The Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) has officially announced the results of its 2025 Global Chapter Awards. The SFPE Hefei Student Chapter, based at the State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), has once again been honoured with the Gold Award for Chapter Excellence. This marks the third consecutive year that the Chapter has received this prestigious recognition from the leading global organisation in the field of fire protection engineering.

Gold Award for Chapter Excellence 2025 Medal Since its establishment in 2021, the SFPE Hefei Student Chapter has been committed to building an academic exchange platform for university students, aiming to connect undergraduates and postgraduates in fire safety science with world-leading engineers and scientists. Over the past years, the Chapter has invited numerous internationally renowned scholars to deliver lectures and provide academic guidance, including Professor Guillermo Rein from Imperial College London, Professor Kuang-Chung Tsai, Vice President of National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Professor Ruggiero Lovreglio from Massey University, Senior Lecturer Ricky Carvel from the University of Edinburgh, and Assistant Professor Chia-Lung Wu from Central Police University. The Chapter also hosted online lectures by Professor Luke Bisby, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh, to share cutting-edge insights in fire safety science. To date, the Chapter has organised 23 diverse academic activities, including public lectures, career development seminars for early-career researchers, and specialised academic forums, attracting over 8,500 participants online and offline. These efforts have significantly advanced international academic dialogue and helped students engage with the frontiers of fire safety research.

Selected Academic Events Organised by the SFPE Hefei Student Chapter 

In terms of external collaboration, the Chapter has actively expanded its global academic network. It maintains close interactions with the SFPE Taiwan Student Chapter through joint symposiums and, during the 2024 Asia-Oceania Symposium on Fire Science and Technology (AOSFST), held in-depth discussions on student chapter development, establishing a collaborative model for cross-strait research in fire safety. The Chapter has also engaged in technical exchanges with international institutions, including the Emergency Management & Evacuation (EME) team (part of the IAFSS Working Group on Large Outdoor Fires & the Built Environment (LOF&BE)), Foster + Partners Limited (UK), Ignis Global (UK), and the Instytut Techniki Budowlanej (Poland), with a focus on fire protection design for high-rise buildings. The Chapter has also excelled in international event organisation and support. It has actively contributed to several global initiatives, including the SFPE Asia-Oceania Fireside Talks, and played a leading role in international affairs for the “Future Scientists” Graduate Forum, hosted by the State Key Laboratory of Fire Science. The Chapter played a key role in inviting outstanding student participants from the UK, India, Australia, Singapore, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and Taiwan, both online and on-site, enriching the event with academic diversity.

International Students Invited by the Chapter to Present Oral and Poster Sessions at USTC

Members of the Chapter have been highly active on the international academic stage. Over the past three years, a total of 16 student representatives have participated in leading conferences, including the International Symposium on Fire Safety Science (IAFSS), the European Symposium on Fire Safety Science, AOSFST, the SFPE Annual Conference & Expo, and the International Seminar on Fire and Explosion Hazards. To further enhance global academic exchange, Chapter members have also attended international summer schools and fire safety programmes at the University of Maryland (USA), the University of Edinburgh (UK), and in Como, Italy (hosted by Politecnico di Milano), where they engaged in in-depth discussions with scholars and early-career researchers from around the world. These experiences have significantly broadened their perspectives and strengthened global cooperation and knowledge-sharing in the field of fire safety science.

Fire Science Summer School – University of Maryland, USA (left)

Fire Protection Engineering Summer School – Politecnico di Milano, Italy (right) 

The current executive committee of the SFPE Hefei Student Chapter comprises Haonan Chen, Yiyang Hu, and Liaoying Zhou, with the guidance of faculty advisor Prof Yu Wang. Winning the Gold Award for Chapter Excellence for the third consecutive year is a notable recognition of the Chapter’s efficient operation and a testament to the international competitiveness and academic excellence of USTC students. Looking ahead, the SFPE Hefei Student Chapter will continue to leverage its platform advantages to foster students’ global vision and strengthen their academic communication capabilities. Building on this achievement, the Chapter aims to showcase further the outstanding research outcomes and robust scientific strength of USTC’s graduate students in the field of fire science, and to contribute the wisdom and strength of Chinese youth to the global cause of fire safety.