Two of China’s Leading Mechanical Engineering Schools License MATLAB and Simulink for School-wide Use

Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Tongji University provide access to industry-standard tools from MathWorks for teaching and academic research capabilities

Beijing, China - (22 May 2014)

MathWorks today announced that two of China's top-ranked mechanical engineering schools – University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute in Shanghai Jiao Tong University (UM-SJTU Joint Institute) and the School of Mechanical Engineering in Tongji University – have signed an agreement to provide MATLAB, Simulink, and 16 other MathWorks products for all of their students and faculty. These licenses are the first MATLAB and Simulink school-wide licenses for mechanical engineering schools in China. As a result, both schools are enabling their students, faculty, and researchers to gain expertise in industry-standard tools, bolstering their commitment to innovative teaching and academic research as well as preparing students to enter the workforce.

In conjunction with the implementation of the school-wide license, Tongji University's School of Mechanical Engineering introduced a MATLAB Fundamentals and Engineering Course that accommodates up to 70 undergraduates per class. This is the school's first course dedicated to MATLAB and Simulink for its mechanical engineering students, and will cover analysis, mechanical system simulation, and control systems, among other topics.

UM-SJTU Joint Institute's MATLAB and Simulink school-wide license supports its goal of becoming a world premier education and research institute, a window for Chinese students and faculty to experience the American higher education system, and a landing pad for American students and faculty to conduct teaching, research, internship and study in China. The mission of the UM-SJTU Joint Institute, which offers degrees in electrical and computer engineering in addition to mechanical engineering, is to produce future leaders who are technically solid, professionally competent, socially responsible, and globally engaged, and to conduct cutting-edge fundamental and applied research and knowledge discovery.

Users at the UM-SJTU Joint Institute and Tongji University mechanical engineering school will have English and Simplified Chinese versions of MATLAB and associated documentation, immediate access to new releases, and around-the-clock technical support throughout the term of the licenses. Both schools are deploying the tools to teachers, researchers and students via a centralized, shared platform that increases the administrative efficiency of software management and distribution, ensuring that the tools are readily available as a cohesive technical computing environment for all users.

"MATLAB is an industrial standard software tool that is widely adopted by universities in the U.S. and many other countries. Providing school-wide access to MATLAB demonstrates our commitment to building a student-centered and internationalized world-class engineering institute. The software tool will facilitate our engineering curricula that prepares students for their professional success, and will help students and faculty communicate and work with their international collaborators more effectively," said Zheng Gang, Associate Dean of UM-SJTU Joint Institute.

"This is a significant improvement in the teaching environment for our school. To adequately prepare students for their future mechanical engineering careers, they must be knowledgeable of MATLAB, a recognized industry-standard tool," said Li Liguang, Executive Vice Dean of Tongji University’s School of Mechanical Engineering. "School-wide access to MATLAB coupled with our fundamentals course and technical support from MathWorks will further support our goal of providing outstanding students with the tools and knowledge to meet future employers' demands."

"This is a key milestone towards the educational commitment we have made to universities in China. As in other countries, technical universities in China are being challenged by hiring companies to prepare their graduates with more hands-on and application-oriented experiences, while providing a solid theoretical foundation," said David Chen, Education Business Development, MathWorks China. "By providing their mechanical engineering students and faculty with convenient and consistent access to MATLAB and Simulink coupled with MathWorks technical support, both UM-SJTU Joint Institute and Tongji University are taking big steps to meet that challenge, enabling more project-based learning and application examples in courses."

About MathWorks

MathWorks is the leading developer of mathematical computing software. MATLAB, the language of technical computing, is a programming environment for algorithm development, data analysis, visualization, and numeric computation. Simulink is a graphical environment for simulation and Model-Based Design for multidomain dynamic and embedded systems. Engineers and scientists worldwide rely on these product families to accelerate the pace of discovery, innovation, and development in automotive, aerospace, electronics, financial services, biotech-pharmaceutical, and other industries. MATLAB and Simulink are also fundamental teaching and research tools in the world's universities and learning institutions. Founded in 1984, MathWorks employs more than 3000 people in 15 countries, with headquarters in Natick, Massachusetts, USA. For additional information, visit mathworks.com.

MATLAB and Simulink are registered trademarks of The MathWorks, Inc. See mathworks.com/trademarks for a list of additional trademarks. Other product or brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.