On the morning of September 1, 2025, the Graduate School of China Academy of Engineering Physics (GSCAEP) held the opening ceremony for the 2025 cohort at its Beijing Software Park campus.

Ming Huang, Member of the Standing Committee of the CAEP Party Committee and Vice President of CAEP; Academician Changpu Sun; Academician Minxing Luo; Tiebo Pang, Deputy Director of the Beijing Office; Yi Zhang, Deputy Director of the Human Resources Department; Xiaowen Xu, Secretary of the Party Committee of Institute No. 9; and Xuesong Feng, Deputy Director of the Computing Center, attended the ceremony along with faculty representatives from various graduate training units. More than 400 new graduate students of the Class of 2025 embarked on their new journey. The ceremony was hosted by Jialiang Ni, Secretary of the Party Committee of GSCAEP.

In his speech, Vice President Ming Huang extended a warm welcome to all new students on behalf of CAEP. He noted that 2025 marks both the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and the 70th anniversary of China’s nuclear industry. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, China’s nuclear weapons science and technology enterprise has progressed from scratch, growing from weak to strong through generations of defense scientists who upheld self-reliance and hard work. Looking ahead to the new journey, the 10th CAEP Party Congress has entrusted graduate education with an important mission of the times. Huang expressed his high expectations for the students: to stay true to their original aspirations and become inheritors of the “Two Bombs Spirit”; to remain grounded and develop solid professional competence; and to uphold integrity and innovation while striving to reach new heights in science and technology.

Afterward, Libin Fu, Deputy Dean of GSCAEP (acting in charge of administrative work), introduced the development of CAEP’s graduate education and the basic situation of GSCAEP. He encouraged all students to keep in mind CAEP’s core values — “Forge the cornerstone of national defense; stand as the backbone of the nation” — and to let their youth shine through dedication to the motherland and the people.

As the faculty representative, Researcher Qingpei Xiang from Institute No. 2 shared his own journey from a scientific “novice” to a mature researcher, offering three pieces of advice to students embarking on their research careers:

• Let ideals set your course — integrate the aspiration of “serving the nation and the people” with your research direction to stay firmly on track;

• Let hard work be your oar — cultivate the ability to execute rigorously and the spirit to strive fearlessly; push yourself to go further and provide momentum for your new journey;

• Walk with your mentors — build a “research community” with your supervisors, becoming reliable partners who support and benefit each other.

Qingkang Liu, a 2019 direct-PhD student majoring in Plasma Physics, spoke as the representative of senior students. Drawing on his research experience, he emphasized the importance of daily accumulation and continuous improvement in scientific capability. He encouraged new students to take root in GSCAEP’s fertile research environment, pursue excellence, and ultimately deliver results worthy of themselves and the nation.

Kailu Chen, a new master’s student in Materials Science and Engineering, delivered a speech on behalf of the incoming cohort. She stated that new students should strive to become “chasers of light,” strengthening their foundation of knowledge; “practitioners,” gaining real abilities through hands-on experience; and “inheritors,” carrying forward the mission and responsibilities of their generation. She pledged to integrate her personal growth with the nation’s scientific and technological endeavors, transforming her admiration for GSCAEP into concrete action and letting her youth flourish along the path of scientific research.

“Youth thrives, a nation thrives; youth is strong, a nation is strong.” May all students remember CAEP’s core values — “Forge the cornerstone of national defense; stand as the backbone of the nation” — live up to the expectations of the times, and grow into pillars capable of shouldering the great mission of national rejuvenation.