Huang Min, professor, Ph.D. Supervisor, is now Dean of School of Electromechanical Engineering, superintendent of “Huang Danian-style faculty” (the first cohort in China), academic pacesetter of an advanced, high precision academic discipline, director of a state-level model center for field teaching, and deputy director of an MOE key lab. As the winner of one state-level teaching achievement award and 3 first prizes of municipal-level teaching achievement awards, he has been honored as Outstanding teacher of Beijing and Outstanding teacher in innovation project of Beijing-based Universities. Mechanical Design, Manufacturing, and Automation, the program he chaired, was screened out as one of the first cohort of state-level first-rate programs and a municipal-level key first-rate program. Mechanical Engineering as a discipline was appraised as a municipal level advanced high precision discipline. The team of “Intelligent surveillance for electromechanical equipment” was assessed as a high level team of innovation among universities supervised by Beijing Municipality. The team of Mechanical Design, Manufacturing, and Automation was listed as one of the excellent teams in undergraduate education among universities supervised by Beijing Municipality. He has also chaired over 20 projects concerning reform and innovation of undergraduate education.  

Deep love of education  

His 32 years of devotion to teaching indicate deep love of education. Improvement of teaching quality remains an eternal topic of his work. He has delivered six core modules (including Mechanical Control Engineering) to undergraduate students and 10 modules to postgraduate students (including Modern Control Theory). His solid academic foundation, skilled teaching techniques, and sound preparations make his lectures very well received among students. After peer observation, colleague Qin Zixing from Department of Intelligent Manufacturing commented that “Huang Min’s lecture has always been reasonably, balanced structured with almost perfect blackboard design. He has a way of sorting out all points of difficulties and impart knowledge to students with imperceptible influence.” 

Huang Min lays focus on setting up himself as a role model for students both in teaching and research and in everyday life. He does practice what he teaches. He attaches great importance to cultivation of noble ideals and integrity of students while imparting professional knowledge. He cares about individual development of students and is good at motivating students in learning and in finding their potentials.  

As of today, Huang Min has supervised 60 postgraduate students and 14 of them have been awarded the honor of municipal level graduates of excellence, outstanding graduation theses, or students of merits. He invested a lot of efforts in science and technology innovation competitions for students. Water Team of the School has won a number of championships and silver medals in RobCup Robotic Football (Middle-size group) and has been widely covered by reports of influential media such as CCTV, BTV, or Xinhua News.  

“I deeply love higher education and I quite enjoy my work. My happiness comes from the process of ‘propagating the doctrine, imparting professional knowledge, and resolving doubts’, the glowing eyes of students when they do understand what is being taught, and the good news of students’ successes.” Huang Min said. Owing to his outstanding teaching performance, Huang Min was appraised as Beijing Teaching of Preeminence in 2010 (the 6th session), screened out as one of the first cohort of outstanding teachers of innovation project in Beijing-based universities, and outstanding faculty of the University respectively in 2019 and 2020.  

A down-to-earth researcher 

Huang Min’s research interests include intelligent surveillance of electromechanical equipment and intelligent robots. He firmly holds that “no short cuts of any kind await researchers. We have to stand on solid ground and be inured to hardships.” He said do and has been do so in the past years. Once an urgent was request sent by Jiangsu Cement Factory to Huang Min that running status of the rotary kiln was to be measured followed by a fault diagnosis. It was the hottest days in summer. Surface temperature of the kiln reached 500 degrees with temperature under the kiln reaching 60 or higher. With safety helmets and other protective equipment, Huang Min and his postgraduate students kept working there for 8 days, finally located the problem, and produced satisfactory solutions. However, he later suffered from days of high fever and sore throat due to the hard work.  

Now Huang Min is still working hard with his research projects. With focus being laid on frontier technologies and advanced high precision industries of Beijing, his research achievements have been promoted and commercialized with better social, economic profits. He has chaired over 20 projects of state level or provincial level and contributed to over 20 products in intelligent surveillance systems. His projects have been granted the second prize of National Prize for Progress in Science and Technology, the first prize of Beijing Municipal Prize for Progress in Science and Technology, the second prize of MOE Prize for Progress in Science and Technology, and the second prize of Science and Technology Award of Chinese Machinery Industry. In addition to 12 invention patents and 3 monographs, he has published over 100 journal articles with 30 being EI indexed. In 2009 he received the honor of Innovative Talent of Beijing in Academics.  

A progressive talent of the University  

His courage in shouldering hardships originates in his strong sense of responsibility. As the Dean of the School, Huang Min has been pondering over teaching reform and construction of academic disciplines. “We should be oriented to national development strategy and the demand of advanced high precision industries in Beijing to adjust our educational principles, highlight our features, and spare no efforts to cultivating high quality talents of applied learning in the field of intelligent manufacturing, new-energy cars, and robotic industry with strong practical competence, innovative competence, and global awareness.”  

The School then centered on industrial transformation and upgrading and the demand of strategic emerging industries. Efforts were invested in academic discipline construction, teaching reform, and building new academic programs. Mechanical Design, Manufacturing, and Automation, the program he chaired, has now been screened out as one of the first cohort of state-level first-rate programs and a municipal-level key first-rate program. Two other programs, i.e., Vehicle Engineering and Mechanical Electronic Engineering, were respectively screened out as a state-level potential first-rate program and a municipal-level potential first-rate program. Two new engineering programs were successfully approved, i.e., Robotics Engineering and Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering.  

Huang Min sticks to the principle of fostering virtue through education and implements the “student-centered, achievements-oriented, constantly-improved” doctrine in international engineering education. He proposed that a talent cultivation system and model should be established in line with talent cultivation objectives. Organic integration between information technology and intelligent manufacturing technology should be strengthened with highlights on our features in information technology. The teaching reform projects he chaired (over 20 projects) include innovation projects on undergraduate teaching reform, scientific planning of higher education in Beijing, and innovation projects in Beijing-based universities. He also proposed a concept of multi-dimensional grant engineering featured for “extensive resources, extended space and time, and improved quality” and built an innovative educational model of “self-learning, active practice, self-management” for students. Recent five years have witnessed students of the School winning over 100 awards of provincial or higher levels. Mechanical Engineering Field Teaching Center was screened out as a model field teaching center on state level and Innovation Base for Students in Mechanical Engineering as a model based on municipal level. He is also the winner of state level second prize for teaching achievements (the 4th author), municipal level first prize for teaching achievements (the first author), and municipal level second prize for teaching achievements (the 2nd author).  

A dedicated member in the team 

Huang Min has always been attaching great importance to team building. He believes that “one alone could possibly walk faster. However, a group of people with mutual help and support could definitely go further.” As the academic pacesetter for Mechanical Engineering (a first-tier academic discipline) and the superintendent for “Intelligent surveillance and informationization of electromechanical equipment” (an innovative team), he has creatively established several featured research pathways including intelligent surveillance for electromechanical equipment, numerical control equipment and intelligent manufacturing, robotic technology, etc. Technologies in electromechanical system measurement and control have come up to advanced international level. Over a hundred products have been developed and have been put in use in safety operation of and intelligent maintenance of electromechanical equipment. The faculty team of Mechanical Engineering was screened out as one of the first cohort of “Huang Danian-style faculty team” in Chinese universities, Mechanical Engineering (academic discipline) as an advanced high precision discipline in Beijing-based universities, the team of Mechanical Design, Manufacturing, and Automation as one of the first cohort of outstanding undergraduate education teams in Beijing-based universities, and Intelligent surveillance and informationization of electromechanical equipment (a team) as high level team of innovation among universities supervised by Beijing Municipality.  

Of course Huang Min has never neglected a bit cultivation of and providing support with young faculties. School of Electromechanical Engineering has established staff development plans and motivation systems to support young faculties. Mentor system was adopted where preeminent teachers and experienced teachers could help young ones. Exchanges and communication with other institutions home and abroad were offered to young faculties of the School to help them enhance their competences in teaching and research. In recent years, the School has seen rapid progresses of a number of young faculties, i.e., around 30 faculties of the School have been granted honors of municipal level or higher levels.