On Friday, Shen Shizhao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a professor at the Harbin Institute of Technology in Heilongjiang province, donated his savings of 3 million yuan ($419,784) to the institute's education development foundation to support the development and construction of the School of Civil Engineering.

"I have been studying and working at the institute for 70 years, so it is like my home," Shen said after receiving the Education Contribution Award medal and donation certificate from Xiong Sihao, Party secretary of the institute. "It is meaningful for me to contribute to talent training at the institute with my savings."

Shen was born in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province in 1933.

After graduating from the Department of Structural Engineering at Tongji University in Shanghai in 1953, he was assigned to the institute as a graduate student.

When he finished his postgraduate studies in 1956, Shen stayed with the institute to continue his teaching and research work. He devoted himself to structural engineering research and the institute's construction in the following decades.

Xiong stated that Shen was an excellent institute representative who has been rooted in the Northeast, persevered through hardships, and made contributions.

"Shen has led his team in scientific research in the field of large-span spatial structures, cultivating a large number of talents in this area and making important contributions to major national projects," said Xiong. "The institute will make good use of the fund to inspire young students to move forward on the path of dedicating themselves to science and exploring innovation, and to embark on a new century of excellent development."