Expert: New materials key to country's progress

A ceremony awarding prizes to students for their outstanding posters about materials was held in Mianyang, Sichuan province, on Thursday evening.

Cash prizes ranging from 2,000 yuan ($299) to 5,000 yuan went to students from institutions of higher learning from across the country who took part in the 4th Forum of Materials Genome Engineering, a three-day event which started on Thursday.

Hosted by the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the China Academy of Engineering Physics and the Chinese Materials Research Society, the forum — which drew 32 Chinese and overseas academicians to Mianyang, a science and technology city approved by the central government in 2000.

The forum aims to promote the continuous development and improvement of materials genome engineering concepts and promote the development and application of key technologies by gathering the wisdom of top experts. It focuses on major frontier topics in research technology and key equipment, as well as promotes the sharing and exchanges of the latest research results, organizers said.

The forum has five symposiums, with 139 experts and scholars sharing their latest research results.