At 15:00 on the afternoon of August 29, 2025, the opening ceremony for ICARE Class 2025 was held in Classroom S311 of the Clean Energy Building. Prof. Luo Xiaobing, Chinese Dean of ICARE, Mr. Sun Lu, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Energy and Power Engineering, Dr. Zou Mingqing, Vice Dean of ICARE, as well as ICARE faculty members, attended the ceremony. All class 2025 postgraduate students, senior student representatives, and faculty members joined to embark on a new chapter of academic pursuit and personal growth. With the theme of “Aspire High, Ground Oneself in Reality, and Strive for Excellence”, the ceremony conveyed ICARE’s educational philosophy and looked forward to the future of energy development through sessions including speeches, sharing, and summaries.
First, Prof. Luo Xiaobing delivered a speech, emphasizing that postgraduates should “cherish learning opportunities and firm up their direction for the future”, and integrate their personal growth into the national energy strategic needs. He encouraged the class 2025 to delve deeply into their professional fields with a mindset of “diligence, striving, and down-to-earth practicality”, so as to consolidate their foundations and make steady progress in the era of energy transition.
Professor Michel Farine, European Dean of ICARE, delivered a speech via video. He pointed out that the Sino-European cooperative education aims to cultivate energy talents with both professional competence and international perspective, and encouraged the students to drive the global energy transition with the power of innovation.
Ms. Zhao Yiting, the student counselor, presented a unique “Freshman Profile”. By collecting freshmen’s data through questionnaires before the start of the semester, she carefully created slidesto analyze the class 2025 students’ academic background information, personality traits, development goals, and future plans. She not only showcased the overall characteristics of the freshmen group but also sincerely shared practical tips for campus life and academic research, guiding the freshmen to “avoid detours and start efficiently” -a reflection of ICARE’s personalized care for each student.
Mr.Si Yuan, the class 2025 student representative, shared his journey of vision upgrade: from “working with gears and motors” during his undergraduate studies in vehicle engineering to aspiring to “drive a green future”. He recalled the unforgettable experience of a “20-minute ideological exchange” with professors during the postgraduate enrollment interview. He also proposed a four-dimensional growth philosophy of “taking academics as the foundation, research as the mission, service as the training, and physical education as the guarantee”, and called on his peers to seek a balance between academic excellence and humanistic warmth.
Ms. Peng Jiaqi, the senior student representative, explained the training characteristics of the ICARE based on her own experience. She admitted that the all-English courses and frequent assessments in the first year of postgraduate studies “felt like going back to the senior year of high school”, but it was precisely this tempering that allowed students to “undergo a quiet transformation in their vision, abilities, and mindset”. She specifically reminded the freshmen to avoid the misunderstanding of neglecting course learning in a hurry to engage in scientific research, and encouraged everyone to “stay true to their original aspirations and trust the institute”. She firmly believed that the days and nights spent rushing between classes and exams would eventually shape a better version of themselves.
Dr. Zou Mingqing concluded the ceremony. He highly recognized the sincere sharing of the faculty and student representatives, emphasizing that ICARE and students form a community of growth and development. He encouraged the students to make life plans early: they should not only aim high at the forefront of science and technology but also take root in practice to undertake the important tasks of the times. He advised the freshmen to strive to take root and accumulate strength on the fertile ground of ICARE, and constantly transform pressures and challenges into a ladder for progress and growth.
Towards the end of the ceremony, all faculty members and students moved to the first floor of the Clean Energy Building for a group photo. The camera captured the confident smiles of class 2025, marking the official start of a new journey filled with wisdom, hard work, and green dreams. The future is here—amid the tide of the global energy revolution, they are ready to write their own chapters of excellence.
