Located in the ancient city of Xi’an, Northwestern Polytechnical University(NWPU) has developed into a research-orientated, multi-disciplinary and open University with science and engineering as main focus and management, humanities, economic and law developing in a coordinated way. It is featured in the education development of aeronautics, astronautics, and marine technology as well as scientific research. NWPU is classed as a key university in China’s 985 and 211 Projects, and is affiliated to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

School of Marine Science and Technology(SMST) is focused on the scientific research and talents cultivation in marine information processing, underwater vehicle, marine engineering fields. It was originally founded in May 1956 as the Third Mechanic Department of State Northwest Polytechnic Institute and the School of Marine Engineering was founded in April 1989 and changed its name into A in July 2003.

Faculty and awards

SMST has over 179 faculty members including 4 academicians, 1 outstanding teacher at national level, 1 national excellent teacher, 1 Cheung Kung scholar, 5 star teachers of Shaanxi province, 2 members of the Discipline Review Group of the State Department, 6 experts of national-level, 6 experts enjoying special government allowances of the State Department, 2 national candidates of New Century Tens of Millions of Talents Program, 3 in National Defense Scientific Industry Council 511(leader of academic and technological research) and , 10 from New Century Excellent Talent Program. It has 1 Cheung Kung Scholar innovation team, 2 national defense innovation teams, 1 national-level teaching group, 3 excellent provincial-level teaching groups. More than 40 lectures have been awarded with national-level and provincial and ministerial-level honors including National Excellent Teacher, National Advanced Individual for Teachers’ Morality, China’s Science Award for Young, China’s Young Women Scientists Award, etc.

Disciplines and majors

SMST has established five departments including Department of Mechanical undefinedamp; Power Engineering, Department of Electronic undefinedamp; Communications, Department of Acoustics undefinedamp; Information Engineering, Department of Environmental undefinedamp; Automatic Control. SMST has State Key Laboratory on Underwater Information undefinedamp; Control, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Marine Acoustic Information Perception, Professional State Laboratory on Acoustic Engineering and Detection Technology, Laboratory Teaching Model Center licensed jointly by Shaanxi province and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Research Center of Intelligent Acoustic and Immersive Voice Communications Technology (talent special zone). Its undergraduate programs include Energy and Power Engineering, Mechanical Design and Manufacture and Automation, Detecting Guidance and Control Technology, Automation, Electronic Information Engineering, Information Engineering, Underwater Acoustics Engineering and Environmental Engineering, etc. (in 2016, these majors were changed into 4 undergraduate majors including Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Detecting Guidance and Control Technology, Information Engineering and Underwater Acoustics Engineering), 3 First-rate Discipline Authorized to Offer Ph.D. Degree including Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering and Information and Communications Engineering and Acoustic Second-rate Discipline Authorized to Offer Ph.D. Degree, among which the second-rate disciplines such as Utilization Engineering and Underwater Acoustics Engineering are key state disciplines. 3 post-doctoral centers including Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering and Information and Communications Engineering have been set up.

Research Platforms

SMST builds large integrated towing tank (There are two parts. One is a towing tank of 170x6x7m and another is a large integrated tank. ), large laboratories such as high-speed water tunnel, large anechoic tank(20x7x8m), underwater physical field simulation, underwater power propulsion, noise and vibration control, navigation and control simulation.

Teaching accomplishments

1 first prize of National Excellent Teaching Results, 1 Shaanxi province Talents Training Model Unit on Underwater Equipment, 3 National Great Courses, 5 Shaanxi Great Courses, 48 published monographs and textbooks and 10 among them won National and Ministerial-level Excellent Teaching Materials Award.

Talents cultivation

6 papers were awarded National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation, 2 winners of National Advanced Model Class, 1 winner of National Advanced Class; some graduates became Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, national star teachers, the Yangtze River Scholars, talents of Thousand Talents Program, and some others won honors of Top Ten National Outstanding Youth and National Model Worker.

Research awards

SMST has won 1 first prize of National Scientific and Technological Progress Award, 5 second prize, 2 third prize, 2 third prize of National Invention Award and over 120 Provincial and Ministerial-level Scientific and Technological Award.

International cooperation

SMST has launched science and technology cooperation as well as talents co-training programs with prestigious universities and research institutions in America, Britain, Australia, and Russia. It has co-founded Institute of Marine Science and Information Technology with Russia State Marine Technical University. Overseas Expertise Introduction Center for the Study of Ocean Information Sensing (111 Center), with the support from National Key Laboratory of Underwater and Information Control, Key Laboratory of Ocean Acoustics and Sensing, Key Laboratory of Unmanned Underwater Vehicle, and Cooperative Innovation Center of Underwater Autonomous Operation Platform by Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, is determined to make remarkable contributions to China’s marine technology strength. Through stepping up the basic theoretical research on marine equipment design, the 111 Center aims to figure out main questions in regard to the information sensing in deep blue.