On December 28, the School of Transportation Engineering held a symposium on discipline development. Professor Li Shutao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and President of the university, along with Professor Tao Jidong, Deputy Party Secretary and Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of the university, attended the opening ceremony. Members of the school’s leadership team and all faculty and staff participated in the symposium. The opening session was chaired by Professor Wang Jianjun, Deputy Dean of the school.

Distinguished experts and scholars invited to provide guidance included:

• Professor Gao Ziyou, Chair of the Management Science and Engineering Society and Beijing Jiaotong University;

• Professor Huang Haijun, former Vice President of Beihang University;

• Professor Liu Zhengjiang, former Vice President of Dalian Maritime University;

• Professor Ma Shoufeng, former Party Secretary of the College of Management and Economics at Tianjin University;

• Professor Li Wenli from the School of Economics and Management at Dalian University of Technology;

• Professor Huang Helai, Dean of the School of Traffic and Transportation Engineering at Central South University;

• Professor Du Yuchuan, Deputy Dean of the Research Institute for Science and Technology at Tongji University;

• Professor Long Jiancheng, Dean of the School of Automotive and Transportation Engineering at Hefei University of Technology.

In his remarks, Professor Tao Jidong reviewed the historical development of the university’s transportation engineering discipline and the progress made since the establishment of the School of Transportation Engineering. He emphasized that the university is currently at a critical juncture—formulating its “15th Five-Year Plan” (2026–2030) and preparing for a strategic breakthrough. This symposium, he noted, serves as a comprehensive diagnosis and feedback session for discipline development. He expressed the urgent need for expert insights to help the university chart a clear path forward in key areas such as cultivating and attracting high-level talent, securing major national research projects, innovating research organizational models, and delivering organized support for national strategic priorities. He called on the experts to offer candid, strategic, forward-looking, and actionable suggestions to address real challenges and critical issues in the discipline’s development.

Dean Professor Ge Ying’en delivered a systematic report covering the school’s profile, its efforts to build a new development paradigm for the discipline, explorations toward high-quality growth, achievements to date, analysis of existing challenges, and future plans. Directors of the school’s research institutes also presented detailed updates on their respective institutes’ current status and progress, focusing on disciplinary directions, research priorities, and distinctive strengths.

Drawing on cutting-edge disciplinary trends and industry needs, the attending experts offered incisive analyses and candid recommendations. They acknowledged the notable progress achieved by the school since its founding in spring 2020 and shared valuable experiences from their own institutions’ discipline-building practices. Regarding the next phase—particularly during the upcoming “15th Five-Year Plan” period—the experts provided a series of insightful suggestions. Their input has further clarified the school’s strategic direction, fostered consensus on deepening substantive development, and injected renewed momentum into enhancing the quality and impact of its discipline construction.