In order to further implement the national requirements for cultivating top-notch talents in fundamental disciplines and to nurture outstanding and innovative mathematical talents with cutting-edge research capabilities and global impact, Wuhan University held the opening ceremony of its Mathematics Discipline Climbing Program on September 14 in the Lei Jun Science and Technology Building. Academician Zhang Pingwen, President of Wuhan University, attended the ceremony, along with members of the Climbing Program Training Committee from the School of Mathematics and Statistics, selected undergraduate participants of the research-oriented recruitment track, and other interested students. The event was presided over by Professor Fan Huijun, Dean of the School of Mathematics and Statistics.
Dean Fan Huijun noted that the Mathematics Discipline Climbing Program is an innovative initiative in cultivating top-notch and creative talents at Wuhan University. He emphasized that President Zhang Pingwen personally planned and guided the program’s development, and the School of Mathematics and Statistics will spare no effort in ensuring the cultivation of exceptional and innovative talent under the program.
President Zhang Pingwen warmly welcomed the students who had been selected to join the program. He underscored the importance of launching the Climbing Program, stressing that the university attaches great importance to both the cultivation of top-tier innovative undergraduates and the enhancement of their research capabilities. He pointed out that building this program is a long-term endeavor of great significance to the development of the mathematics discipline. He encouraged students to set lofty goals, pursue continuous personal growth, and foster a deep passion for mathematics, developing intrinsic motivation and perseverance to lay a solid foundation for future research in the field. President Zhang expressed his hope that students will achieve remarkable accomplishments and that, in the future, Wuhan University’s mathematics discipline will nurture a generation of world-renowned mathematicians, contributing to the effort of building China into a major power in mathematics.
In his concluding remarks, Dean Fan Huijun reiterated that the School of Mathematics and Statistics places great emphasis on the construction of the Climbing Program and holds high expectations for producing mathematicians who will lead the world in the future. He referenced the educational philosophy of the Russian mathematical school and elaborated on how it connects with the school’s own approach to nurturing outstanding mathematical talent. He introduced a series of planned reforms related to talent cultivation, including the restructuring of academic divisions, the development of broad-based foundational courses, the establishment of a standardized curriculum system, and the formulation of the Climbing Program’s training framework. He expressed his hope that through the program’s rigorous training, students would be inspired to scale new heights in mathematics and eventually become prominent figures in the global mathematical community.
It is reported that the Mathematics Discipline Climbing Program will proceed along two directions—Fundamental Mathematics and Applied Mathematics—and will regularly organize Sunday seminars for these two areas. The aim is to strengthen undergraduates’ research capabilities, lay a solid foundation for their future scientific endeavors in mathematics, and cultivate first-class mathematicians with world-leading research abilities.
