a long-standing reputation as a prestigious university, Tianjin University (TJU) is celebrating its 130th anniversary. On October 2, 2025, coinciding with this grand occasion of TJU’s 130th anniversary, the Alumni Representative Conference of the School of Electrical and Information Engineering, TJU, was grandly held at the Weijin Road Campus.
The conference officially established the Alumni Association of the School of Electrical and Information Engineering and unveiled two frontier technology-focused alumni associations—the TJU Smart Energy Alumni Association and the TJU Embodied Intelligence Alumni Association—injecting new and strong impetus into the school’s development in future.
In the afternoon of the same day, the school was filled with a festive and warm atmosphere; Li Jiping, Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Tianjin University, Tan Chao, Dean of the School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Sun Yugeng, former Dean of the School of Electrical and Information Engineering, along with nearly 100 alumni representatives from across the country and faculty and students of the school, gathered together to share their bonds with TJU and jointly map out the blueprint for the school’s future development.
The conference kicked off with the passionate and majestic Tianjin University Anthem. It reviewed and unanimously adopted the Charter of the Alumni Association of the School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Tianjin University, the Charter of the Tianjin University Smart Energy Alumni Association, the Charter of the Tianjin University Embodied Intelligence Alumni Association, as well as the proposed list of the first Council. Li Jiping was elected President of the Alumni Association of the School of Electrical Automation and Information Engineering; Chen Qizhang and Tang Tongkui were elected Presidents of the Tianjin University Smart Energy Alumni Association and the Tianjin University Embodied Intelligence Alumni Association respectively. The three presidents delivered speeches respectively.
Li Jiping said, greatly encouraged by the reply letter from General Secretary Xi Jinping to Tianjin University on its 130th anniversary, The School will closely focus on the vision of the greater good of the nation to plan its development. The school’s Alumni Association will be committed to building an efficient communication platform, strengthening its service functions, and promoting in-depth cooperation and coordinated development between alumni and the school in talent cultivation, scientific research and other fields.
Chen Qizhang pointed out that smart energy is a core field for China to achieve the dual carbon goals, and the industry-specific alumni association will integrate high-quality resources, drive technological innovation, and fully serve the national energy strategy.
Tang Tongkui emphasized that embodied intelligence is a frontier in the development of artificial intelligence, and the alumni association will promote in-depth integration of industry, academia, research and application, and contribute Tianjin University’s wisdom to the development of this emerging field.
Tan Chao delivered a keynote report titled Overview of the School’s Undertakings Development and Outlook for Industry-Based Alumni Associations at the conference. He systematically reviewed the fruitful achievements the school had made in discipline construction, scientific research innovation, and talent cultivation. He also put forward a forward-looking proposal that, in the future, the school will rely on the two frontier fields, namely, smart energy and embodied intelligence to build an industry-influential and internationally oriented ecosystem integrating production, education, research, and application. He believed that the establishment of industry-based alumni associations would provide solid support for this grand blueprint.
As a tribute to the 130th anniversary of Tianjin University, a launch ceremony for Tianjin University Chronicles: Volume of the School of Electrical Automation and Information Engineering was held during the conference.
Sun Yugeng, General Consultant of the Editorial Board reviewed the compilation process of this book. He said that as the first school-specific chronicle officially approved by Tianjin University for unified publication, this book embodies the full dedication of him and his team. He earnestly hoped that the new generation of automation professionals would leverage the platform of the alumni association to build on past achievements and carry forward the legacy, not only remembering the school’s glorious history but also pooling their efforts into national strategic priorities that are most in need—such as smart energy and embodied intelligence—to jointly create another more glorious 90 years ahead.
Witnessed by all the distinguished guests present, Secretary Li Jiping and President Chen Qizhang jointly unveiled the Smart Energy Alumni Association, while Dean Tan Chao and President Tang Tongkui jointly unveiled the Embodied Intelligence Alumni Association. The establishment of these two industry-specific alumni associations marks the beginning of a new chapter for the school in serving national strategic needs and leading the frontiers of science and technology.
In his impromptu speech, alumnus Xu Deqing affectionately shared his experience at the School of Electrical Automation and Information Engineering and expressed the sincere devotion of the broader alumni community—their deep bond with Tianjin University and their willingness to continuously contribute to the school’s development.
During the 130th anniversary of Tianjin University, the school also carefully organized a series of activities to welcome alumni home, greeting alumni from all over with thoughtful arrangements and sincere affection. It fully opened all negotiation rooms, meeting rooms and spaces for alumni returning to the campus in groups. Here, classmates who had not seen each other for years reunited, talked freely about the past and filled the air with constant laughter, creating a warm and familiar homelike atmosphere everywhere. Teacher and student volunteers accompanied the alumni throughout the process, providing detailed guidance for registration and assisting with visits and exchanges, ensuring every alumnus felt the thoughtful care from their alma mater’s school.
The school history exhibition, scientific and technological achievements exhibition, student talent exhibition, and the alumni message wall covered with sincere notes together created a warm and lively homecoming atmosphere, fully demonstrating the school’s vigorous vitality and profound heritage.
The school also organized a series of scientific and technological achievement demonstration activities. Facilities including the Smart Grid, Smart Machinery Science Popularization and Education Base, Tianji Intelligent Driving Laboratory, Unmanned System Decision-Making and Control Laboratory, Intelligent Perception and Interaction Laboratory, Underwater Intelligent Equipment Laboratory, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Electrical and Electronic Education (Tianjin University), and Municipal Demonstration Center for Experimental of Information and Communication Engineering Education (Tianjin University), were open to the public for exhibition. On-site demonstrations of scientific and technological achievements such as unmanned vehicles, unmanned ships, robot formations and underwater robots even won continuous praise from the alumni.
The galaxy is brilliant, and the original aspiration remains. The establishment of the school’s alumni association and industry-specific alumni associations this time is not only a sincere continuation of the 130-year profound history of TJU, but also a brand-new start that resonates with the times. They will serve as a warm harbor and strategic platform for uniting alumni around the world, converging into a mighty force driving the development of the two cutting-edge fields of smart energy and embodied intelligence.
Though the grand event has come to an end, the friendship endures. Let us join hands at this new starting point, walk together under the stars and never forget the profound bonds across mountains and seas, to jointly write a glorious chapter worthy of the times for the bright future of our alma mater and the School of Electrical and Information Engineering, and for the great cause of national rejuvenation
