College of Physical Science and Technology
The College of Physical Science and Technology was initially founded in 1903 as the Department of Physics of Wenhua University (the origin of Central China Normal University). In the early years, a group of scholars returned from abroad taught and conducted in scientific research at the college Dr. Zhiting Gui, graduated from Princeton University, was Dean of the College of Science and Chair of the Department of Physics during 1930-1939. Dr. Peng Bian, graduated from Brown University, was Dean of the College of Science of Huazhong University and Chair of Physics Department of Central China Normal University, respectively from year 1939 to 1958. They taught and worked hard for the college for over 30 years, laid down the solid foundation of physics subject of Central China Normal University. In 2002, the College of Physical Science and Technology was established after the readjustment of faculties and departments of CCNU. The college became eligible to offer the doctoral degree in the first-level discipline of physics in 2003. Then, in 2007, the college was awarded the National Key Discipline of Theoretical Physics. Since 2010, the College of Physical Science and Technology has been decorated as the university’s “special zoon” for fast development in both internationally collaborative scientific researches and education. In 2013, as a pilot project, the college was recognized as the first comprehensive reform college in Hubei province. Moreover, the college party committee was awarded as the ‘National Advanced Primary Party Organization’ in 2016.
At present, there are 1371 undergraduates, 436 academic masters, 30 professional masters and 95 PhDs are enrolled in the college. The college recruits students nationwide in the following undergraduate majors: physics (normal specialty), electronic information science and technology, communication engineering, electronic information engineering, and the class of National Physics Talent Training Base, experimental class with inter-discipline of physics and chemistry, and experimental class with inter-discipline of physics and mathematics (non-normal specialty).
The college has 115 faculty members, including 51 full professors and 42 associate professors. Most of the young and middle-aged teachers have experiences studying or/and working overseas. The college owns a group of specialists and discipline leaders, including two ‘Thousand Talents Program’ scholars, one Yangtze River Scholar Distinguished Professor of the Ministry of Education, three winners of the National Outstanding Youth Fund, four ‘Thousand Youth Talents Program’ scholars, nine members of the New Century Talent project by the Ministry of Education, four Chutian Scholar Distinguished professors, and one selected in the 100 Talent Program of Hubei Province.
The research fields of particle physics and high-energy nuclear physics, and the theoretical physics in the college have all entered into the international frontier. The college was the first institute in China to participate in the STAR Experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), the leading Chinese institute of the ALICE Experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), European Nuclear Research Center (CERN), the CBM Experiment at the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR), Germany, is also a full member of LHCb Experiment at CERN and BESIII Experiment in Beijing.
The college has 25 signed cooperation agreements with 19 universities or research institutes from 11 countries, including the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA. The college has also added internationally renowned scholars to its faculty team, as chaired professors, including Prof. Peter Braun-Munzinger, a member of the Academia Europaea, professor of physics at Heidelberg University, the chairmen of the ALICE Organizational Committee; Prof. Larry McLerran, Director of the Institute of Nuclear Theory, University Washington; and Prof. Miklos Gyulassy, professor of physics at Columbia University. Each year, the college host several international conferences or workshops for high-energy nuclear physics and related subjects, showcasing its prominent standing in the international community.
The college has always concentrated on improving students’ comprehensive abilities. In the past three years, students in the college have won more than 160 national awards and 250 provincial awards, including the first prize of the National ‘Challenge Cup’ contest for college students, the national first prize of the ‘National College Students Electronic Design Competition’, the national first prize of the ‘National Physics Teaching Skills Contest’ for college students, one Gold medal for the ‘Internet+’ in the provincial competition in 2017 and one Golden Prize for the China College Students’ Entrepreneurship Competition in 2018. Moreover, excellent results were obtained in many other major competitions such as National English Contest for College Students and the National College Student Mathematical Modeling Contest and more.
