On December 6, the Fourth Meeting of the Fifth Academic Committee and the Annual Academic Conference of the Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education) at Lanzhou University were held in Lanzhou. Attending the event were Ma Xiaojie, Secretary of the Party Committee of Lanzhou University; Academician Chen Fahu, Director of the Academic Committee of the Laboratory and researcher at the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Academician Fu Bojie, Deputy Director of the Academic Committee and researcher at the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (joining online); along with other members of the Laboratory's Academic Committee. Also present were specially invited experts including Professor Dong Zhibao, Vice President of Shaanxi Normal University, as well as representatives from relevant functional departments of Lanzhou University such as the Human Resources Department, the Discipline Construction and Development Planning Office, the Office of Science and Technology, and the Laboratory and Equipment Management Office. Additionally, the leadership team of the College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, along with all faculty and students of the Key Laboratory, participated in the conference.
Figure 1. Speech by Secretary Ma Xiaojie.
Ma Xiaojie, on behalf of the university, extended a warm welcome to all attendees and expressed sincere gratitude to the experts and scholars who have long supported the development of the university and the laboratory. He briefly introduced the latest progress made by Lanzhou University in relevant discipline construction and platform development, and spoke highly of the phased development achievements of the laboratory. He emphasized that the university will continue to prioritize support for the laboratory's development and expressed hope that, under the professional guidance of the Academic Committee, the laboratory will achieve more groundbreaking results in key fields, thereby contributing Lanzhou University's geoscience research capabilities to national strategic needs.
Figure 2. Professor Gou Xiaohua reports on the laboratory’s development.
Laboratory Director Professor Gou Xiaohua reported on the laboratory's development, covering its basic overview, achievements over the past five years, key progress in the current year, disciplinary development and student training, as well as open exchange and operational management. Party Secretary Ma Xiaojie and Academician Chen Fahu jointly presented the "Western China Environmental Award". Li Yu, Dean of the College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, introduced the college's plan for leading scientific research and innovation teams. The award ceremony was presided over by Shi Zhaojun, Secretary of the Party Committee of College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, during which Ma Xiaojie and Chen Fahu jointly issued appointment letters to the academic leaders in various research fields.
Figure 3. Issuance of appointment letters to leaders of scientific research innovation teams.
During the academic exchange and reporting session, three invited experts—Professor Cheng Hai from Xi'an Jiaotong University, Researcher Fang Chuanglin from the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Professor Yang Dawen from Tsinghua University—delivered insightful presentations to the faculty and students of the laboratory. Their respective topics were: "Frontiers in Stalagmite Research", "Coupled Circle Theory and the Application of Coupler Regulation", and "Water‑Sediment‑Carbon Effects and Sustainable Pathways for Ecological Restoration in the Yellow River Basin". Following this, young key members of the laboratory—Professor Wu Duo, Professor Ma Minmin, Young Researcher Xiang Lixiong, Young Researcher Yang Jishuai, Associate Professor Yang Haijiang, Professor Cao Bo, and Professor Tian Jie—presented a series of highlight achievements representing their respective research directions, fully demonstrating the laboratory's scientific vitality and innovation potential. Professor Nian Yanyun also introduced the progress and development plan of the Information Geography research team.
Figure 4. Academic presentation session.
Academician Chen Fahu presided over the Fourth Meeting of the Fifth Academic Committee. After listening to the reports and engaging in thorough discussion, the Academic Committee highly praised the laboratory's achievements and progress made during the year. It also provided constructive opinions and suggestions regarding the alignment of the laboratory's research directions with national strategies, the deepening and innovation of research content and methodologies, the development of talent teams and research groups, the enhancement of collaborative exchanges and influence, as well as laboratory management and the presentation of research outcomes.
The convening of this conference played a positive role in reviewing the current research status across various disciplinary directions within the laboratory and promoting academic exchange and collaboration among these directions. It also laid a crucial foundation for further refining the laboratory's core research focuses and setting future development goals. Taking this conference as an opportunity, the laboratory will implement the experts' recommendations, deepen interdisciplinary innovation, and strengthen the synergy between talent cultivation and scientific research, thereby injecting momentum into the university's implementation of its "15th Five-Year Plan".
Figure 5. Group photo of conference participants.
