Li Bin, President of Northeast Forestry University
To complete the "double carbon" goal of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, the forestry profession has great potential, which is an opportunity for Northeast Forestry University to set sail for the second time
To promote the innovative development of higher agricultural and forestry education, it is necessary to explore the establishment of new paradigms, new standards, new technologies and new methods for the construction of new agricultural sciences
With the idea of ecological civilization becoming more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and the deep cross-integration of the forestry industry and strategic emerging industries, more and more students are actively participating in the forestry industry and becoming the successor force of forestry development
Wen | Yang Siqi, a reporter for the news weekly "Lookout."
Born with the forest, strong because of the forest.
Founded in 1952 by the merger of the Forestry Department of the College of Agriculture of Zhejiang University and the Department of Forestry of Northeast Agricultural College, Northeast Forestry University (hereinafter referred to as Northeast Forestry University) is a university directly under the Ministry of Education with the advantage of forestry science and forestry engineering as the feature, a national "211 Project" and a "double first-class" construction university, and two "pearls" of forestry education - the National Forest Park Maoershan Experimental Forest Farm and the National Nature Reserve Liangshui Experimental Forest Farm.
As one of the earliest forestry universities established in New China, Northeast Forestry University was built in the hinterland of the state-owned forest area in Northeast China, witnessing the development process of China's forestry industry from scratch and from weak to strong, contributing talents and scientific and technological support to the development of the forestry industry in the motherland, and forming a forestry development system with Chinese characteristics, including forestry knowledge system, talent training system, forest products industrial system, etc. Builder of Saihanba Forest Farm, Youth Team of Parrot Ridge Nature Reserve, Environmental Protection Martyr Xu Xiujuan... In the nearly 70 years since its establishment, Northeast LinDa has trained nearly 190,000 talents with "forest" character for the party and the country, who have played a theoretical leading, moral demonstration and technical support role in protecting the national ecological environment, developing resources and developing the economy, with strict management of learning and self-cultivation, sweating the earth and dyeing mountains and rivers with greenery. How to carry forward the past and open up the future, seize the opportunity in the new era, and continue to be brilliant, the reporter of the "Lookout" news weekly interviewed Li Bin, president of Northeast Forestry University.
Achieve leapfrog development with points and areas
"Lookout": What measures have been taken since the school launched the "double first-class" construction, and what is the effect?
Li Bin: In 2017, our forestry engineering and forestry were selected into the list of national "double first-class" construction disciplines, which is the biggest advantage of the school's development. At present, the school has completed 5 years of construction, and will soon introduce the second round of "double first-class" construction plan.
The first phase of "double first-class" construction measures mainly include five aspects.
The first is to build a high-level team of scientific research talents and form a talent incentive mechanism. In recent years, the pressure of attracting talents in northern colleges and universities has been great, and the school has played a series of talent policy combination punches such as "introduction, training, stability, and foundation", and through the Chengdong Talent Program, the construction of talent teams has made significant progress, and 26 new national talent project winners (times) have been added, and the quality of talent cultivation has been steadily improved.
The second is to carry out the reform of the personnel mechanism based on the goals and tasks, and break the distribution system of "doing more and doing less." Each college implements the tenure target responsibility system, the salary is linked to the task requirements, performance appraisal, academic achievements, and there is no "hat" can be an annual salary system, which greatly stimulates the enthusiasm and creativity of the majority of teachers.
The third is to integrate resources, adjust the discipline structure, break some layouts and models that restrict the development of schools, and make the scientific research layout more focused and clearer.
The fourth is to systematically promote the reform of the talent training mechanism, and the quality and prominence of talent training for undergraduate and graduate students have been significantly improved. The school ranked first in the 2015-2019 National Agricultural and Forestry Undergraduate Discipline Competition Ranking (TOP20) released by the China Higher Education Association. In terms of postgraduate training, the Outstanding Postgraduate Program was launched, focusing on connotation construction.
Fifth, promote international exchanges and cooperation. The number of international students in the school is in the forefront of agriculture and forestry universities, and it has carried out exchanges and cooperation with more than 100 universities and research units in more than 30 countries and regions. In cooperation with the University of Auckland in New Zealand, the Olin College was established to carry out joint talent training at the undergraduate and graduate levels; the Olin Joint Research Institute was established, and the Smart Forestry Research Center and the Forest Source Chemistry and Materials Research Center were established to carry out international cooperation in scientific research and joint doctoral training. The influence of international cooperation and exchanges in the school has increased significantly.
"Lookout": How to see the significance and impact of "double first-class" construction on universities?
Li Bin: The construction of "double first-class" aims to innovate the education system, build a first-class university with Chinese characteristics, and truly take root in The land of China to run a university.
This major project requires universities, whether it is scientific research and teaching, or talent training, to serve the Chinese strategy and establish an innovation system with Chinese characteristics. This kind of innovation is not to copy foreign models, but on the basis of learning from foreign advanced experience, build a Chinese higher education innovation system that meets China's national conditions, including the ideological and political education system and the evaluation mechanism system, so as to highlight the international influence and highlight the status of disciplines and schools in the world.
Northeast Forestry University has two world-class construction disciplines of forestry engineering and forestry, and we are supporting the breakthrough at this point to achieve a point-by-point approach - to cultivate a world-class discipline group with Chinese characteristics, and at the same time to promote the leapfrog development of Northeast Forestry University by improving the overall layout and promoting mechanism reform.
We hope that under the guidance of the goal of building a strong country in higher education by 2035, we will enhance the ability of scientific research, discipline construction, talent training and other major national strategic needs, promote forestry higher education to become a green education provider, a green technology promoter, and a green culture leader, and help build a beautiful China with blue sky, green land, green water and clear water.
Campus of Northeast Forestry University Courtesy of Northeast Forestry University
Cultivate new talents who know and love farmers
"Lookout": How to understand the motto of Northeast Forestry University of "Learning to See Heaven and Earth, Virtue and Nature"?
Li Bin: These two sentences are taken from "Zhongyong" and "Lao Tzu".
The ancient meaning of "learning to see heaven and earth" is that "those who govern the university can understand the laws between heaven and earth and the endless process of understanding the biochemistry of heaven and earth", and the literal meaning of "virtue and nature" means that morality should conform to the laws of nature, and can be interpreted as the study of governance to strive to learn the knowledge and knowledge between heaven and earth, explore the mysteries of the world, and reveal the scientific laws of things; constantly forge ahead, act in accordance with the laws of nature, establish a scientific moral concept, and strive to achieve harmonious coexistence between man and nature, man and society, and man and man.
Forestry is a difficult industry, forestry people must have a strong character, loyal attitude, pragmatic style, cooperation. This is the enlightenment of forestry, and it is also the enlightenment of nature to education. At this stage, the spirit of the school motto is more integrated into the idea of "green water and green mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains", leading Northeast Forest University to contribute more to the realization of harmonious coexistence between man and nature, man and society, and people and people.
"Lookout": How to see the current challenges and opportunities for the cultivation of agricultural and forestry talents?
Li Bin: Over the past 40 -odd years of reform and opening up, China's agriculture has undergone profound changes in its industrial structure, production methods, and organizational methods. Modern agriculture supported by high technology, such as 5G informatization, intelligent agriculture and forestry, and green and healthy, has a strong demand for compound talents and an urgent need for reform of higher agricultural education.
At present, the cultivation of agricultural and forestry talents and industrial development are not yet suitable. On the one hand, the knowledge and technology system does not match the requirements of the modern agriculture and forestry industry, and the integration of teachers and modern industrial development is not enough, resulting in a disconnect between what students have learned and the actual industry; on the other hand, the more detailed the major, the narrower and narrower the export, which is not conducive to students laying a solid foundation and tapping potential, and is not conducive to students' future career development, which objectively leads to some students not loving to choose forestry.
With the concept of ecological civilization becoming more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and the deep cross-integration of the forestry industry and strategic emerging industries, more and more students have actively participated in the forestry industry and become the successor force of forestry development. Xu Zhuo, the niece of environmental protection martyr Xu Xiujuan, transferred from Northeast Agricultural University to the College of Wildlife and Nature Reserves of Northeast Forestry University, and returned to a three-generation struggle in Zhalong National Nature Reserve after graduation to engage in wildlife protection. Such young people are what we need, and I believe there will be more and more in the future.
"Lookout": How to cultivate more new talents who know and love farmers?
Li Bin: The construction of new agricultural science is our main starting point. In the next step, the school should explore the establishment of a new paradigm, new standard, new technology and new method for the construction of new agricultural sciences, and promote the innovative development of higher agricultural and forestry education.
The first is to play a good game of chess for the construction of new agricultural sciences. On the one hand, actively explore new paths for talent training, establish the educational concept of cultivating new talents who know and love farmers; set up a talent experimental class to continue to promote the training of top-notch innovative talents in the integration of this research; optimize and adjust the professional system of disciplines, build minor majors and micro majors, implement the integration of general specialties, the intersection of arts and sciences, and promote the cultivation of cross-composite talents; take "big data + wisdom forestry" and "new materials + biotechnology" as cross-cutting breakthroughs, break through the boundaries of inherent disciplines, break down the original professional barriers, and promote new engineering. The construction of first-class forest-related professional clusters integrated with new agricultural sciences.
On the other hand, we will deepen the reform of the education model, clarify the talent training positioning based on cultivating research-oriented talents, and strengthen ailin education. The school took the lead in proposing the postgraduate forest support plan, and cooperated with the Organization Department of the Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee, the Daxinganling Forestry Group Company, the Heilongjiang Provincial Forestry Industry General Bureau, the Heilongjiang Provincial Forestry and Grassland Bureau, etc., to set up a special project for the promotion and exemption of the forest support plan, according to the needs of the employer, the school selects outstanding students as graduate students in the fresh undergraduate graduates as graduate students of the forest support plan every year, and the forest support period expires, and can study for a master's degree in the school after passing the assessment.
The second is to consolidate the cornerstone of the construction of new agricultural sciences. Promote the combination of science and education, transform high-quality scientific research resources into advantages in educating people; promote the implementation of classroom teaching reforms, build forest-related brand "golden lessons", strengthen the construction of high-level teaching materials for advantageous and characteristic majors; build a national-level agricultural and forestry teacher teaching development center, and comprehensively improve the professional level and teaching ability of teachers.
The third is to activate the power source of new agricultural science construction. Give play to the functions of ideological and political education in ideological and political courses and curricula, create a plan for cultivating people with ideological and political souls; strengthen education in school history and school conditions and education in physical beauty and labor; give play to the role of teachers in comprehensive evaluation and implementation measures for the quality of classroom teaching, and form a general pattern of "three all-round education".
The fourth is to create a new ecology for the construction of new agricultural sciences. Deepen the integration of industry and education, strengthen the construction of school-site and school-enterprise internship training bases; comprehensively promote ecological civilization education, and build an ecological civilization practice education base; and form an innovation and entrepreneurship education ecosystem integrating curriculum, practice, competition, and incubation.
Seize the opportunity period of the "14th Five-Year Plan"
"Lookout": Standing at a new starting point at the beginning of the "14th Five-Year Plan", how do you lay out the development priorities in the next five years?
Li Bin: We will focus on carbon peaking, carbon neutrality, green development and rural revitalization, etc., and work the direction of forward-looking scientific research and the layout of solving major key problems, improve the original innovation, independent innovation and collaborative innovation capabilities, and help innovation-driven development.
Specifically, in the construction of new agricultural sciences, facing the national strategic needs, we will take the initiative to lay out strategic emerging directions such as "forestry + big data" and "artificial intelligence"; in the reform of the talent training model, in the reform of the talent training model, facing the transformation and development needs of the forestry industry, optimize the talent training mode of the forestry and forestry engineering experimental classes, build a new biological science top-notch talent class, comprehensively enhance the ability to cultivate top-notch innovative talents, strengthen the cultivation of people in the forest, and create a highland for talent training in the forestry industry; in the service of rural revitalization, from environmental governance, Around the comprehensive management of grass and sand in landscapes, forests, lakes, lakes, and grasslands, urban and rural environmental improvement and beautiful and livable, we will establish a new model of multi-system collaboration and service revitalization.
"Lookout": What are the school's plans to serve the national "double carbon" goal?
Li Bin: To complete the "double carbon" goal of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, the forestry profession has great potential, which is an opportunity for the "second departure" of Northeast Forestry University.
With the core goal of helping to achieve carbon neutrality, the school will make overall plans for the "carbon neutrality" scientific and technological innovation system and innovative talent training system of forest and grass ecosystems, gather the expert team of carbon sink research in ecosystems at home and abroad, and concentrate on the research on the strategic layout of "carbon neutrality" scientific and technological innovation in forests and grasslands.
The school is laying out the establishment of the "Carbon Neutral" Technological Innovation Research Institute, setting up 6 research centers, designing a work plan for accurately improving the carbon sink capacity of forest and grass ecosystems, laying out a number of research projects involving carbon neutrality, studying the path of carbon neutrality in the field of forestry and grassland, and researching the carbon sink industry, ecosystem and safety, forest precision management, under-forest industry, germplasm resources, nature reserves, wildlife protection and utilization, big data and forestry intelligent equipment. At the same time, we will explore new models of carbon-neutral and international scientific and technological cooperation in Northeast Asia and actively respond to the needs of national carbon-neutral science and technology.
Lookout: What are your visions for the long-term development of the school?
Li Bin: In the future, Northeast Forestry University will not abandon the "forest" and abandon the "forest", but will base itself on the "forest", strengthen the "forest", serve the "forest", cultivate the "forest", and make the "forest" full of stronger vitality.
The first is to expand the concept of "forest", devote ourselves to the governance of the grass and sand system of landscapes, forests, fields and lakes, and promote the high-level development of multiple disciplines. The second is to let non-"forest" professionals insert green wings, practice ecological civilization, and promote local and industry development. The third is to persist in taking the cultivation of virtue as the foundation, cultivate outstanding talents for the coordinated development of morality, knowledge, ability, and quality for the country, and cultivate socialist builders and successors who will shoulder the great responsibility of national rejuvenation. ■