About Us
A Brief Introduction to the School of Nuclear and Science
The History of the School
In 1955, Professor Zhu Guangya was assigned to prepare for the establishment of nuclear physics and radiochemistry at Peking University and Lanzhou University. After three years of intense preparations, the Department of Modern Physics welcomed the first batch of students in 1958. At that time, the aforementioned majors was managed by the Second Ministry of Machinery Industry (later changed to the Ministry of Nuclear Industry, now the China Nuclear Industry Corporation), with the codename of '505' Institute. It was administrated under Lanzhou University and tentatively named 'Physics Research Office of Lanzhou University'. After the appointment of President Jiang Longji in 1959, the department was officially named as 'Department of Modern Physics of Lanzhou University'. In the early and middle of the 1960s, outstanding graduates from various schools and some returnees from the former Soviet Union joined the department. Especially, the students and teachers majoring in nuclear physics and radiochemistry at Nankai University were relocated as a whole and incorporated into the department. These measures have greatly enhanced the teaching and research capabilities of the disciplines.
In June 1998, the radiochemistry major of the Department of Modern Physics was incorporated into the newly formed College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. In April 1999, the School of Physical Science and Technology was established. Thus, the former Department of Modern Physics of Lanzhou University withdrew the administrative system. Then it was renamed as 'Department of Modern Physics in School of Physical Science and Technology of Lanzhou University', and the nuclear physics major remained in the new department. In February 2006, according to the national demand and the development trend of nuclear science and technology, Lanzhou University officially established the School of Nuclear Science and Technology in order to take advantage of the national key disciplines of Particle and Nuclear Physics and the special discipline of Radiochemistry.
The Status of the School
The school has two authorization points for doctoral degree: Particle and Nuclear Physics, and Radiochemistry. There are four master's degree authorization points: Particle and Nuclear Physics, Radiochemistry, Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Nuclear Technology and Applications, as well as a master's degree authorization point in Nuclear Energy and Nuclear Technology Engineering. The school is one of the earliest places that grant master’s and doctoral degrees in China, is one of the first places to establish post-doctoral research stations. For the undergraduate education, there are five full-time undergraduate majors in Nuclear Physics, Radiochemistry, Nuclear Technology and Applications (characteristic major of the Ministry of Education), Radiation Protection and Environmental Engineering (characteristic major of the Ministry of Education), Nuclear Chemical and Nuclear Fuel Engineering. Recently, the school has a national key disciplines of Particle and Nuclear Physics, a first-level of provincial key disciplines of Nuclear Science and Technology, a special disciplines of Radiochemistry under the National Natural Science Foundation of China, a talent training base for Nuclear Science and Technology (provincial and ministerial level), the Engineering Research Center for Neutron Application and Technology of the Ministry of Education, a sub-center of the Nuclear Science and Technology Online Collaborative Research Center of the Ministry of Education, and an experimental teaching demonstration center of Gansu province. The school also has a self-manufactured and domestically developed high-current neutron generator.
The school has built four new laboratories: the electrical and electronics laboratories, the nuclear technology laboratories, the radiation protection laboratories, and the nuclear data acquisition laboratories. The early established tandem accelerator laboratory was repaired and modified, the construction of the neutron experimental building was completed, and the ZF-300 neutron generator has undergone a comprehensive technical transformation. All these efforts have greatly improved the conditions for academic research and scientific experiments.
There are 104 faculty members in the school, including 73 full-time teaching and research personnel. In the past five years, one person has won the honorary title of National Excellent Teacher, three the Leading Talent in Gansu Province, two the New Century Excellent Talents in the Ministry of Education, one the Excellent Teacher Award of the Baosteel Education Fund, four the Young Teacher Award in Gansu Colleges and Universities, one the Teachers Moral Pacesetter in Gansu Province, two the Teachers Moral Pacesetter in Lanzhou University, one the Gardener Award in Gansu Province, and two the Distinguished Teacher Award in Gansu Colleges and Universities. The school now has 687 undergraduates, 154 master students, and 116 doctoral students.
The school has engaged 14 Cuiying Honors Professors and Cuiying Honors Adjunct professors of Lanzhou University, including Prof. Chai Zhifang who is the academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. These specialists have made important contributions to the overall development of the academic level of the school.
With the brilliant achievements of China's nuclear industry and the 'two bombs and one boat' projects, the school has gone through half a century, made outstanding contributions to China's nuclear science and technology, and cultivated a large number of talents and graduates. Among them, there are two academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, one academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 7 persons with the Distinguished Young Scholars Fund of NSF of China, and 13 persons within the One Hundred Person Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Now they are working in all over China and the world, as a member of universities, institutes, factory or companies, and are making their own contributions to the progress and development of nuclear science and technology. (Updated in September 2020)
