On July 30, the 13th National College Student Metallography Skills Competition finals concluded at Huanggang Normal University in Hubei Province. After intense competition, the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering team achieved remarkable results, securing two first prizes, three-second prizes, one-third prize, and a team third prize. NEFU won the highest number of awards among participating universities in Heilongjiang Province, marking NEFU's best performance in this competition.

The National College Student Metallography Skills Competition is included in the "National Ranking of Discipline Competitions for Regular Higher Education Institutions." It is organized by the Teaching Steering Committee for Materials Science under the Ministry of Education. This year's competition attracted 1,458 contestants from 530 universities, including Tsinghua University, setting a new record for the event's scale.

The competition featured two tracks: the skills competition and the metallography conference, each progressing through three stages: preliminaries, semi-finals, and finals. Teachers Chen Hui and Zhu Hai from the Metalworking Teaching and Research Office of the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering organized rigorous training sessions for the students during their spare time, emphasizing high standards and meticulous attention to detail. After NEFU's internal preliminaries, 20 outstanding students advanced to the semi-finals, and finally, eight students qualified for the finals in both tracks. In the finals, NEFU students overcame challenges with poise, demonstrating the admirable spirit and competitive excellence of NEFU, earning honors for themselves and bringing glory to the university.

Metallography skills are fundamental for students majoring in materials science and mechanical engineering. These skills are vital to understanding materials and are crucial in training students to identify, analyze, and solve problems. In recent years, the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering has adhered to the philosophy of "promoting teaching through competition, enhancing learning through competition, and driving reforms through competition." The school has explored a teaching model that encourages "innovation through learning, practice through innovation, and growth through practice," aiming to cultivate students' innovative thinking and hands-on abilities. This approach has continuously improved the effectiveness of education, enhancing students' professional skills, craftsmanship, artistic appreciation, and scientific literacy.