The finals of the 11th Chinese Undergraduate Physics Experiment Competition (Innovation) (CUPEC) concluded successfully at Central South University from November 21 to 23. Attracting 3,260 teams from 722 universities nationwide, the competition featured fierce rivalry. Harbin Engineering University (HEU) dispatched 6 teams, which ultimately clinched 2 National First Prizes and 4 National Second Prizes. The university also won the "Excellent Organization Award," marking its best-ever performance in both the quantity and quality of awards.
As one of the most challenging and influential physics competitions in China, CUPEC aims to further stimulate college students' interest and potential in physics experiments, while fostering their innovation, practical abilities, and teamwork awareness. HEU’s entries ingeniously integrated advanced additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence (AI), and cutting-edge physics research topics, fully demonstrating the great potential of interdisciplinary innovation and earning high praise from the judging panel. The two teams advancing to the finals stood out among numerous entries with their solid physics foundation, outstanding innovation capabilities, and rigorous scientific attitude during the project roadshows, PPT presentations, and Q&A sessions with judges.
In the themed track of "Weak Pressure Measurement," HEU participants focused on medical diagnosis applications. Based on Hooke's Law, they proposed an innovative weak pressure measurement scheme that constructs a microspring-structured Fabry-Perot interferometer on the fiber end face by integrating optical interference microdisplacement measurement and two-photon polymerization femtosecond laser 3D printing technology. Through collaborative efforts, the team solved multiple key technical challenges in sensor probe design, fabrication, and testing. Their profound professional competence and innovation were fully demonstrated at the national finals, winning them a National First Prize and special coverage by Hunan Education Channel.
In the "AI + Physics Experiment" themed track, HEU students targeted the pain points in the teaching of Michelson interferometer physics experiments. They digitally upgraded the Michelson interferometer using AI technology, constructing an intelligent agent based on machine vision. This innovation enabled functions such as intelligent diagnosis of experimental operations and automated report grading, facilitating precise guidance by teachers and providing personalized learning paths for students. Highly recognized by judges for its strong innovation and teaching practicality, the entry advanced to the national finals with high scores in the preliminary round and ultimately achieved a National First Prize.
The excellent results in this competition fully validate the effectiveness of the college’s engineering physics education philosophy of "Investigating Things to Attain Knowledge • Resonance of Red Spirit and Blue Technology." The college will continue to deepen the reform of experimental teaching, adhere to the principle of "promoting construction, teaching, and learning through competitions," and continuously stimulate students' innovative potential under the guidance of the red spirit and in the exploration of blue technology. This will lay a solid foundation for cultivating top-notch innovative engineering talents in the new era at HEU.
Note: Link to the announcement of winning projects of the 11th Chinese Undergraduate Physics Experiment Competition (Innovation)
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/jepYh6YcnXHXBjJQcAG9pA
