From June 14 to 16, the "Trojan Cup" Second National Postgraduate Student Materials Experiment and Analysis Competition and the Second Symposium on Innovative Applications of Metallurgical and Materials Experimental Teaching and Instrumentation were held at Soochow University. The competition was hosted by China Association of Metallurgical Education and organized by Soochow University. As one of the key events in the materials science community, the National Postgraduate Student Materials Experiment and Analysis Competition has always been highly regarded by experts and students. This year, it attracted 110 participants from 55 universities and research institutes across 22 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities.

The competition was divided into two categories: metallographic specimen preparation and experimental analysis. During the competition, participants had to work collaboratively to complete tasks such as sample preparation, specimen tensile testing, experimental report writing, and theoretical knowledge assessment. The final ranking was determined based on the combined scores from the microscopic morphology of the specimens, the experimental reports, and the theoretical knowledge assessments. Under the guidance of Professors Ma Feng and Wang Qi, our university's Zhao Hongxuan (Materials Master's Program, Class of 2022) and Yang Zhihui (Materials Master's Program, Class of 2023) won the first prize after a month of rigorous training.

The Second Symposium on Innovative Applications of Metallurgical and Materials Experimental Teaching and Instrumentation was held concurrently. Guests at the symposium engaged in in-depth discussions on topics such as materials science education and the application of advanced equipment in the materials field.