Introduction to School of Agricultural Equipment Engineering,
Institute of Agricultural Engineering,Jiangsu University

Jiangsu University is a comprehensive university with engineering as its focus, in multi-discipline coordinated development, originally under the name of “Zhenjiang Institute of Agricultural Machinery”. In a long term, with the motto of “Offering engineering in agriculture, agriculture supported by engineering, in a combination of engineering with agriculture”, Jiangsu University built up Institute of Agricultural Engineering in March of 2005, dedicated to the development of Agricultural Engineering. Then, School of Agricultural Equipment Engineering was also established in May of 2014, executing two names, but the management of a leadership.

I.ACADEMIC ECHELON: In Institute of Agricultural Engineering have more than 50 faculty and staff members, among, 8 doctorate advisors, 13 professors, and 10 associate professors. Among, 1 staff is the panel member Committee Member of Committee of Social Science, 1 staff is the panel member of National Post-Doctor Regulatory Commission, 2 experts with outstanding contribution approved by national authorities, 3 experts who be paid special subsidy of government every year, 1 staff is “333 Young and Middle-Aged Talents of Science and Technology in Jiangsu Province”, 1 staff is Youth science and technology leader, 1 staff is the academic leader of The Union Blue Project, 2 staff are excellent-young-backbone teachers; and, “Engineering of Agricultural Biotic Environment” is Outstanding Initiative group of Science and Technology among Jiangsu Colleges and Universities, “Agricultural Mechanical Design and Theory” is Science and Technology Initiative group of Jiangsu University.

II.DISCIPLINE CONSTRUCTION: School of Agricultural Equipment and Engineering has two first-level disciplines, namely Agricultural Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering, covering 1 National Key Discipline (Agricultural Electrification and Automation), 1 Jiangsu Preponderant Discipline (Agricultural Engineering), 6 Ph. D programs (Agricultural Mechanization and Equipment Engineering, Agricultural Water-Soil Engineering, Engineering of Agricultural Biotic Environment, Agricultural engineering of electrification and information,  Agricultural and Biosystem Engineering, Biomechatronics), 1 master-accredited field (Ecology),  2 post-doctor mobile units (Agricultural Engineering and Mechanical Engineering). In 1981, Agricultural Machinery Design and Manufacturing was approved as the doctoral program, educating the first undergraduate, the first master student, and the first Ph. D student for China.

(1) Agricultural Engineering Discipline: The specialty of agricultural machinery was evaluated as the key discipline of the National Machine-building Industry Ministry of China in 1987 and of Jiangsu Province in 1994. The discipline of agricultural engineering was approved as the doctoral program. Entrusted by UNIDO and ESCAP, Jiangsu University has trained high-ranking management personnel and experts in agricultural machinery for over 30 countries. The post-doctoral station of agricultural engineering was established in 1994, which was adjusted as the post-doctoral station of mechanical engineering in 2000. The post-doctoral station of agricultural engineering was applied and approved again in 2003. The culturing point of national laboratory of Modern Agricultural Implementation and Technology was established with approvals of Jiangsu province.

(2) Mechanical Engineering Discipline: Due to the adjustment of discipline and specialty directory in 1997, the doctoral program of agricultural machinery design and manufacturing, combined with the master program, was adjusted as the doctoral program of Machinery Design and Theory. It was evaluated as the excellent academic echelon of Jiangsu province, and approved as the provincial key specialty of Jiangsu in 2001. For the time being, it offers the post-doctoral station of Mechanical Engineering.

III.SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH: School of Agricultural Equipment and Engineering plays an important role in Agricultural engineering industry, such as, southern paddy-field transplanter, tillage machinery, combine harvester, intelligent greenhouse and its controlling technique, piezoelectric sprinkle and plant protection machine etc. It has undertaken more than more than 50 national research projects, belonging to “973 project”, “National 863 Project”, “Key Project of Natural Science Foundation of China”, “National Science-technology Support Plan Projects”; and more than 50 provincial and ministerial projects, and published many high-quality papers and patents. Meanwhile, the research fund exceeded RMB 10 million. Up to now, 1 project approved by The State Technological Invention Award, 2 projects approved by The State Technological Invention Award, and 8 projects approved by The Provincial-level Scientific and Technological Progress Award. Also, it hosts the journal of “Agricultural Equipment & Technology”.

IV.TRAINING OF HIGH-RANKING PERSONNEL: Our undergraduate program is “Agricultural Mechanization and Its Automation”, which is key program of Jiangsu province in Twelfth Five-Year Plan; the school can offer 6 Ph. D programs and 1 master program. Up to now, it has nearly 200 postgraduate students, 4 abroad students for their Ph. D degree. In recent years, 1 dissertation was acquire “National Excellent Doctoral Dissertations”, 2 dissertations were acquire “Provincial Excellent Doctoral Dissertations”, 9 dissertations were acquire “Provincial Excellent Master Dissertations”, 9 dissertations were acquire “School-level Excellent Doctoral Dissertations”, 21 dissertations were acquire “School-level Excellent Master Dissertations”. It held Agricultural machinery training courses for 13 times, training advanced agricultural machinery management personnel and experts from more than 30 countries; now it is “111” Talent training base of Jiangsu province.

V.LABORATORY CONSTRUCTION: Institute of Agricultural Engineering has 1 Key Laboratory of the Education Ministry of China, 2 Key Laboratory of Jiangsu provinces. In 2004, Laboratory for Modern Agricultural Equipment and Technology was gained “State key cultivation laboratory”, in 2007, Laboratory for Modern Agricultural Equipment and Technology was at the provincial Ministry of Education Key Laboratory, in 2009, it gained “Key Laboratory for Agricultural Equipment and Intelligent Technology of Jiangsu Province”, in 2011, it gained “Ministry Key Cultivation Laboratory”. The area of Institute of Agricultural Engineering is around over 3,000 m2, and large instrumentations valued at 15 million RMB, such as high-performance Radiation Field Spectra 3, intelligent environment-controlling greenhouse, micro-probe detection system, performance testing system of harvesting, super Langmuir probe etc. On the construction of the culturing point of national laboratory, the institute will build a series of the high-level experimental platforms, and produce a high-level academic echelon, and the first-class scientific and technological results, and train the first-class and high-ranking personnel, thus promoting the consistent innovation power in this discipline, overwhelmingly keeping the feature direction dominant in China, partially research direction reaching the international advanced level.

VI.INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND EXCHANGE. Synergistic Innovation Center of Modern Agricultural Equipment and Technology was established by Jiangsu University with China Agricultural University, South China Agricultural University, Zhejiang University, Chinese academy of agricultural mechanization sciences, Nanjing Research Institute of Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of Agriculture, YTO Group Corporation, Futian Lovol Heavy Industry, Jiangsu World Agric. Machinery Co., Ltd, Nantong Flw Agri. Equipment Co., Ltd, Jiangsu Wangda Springkle and Irriagation Co., Ltd, Jiangsu Runguo Agricultural Development Co., Ltd, Shanghai Star Modern Agric. Machinery Co., Ltd. The Institute of Agricultural Engineering has already held the international conferences, such as Annual Meetings of Protected Horticulture in China, Agricultural Engineering Society in China, International Symposium of Plant Protection Machinery, International Symposium of Harvesting Machinery, etc. The Institute has established the long cooperation relationships with universities and research institutes of USA, Netherlands, Japan, etc.Al