Forum participants listen to the keynote speech delivered by professor Xie Jianxin of the University of Science and Technology Beijing at the 4th Forum of Materials Genome Engineering in Mianyang, Sichuan province. (Photo: Pu Tao/chinadaily.com.cn)

A ceremony awarding prizes to students for their outstanding posters about materials was held in Mianyang, Sichuan province, on Thursday evening.

Cash prizes ranging from 2,000 yuan ($299) to 5,000 yuan went to students from institutions of higher learning from across the country who took part in the 4th Forum of Materials Genome Engineering, a three-day event which started on Thursday.

Hosted by the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the China Academy of Engineering Physics and the Chinese Materials Research Society, the forum — which drew 32 Chinese and overseas academicians to Mianyang, a science and technology city approved by the central government in 2000.

The forum aims to promote the continuous development and improvement of materials genome engineering concepts and promote the development and application of key technologies by gathering the wisdom of top experts. It focuses on major frontier topics in research technology and key equipment, as well as promotes the sharing and exchanges of the latest research results, organizers said.

The forum has five symposiums, with 139 experts and scholars sharing their latest research results.

Forum participants review posters about materials made by students from institutions of higher learning across China at the 4th Forum of Materials Genome Engineering in Mianyang, Sichuan province. 

Compared with the previous three forums, this forum underlines international communication and cooperation, organizers said. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 20 foreign experts are participating the event via videos.

The forum, a high-level academic conference with an influence on the international materials field, has attracted about 800 participants, according to Peng Jianhui, an information officer at the China Academy of Engineering Physics.

For professor Xie Jianxin of the University of Science and Technology Beijing, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, new materials are not only a precondition of high-quality economic and social development but also hasten the birth of high-tech and emerging strategic industries.