The recipient list of the "19th Higher Education Institution Youth Science Award and Education and Teaching Award of Fok Ying Tung Education Foundation (FYTEF)" was recently announced. Professor Yao Jiantao from YSU School of Mechanical Engineering was awarded the second prize of the FYTEF Higher Education Institution Education and Teaching Award as the only recipient from Hebei Province, marking another significant breakthrough in the university's achievements in this award.
Award Certificate
Professor Yao Jiantao, doctoral supervisor at YSU School of Mechanical Engineering, has been recognized with multiple provincial honors including Hebei Top-notch Talent, Hebei Teaching Master, Hebei Model Educator, and 100 Outstanding Innovative Talent in Hebei Higher Education Institutions. Since the beginning of his teaching career, Professor Yao has long been engaged in teaching as a frontline worker and has dedicated himself to advanced engineering education and teaching research and reform. His courses "Mechatronic System Design" and "Modern Robotics Technology" for undergraduate and graduate students were selected to be the first batch of national first-class offline courses. He has also compiled two textbooks: Mobile Robot Systems: From Theory to Practice and Design and Case Studies of Robot Automation Integration Systems.
Professor Yao has delved into educational and talent cultivation principles in the new era, focusing on mechanical discipline development, talent cultivation model reform, first-class course pedagogy, and innovation-entrepreneurship education. He has pioneered a "real-scenario project-based" teaching reform and introduced a novel “miniature large-scale engineering” project teaching model. He has led and completed 2 national new engineering education and teaching reform projects, 1 national experimental teaching and laboratory construction research project, 1 new engineering key project under the China Association of Higher Education, and 3 provincial teaching reform projects in Hebei Province. His contributions have been recognized with 1 Second Prize in the National Teaching Achievement Awards and 1 First Prize in Hebei Provincial Teaching Achievement Awards. He has also published over 10 papers on teaching reform.
As a mentor, he prioritizes fostering students' innovation and entrepreneurship capabilities through a "learning-by-doing" environment. He guides students to solve problems with a research-oriented mindset and to develop scientific reasoning habits, igniting students' innovative passion, and enhancing their practical skills. Under his supervision, student teams have earned the prestigious title of "Xiaoping Science and Technology Innovation Team" awarded by the Central Committee of the Communist Young League. Students under his supervision have also achieved 30 national-level competition awards, 22 provincial-level competition awards, and 4 Hebei Province outstanding doctoral and master's thesis awards.
Professor Yao is also committed to advancing scientific research to serve national strategic needs, focusing on the research of mechanism theory and robotics technology, and has carried out a series of research and development work on innovative robotic mechanisms and major engineering equipment. His research achievements have significantly propelled the rapid development of heavy-duty mechanism theory and robotic technologies. Key achievements include the development of the sub-reflector positioning and adjustment system for large radio telescopes, wide-angle radar systems for fighter jets, and robotic systems for satellite assembly. These technological breakthroughs have provided strong support for a number of major national strategic projects such as the FAST telescope.
Established in 1986 with the aim of "supporting young talents and rewarding outstanding scholars", the Fok Ying Tung Education Foundation provides funding and awards to university teachers who have achieved excellent results in scientific research, education and teaching. Its award programs have attracted widespread attention within China's higher education sector, garnered high regard among university teachers, and made significant contributions to their professional growth and development. In 2022, the Foundation introduced a new category of awards for higher education institutions - the "Education and Teaching Award". This award honors teachers who have long been engaged in frontline undergraduate teaching, adhered to the fundamental mission of moral education, and made significant innovations in educational philosophy and teaching methods. Recipients should have demonstrated outstanding teaching achievements, high educational quality, and substantial contributions to student development, and should be under 55 years old. After a rigorous selection process, 165 teachers from 124 universities were honored at the 19th Higher Education Institution Youth Science Award and Education and Teaching Award. Among them, 10 received First Prize and 155 were awarded Second prize.
