Student Spotlight - Xianze Zeng
“I like the multi-ethnic and multicultural student atmosphere here. UHI is an international university, and I can make friends with students from all over the world.”
We are dedicated to providing a first-class experience for our international students and supporting them every step of the way. As part of our international partnership with Zhengzhou University of Aeronautic in China, Aircraft Engineering students have the opportunity to come to Perth to complete their final year of study. Xianze has been studying at Perth College UHI since September, so we caught up with him to find out how he has been getting on.
Can you introduce yourself?
Xianze Zeng, from Xuancheng-China - a city with a history of more than 3,000 years.
You are currently studying BEng Aircraft Engineering at Zhengzhou University of Aeronautics and are doing your final honours year at Perth College UHI. Why did you decide to pick this course?
I am currently a ‘3+1’ transnational education student. I study BEng Aircraft Design and Engineering at the Zhengzhou University of Aeronautics for three years and then go to Perth College UHI to study BEng (Hons) Aircraft Engineering in the fourth year. That way, when I graduate, I can get both the BEng Aircraft Design and Engineering degree from the Zhengzhou University of Aeronautics and the BEng (Hons) Aircraft Engineering degree from UHI.
The teaching quality and research level of the University of the Highlands and Islands enjoys a high international reputation, and the aircraft engineering major is highly recognised by the international community. I think Perth College UHI is a great fit for me and can elevate me to a compound high-quality aviation talent.
What were you doing before you started your degree at Zhengzhou University of Aeronautics?
I studied at Xuancheng High School before I entered university.
Have you found studying at Perth College UHI different to the Zhengzhou University of Aeronautics?
There is a big difference in the course content setting, ZUA's courses are more focused on the more in-depth study of aircraft design. But UHI's courses include a broader range of aeronautics, not only aircraft design, but also aircraft quality and reliability, aircraft propulsion, aircraft maintenance, and more.
In terms of campus, I think the Zhengzhou University of Aeronautics has a stronger aeronautics and astronautics culture. ZUA is a university jointly established by the People's Government of Henan Province and the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Its main school-running feature is the aerospace industry. Therefore, various aircraft exhibitions can be seen everywhere on the campus of ZUA. Like the hangar of Perth College UHI, at ZUA, we also have an Aircraft Innovation Lab for students to conduct aircraft-related research.
At Perth College UHI, I also had a lot of different learning experiences from ZUA. Perth College UHI offers more types of courses, rich campus activities, and the purest Scottish education. Here I can feel a more multidisciplinary atmosphere. I like the multi-ethnic and multicultural student atmosphere here. UHI is an international university, and I can make friends with students from all over the world.
What is your favourite thing about the course?
In the Advanced Aircraft and Engine Performance class, we can go to the hangar and learn to fly an airliner in a Boeing 737 simulated cockpit, which is a new experience for me!
Has there been any standout/memorable moments from your course?
What impressed me the most was my third year ‘Aircraft Design’ course, which is also my favourite course. This course was taught by Dr Hatef Dinparasti Saleh, my fourth-year engineering project supervisor. As the team leader, I led my ten team members to jointly design a cargo plane based on the concept of the hybrid wing body (HWB). We also innovatively proposed the design of the ‘T+H’ shaped tail.
In the end, we completed an aircraft design report of more than 24,000 words and completed the three-dimensional modelling of the aircraft's shape. We also won the highest score among the eight design teams in the class. This is the result of my team members and I’s work hard day and night, and it is also the result of Dr Saleh's long-term patient guidance to us. During the design period, I often report our progress to Dr Saleh by email and ask some detailed design questions, and Dr Saleh always takes the trouble to answer my questions in time and comment on my design details. Here I also need to thank my supervisor Dr Saleh.
What knowledge, skills and experience have you gained from your course that will help you when you finish your degree?
I have learned aerodynamics, propulsion dynamics, reliability analysis, aircraft inspection and maintenance, aircraft design, airport planning and management, and avionics from UHI courses, all of which are related to various aspects of aeronautics. At the same time, Perth College UHI's aircraft engineering teaching is not limited to books, but also combines practical experimental operations and real engineering teaching aids.
This is a very systematic and comprehensive aeronautics teaching system so that the students cultivated in this way are involved in all aspects of aviation knowledge, which will be of great help to students in their future employment or further study. Such a unique and comprehensive teaching system is rarely seen in other disciplines, and I am very honoured to be a student of Aeronautical and Aircraft Engineering at Perth College UHI.
Have your lecturers been supportive during your studies?
Yeah! My lecturers have helped me a lot. When I was still taking online classes in my junior year, I often communicated with my lecturers by email, and they would always patiently help me answer questions or provide assistance. When I participated in the ‘Internet +’ competition, Dr Rahul Kumar has been enthusiastic and patient to help me solve the problem of the venue, for which I am grateful. In addition to Dr Kumar, Dr Saleh, Professor Calum Aird, Dr Qusai Al-Hamdan, Professor Hanifa Hanafi, Professor Muhammad Imran Masood and other teachers are all very outstanding lecturers. There is a famous saying in China: “A so-called teacher is a person who teaches students the truth and cultivates students' good moral character”. （师也者,教之以事而喻诸德也） I think my lecturers are all the great teachers described in this sentence.
Have you enjoyed living and studying in Perth?
Yes, I like Perth very much, it is a very quiet and beautiful small city. I enjoy the slow pace of life in Perth, without the rush of pedestrians and calculating hawkers. Perth is like a city in an oil painting. The fresh air and beautiful rural scenery make me linger.
How have you found the aeronautical facilities on campus?
Our hangar has 3D printing equipment inside, two subsonic wind tunnels, and a Boeing 737 flight simulator. For a student of aircraft engineering, I think there is nothing more exciting than these.
Xianze and his classmate Yuqiao in the Perth College UHI hangar
You entered the 8th China International College Students ‘Internet +’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition and reached the global finals. Can you tell us about the competition and the project that you entered?
Our R&D team ‘Intelligent Future’ comes from Zhengzhou University of Aeronautics' Aircraft Innovation Lab, and our mentor is Dr Zhanhe Liu. Under the excellent guidance of Dr Liu, our team has achieved excellent results in many international competitions.
Our project is an aquatic unmanned aerial vehicle (AquaUAV) called Pelican for global marine water quality safety and emergency rescue, and capable of logistics transportation. The three major innovations--diamond joined-wing configuration, integrated-hull design, and star wheel-shaped water surface sampling automatic collector of Pelican make it has the advantages of high lift-to-drag ratio, amphibious take-off and landing, fast short take-off, and landing. Pelican UAVs can carry out long-endurance marine patrol tasks, meeting the needs of continuous ocean water quality monitoring and emergency rescue of long-distance marine emergency high-risk accidents.
In 2022, a total of 1,340 universities, and 7,944 projects from 107 countries and regions signed up to participate in the 8th China International ‘Internet +’ College Students Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition International Track. Including the top 100 universities in the world, a total of 2873 projects were registered. A total of 50 gold awards and 100 silver awards will be awarded to the 150 projects in the final, and our project won the silver award. This indicates that both UHI and ZUA have scientific research capabilities comparable to the top 100 universities in the world.
Such a great achievement in this competition depends on the extremely high academic level of Dr Liu, the long-term research accumulation of join-wing UAV by my seniors in the past, and the long-term hard work of the team members. Even during the holidays, our team is always working on new concept designs for UAVs together. From UAV design, production, flight test, flight test, and flight control system debugging, our team has a clear division of labour and high cooperation efficiency. Here I am very grateful to the mentor team led by Dr Liu and my team members.
During our competition, the management of both ZUA and UHI attached great importance to and gave a lot of support. I would like to particularly thank Dr Daijun Liu, Principal of ZUA, Veronica Lynch, Vice Principal of Perth College UHI, and Lin Shen, Director of Partnerships of Perth College UHI. I believe this award is strong proof of the superiority of UHI and ZUA in transnational cooperative education in aerospace engineering. It is the efforts of all lecturers at UHI and ZUA that have made us achieve such great achievements.
In addition, I also need to give special thanks to two female students, Miss Wang from Shanghai International Studies University and Miss Ye from Anhui Polytechnic University. Their outstanding English skills have provided a lot of help for our project's English business plan and PPT presentation. Our achievements are closely related to their dedication. They powerfully show us the power of women in aerospace engineering.
Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of university?
I love playing radio model aeroplanes, on the one hand, it's an interest I've had since childhood (I even had first prize at the Anhui Junior Aerospace Model Championship!). On the other hand, this skill can also help me to test fly the new drone we design and make. In addition, the UK has a strong aviation history and culture, and I hope to visit every aviation museum when I am studying in the UK.
What are your future career plans?
I plan to go on to do a master’s degree. Currently, my target is Cranfield University. In the future, I may consider employment in a local aviation company in the UK and engage in aircraft design.
And finally, what advice would you give to someone thinking about studying as an international student with the University of the Highlands and Islands?
As an international university, the University of the Highlands and Islands has an outstanding elite lecturer team, excellent and rich scientific research results, abundant teaching funds, and a logistics service group that cares about students in all aspects. UHI has a good cooperative relationship with many universities around the world, and the subjects offered by UHI almost include existing engineering, science, literature, art, business and so on. Every student can find their favourite subjects here, and let their talents shine in the fields they love the most and are best at.
I would like to tell you, don’t be afraid of your shortcomings, muster up the courage to try boldly, UHI will be the most suitable university for you!
The Aviation industry requires high calibre engineers at every stage of the product life cycle, from conceptual design through to in-service support. Studying in the Aviation department at Perth College UHI will prepare you to meet the ever-growing need for engineers in this innovative and progressive sector. Aircraft Engineering is a strategically important industry for Scotland with companies such as BAE Systems and Rolls Royce employing people in high skill, high-paying jobs.
Our Aviation courses offer a range of academic qualifications. Our staff have specialist knowledge across the breadth of disciplines with backgrounds in industry, academia, and the armed forces.
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