Recently, the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) announced the results of its 2026 global chapter awards. The SFPE Hefei Student Chapter at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) received the Gold Award for Chapter Excellence for the fourth consecutive year. It was the only Gold Award recipient from mainland China this year and the first SFPE student chapter to receive the Gold Award in four consecutive years.
SFPE Hefei Student Chapter receives the 2026 Gold Award for Chapter Excellence
The SFPE Hefei Student Chapter has developed its academic activities in response to the needs of fire safety research and education since its establishment in 2021, with a particular focus on international academic exchange. Over the past few years, the chapter has invited researchers and experts from the international fire safety community to USTC for academic seminars and discussions. Among them, Prof Jose Torero, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, was invited to speak at the USTC’s “Forum of Great Minds”. Professor Christos Markides of Imperial College London, Editor-in-Chief of Applied Thermal Engineering, Professor Jan Belis of Ghent University, Editor-in-Chief of Glass Structures & Engineering, and Mustafa Hasanov, an editor at Springer Nature, have visited USTC to give lectures on recent developments in their fields, developments in the wider profession and experience in academic publishing. Professor Luke Bisby of the University of Edinburgh, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Fire Safety Journal, and Professor Guillermo Rein of Imperial College London, Editor-in-Chief of Fire Technology, have delivered sessions for USTC students. Professor Bisby contributed to the undergraduate course Fire Investigation and Failure Analysis (lectured by Prof Yu Wang), while Professor Rein taught on the postgraduate course Introduction of Fire Dynamics (lectured by Prof Yu Wang). All the seminars and lectures were delivered entirely in English. These activities have helped strengthen the international dimension of fire safety teaching at USTC.
International experts visit USTC and teach in the classroom
Drawing on these international academic connections, the chapter has organised more than 40 academic lectures, early-career seminars for young scholars, and academic workshops, attracting more than 30,000 participants both online and in person. More recently, the chapter has welcomed undergraduate students from Taiwan and postgraduate students from Imperial College London, supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences International Visiting Students Programme, to USTC for academic exchange and study. Chapter members have also received international awards and research grants. The SFPE Frederick W. Mowrer Global Scholar Award is awarded to one student worldwide each year, and a member of the Chapter has received this award. The SFPE Student Research Grant was awarded to only eight postgraduate students worldwide each year, and two members of the Chapter have received the award to date. Chapter members have also received the Best Image Award at the 2023 and 2026 International Symposium on Fire Safety Science and the Best Poster Presentation Award at the 2024 Asia-Oceania Symposium on Fire Science and Technology.
Selected academic activities and promotional materials organised by the Chapter
The current SFPE Hefei Student Chapter executive committee comprises Rui Zhou, Tengfei Ma, Han Gao, Yiqiang Huang and Yuanyuan Ying. Prof Yu Wang serves as the faculty adviser. The SFPE Hefei Student Chapter will continue to develop opportunities for international academic exchange and expand the range of activities available to its members. We will also provide opportunities for young researchers from China and overseas to exchange ideas and research experience, while supporting the international development of fire safety education and the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent at USTC.
