JSTI|【Persist in Ingenuity and Pursue for Innovation】 Chief Director Huang Jun From the Underground Space &Tunnel Department, Underground Space Section, Transportation Planning & Design Division in Jiangsu TS Traffic Design & Research Division Co.

16-Mar-2020
      Recently, the result of “the 10th China Highway & Transportation Society 100 Outstanding Engineers” was announced. Huang Jun, chief director of Underground Space &Tunnel Department and head of Civil Aviation Institute Branch of JSTI Group Jiangsu TS Traffic Design & Research Division Co., Ltd, wins the honor of “100 Outstanding Engineers”.  
 
      The judging of “China Highway & Transportation Society 100 Outstanding Engineers” is organized by the China Highway & Transportation Society and is held once every two years in the whole country. No more than 100 engineers are awarded this title each time. This Award aims at praising outstanding talents with prominent achievements and contributions in highway and transportation.

▲ Huang Jun (first on the left), chief director of Underground Space &Tunnel Department and head of Civil Aviation Institute Branch of Jiangsu TS Traffic Design & Research Division Co., Ltd. of JSTI Group, wins the honor of “the 10th China Highway & Transportation Society 100 Outstanding Engineers”
 
      Huang Jun mainly undertakes design, planning, consultation, and scientific and technological R&D related to tunnels and underground engineering. Working for 15 years, he joined various key national engineering projects and hosted 18 provincial and ministerial scientific research subjects. 2 of his research achievements won the first prize of provincial and ministerial award for science and technology progress, 5 second prizes and 2 third prizes. He has 10 granted invention patents, 10 utility models, and 1 patent for technological and engineering technique at provincial and ministerial level. Huang Jun published 2 monographs, and compiled 2 local standards and 3 local guidelines for Jiangsu Province as chief editor. Moreover, he also participated in the writing of more than 10 standards, norms and guidelines of different kinds. He enjoys the glories of “Pipeline Craftsman” of China pipeline    construction, “Advanced Individual on Science and Technology Work in the 12th Five-Year Plan of Jiangsu Province”, and “Outstanding Engineering Designer of Jiangsu Province”. He is also selected in the “innovation and entrepreneurship plan” of Jiangsu Province.
▲Certificate
 
Dialogue With
 “China Highway & Transportation Society 100 Outstanding Engineers”
Huang Jun
 
Q: Congratulations for winning “the 10th China Highway & Transportation Society 100 Outstanding Engineers”. Please brief on your career as an “Engineer”.

      I graduated with a master’s degree in 2004, after which I started to design tunnels. In 2014, I joined the JSTI Group and built up the underground space and tunnel team with myself as the chief engineer. I planned and designed underground spaces and tunnels and I also undertook technological management. 
 
      I became an engineer 15 years ago, 18 years if you count the 3 years of postgraduate studies. During the postgraduate studies, I cultivated the habit of independent thinking and acquired the capabilities to solve technological obstacles. I want to thank my tutor professor Zhang Dingli. Later, working in large-scale projects for 10 years improved my professional skills, which also broadened my horizon and offered me a rich experience. Then, I spent the next 5 years in JSTI. I went through trials as well as challenges of underground projects which cover several disciplines and different business models. Eventually, I accumulated a profound underground space technological knowledge and improved myself in the management of large-scale projects.  

Q: You have mentioned the participation of several national key engineering projects. What have you gained from these super engineering and critical projects?


      In 2004 after my graduation, I had the chance to take part in researches of the possibility about building Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge undersea immersed tunnel. Nevertheless, I did not even see an immersed tunnel by myself because there were only 5 immersed tunnels in China at that time and immersed tunnels were very rare. The honorable but tough project made me feel stressed, however, it also strengthened my confidence to finish the project successfully. In the process, I modestly consulted famous experts who majored in tunnel, navigation channels, dredging, waves, flood control and other sectors in China and from abroad. Five years’ work paid back. Our team finally completed the preliminary work of this super project, which laid solid foundation for future designs.
  
      Later, I continued the primary design of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge undersea tunnel. I worked with foreign engineers from Denmark COWI firm. Their concentration on the project, emphasis on the details, and pursuit for efficiency all impressed me a lot, still vivid for me at present time. This project required rich and professional knowledge in many disciplines. We frequently participated in technology exchanges between China and other countries and I kept increasing my expertise and confidence during the preparation and communication. All of these are the biggest wealth that I obtained during the project and they would benefit me for my whole life.
 
      Furthermore, I took part in the design of two stages of the Yangtze River tunnel in Nanjing. The experience was extremely important for my career. Starting from zero again, I kept learning and studying. Every stage made me more confident. Every time when the foundation pit finished excavating or when the pit was covered, I grew up and matured a bit more. Every step of shield tunneling and every part of internal structure assembling construction were new start points. We did not only design but also tried to innovate. We took full use of tunnel empty space in the tunnel. A new patent about foundation pit support was developed. We had several provincial research subjects and obtained 6 invention patents and 7 utility models. The high-quality construction of the project was thus achieved. Such working experience greatly changed my mind. I wanted to further expand myself and pursue the realization of my values. 
 
Q: Before joining JSTI, you already had rich working experience and achieved a lot in scientific researches. You must had faced various invitations and choices at that time. Why did you choose JSTI in the end? What attracted you most in JSTI? What was your feeling after entering JSTI?
 
      Platform is very significant. Platform empowers the individual and the individual nurtures the platform in return. I was born in Zhejiang Province and Jiangsu Province is very close to my hometown. I had new understandings about Nanjing after working in this city for several years. Tunnel construction in Nanjing was very advanced and underground spaces developed at a high speed. In these aspects, Nanjing ranked top in 2014 in the whole country and became No.1 in 2019, which proved my choice right. For an “underground worker” like me, there were few platforms and chances which not only enabled me to fulfil my ambitions but also closely integrated me with the construction of local infrastructure at the same time. I feel very lucky that I chose Nanjing.
 
      JSTI is an open platform. Before joining in JSTI, I appreciated its two state key laboratories. JSTI encourages and assists entrepreneurs and fighters. As long as employees dare to think and strive for their goals, their dreams would not be far away. JSTI has a complete management system and advanced enterprises development concepts. More importantly, it has priceless staffs who are fighting with great efforts. From senior executives and leaders of business department to project managers on the “frontline”, everyone works hard and keeps exploring on their positions. They move ahead bravely and endeavor to fulfill their dreams of “engineers”. I hear “transformation”, “revolution” and “creation” for the most times since I came to JSTI. These voices are in accordance with my innovative spirits. These are reasons that I chose JSTI. I wish to chase my dreams and pursue international prospect with JSTI.
 
▲Team of JSTI Underground Space &Tunnel Department
 
      In 2014, I led a team with less than 10 members to finish the designs of tunnels on 3 urban expressways and 5 highways. In 2015, Tunnel Department not only successfully finished tunnel design tasks of the GROUP, but also independently undertook the tasks of design, scientific research and monitoring. In 2016, Tunnel Department acquired a large-scale municipal engineering tunnel project—Longzhou Bay tunnel design in Chongqing City independently by itself, which marked the start of strategic deployment and market exploration. In 2017, Tunnel Department changed its name as Underground Space and Tunnel Department. Changing its strategic plan, it settled four major business directions on road and tunnels, municipal engineering tunnels, underground spaces, and digitalization management and maintenance of underground engineering. The market layout was basically formed. We started to operate and manage in a real business environment. Underwater tunnel is the cutting-edge technology in this industry and we always want to reach its peak. In the past four years, we failed more than 10 times in bidding yet we never gave up. Eventually, we obtained the project of west Jianning Road river-crossing tunnel and the designs of its two stages. We became one of the design institutes covering all sectors of technological and engineering technique consultation and acquiring all design capabilities in the industry of underwater tunnel. In 2017, based on analysis of team and business about underground space design consultation, we decided to build a team of underground space design and civil aviation, which would complement our expertise and fix the shortcomings of the Group business. In the future, JSTI Group’s dream of involving transportation business in the water, on the land and in the sky would gradually come true… In 2018, the Group merged Construction Department into Underground Space Department. Underground Space and Tunnel Department embraced new challenges since then. For my team and me, this was another new beginning.
 
      In the past 5 years, we have fulfilled many dreams. Many dreams are on the way and some are still beyond our reach…



Q: Could you share your current understanding about your works? What breakthroughs do you want in the future?


      Presently, my primary work is expanding business for my team, as well as accumulate more technological knowledge. Team is more than one person. If a team wants a virtuous cycle, the leader of the team must make himself as an example. This is why learning and self-improving are very critical. In this way, tasks could pass to different layers and the team would have real high-quality development.
 
      Never forget where we started and always forge ahead, this is the principle that my team and I need to persist on. Underground engineering projects are all very complicated. Firstly, we must forestall engineering design risks and ensure that projects are smoothly implemented. We accumulated engineering design experience and optimized the designs by our innovation mechanism. As a result, we could offer continuous institutional and technological guarantees for underground planning, construction and maintenance.
  
      We transformed the precious experience from the project into essays, patents, standards and software and repaid them back to the society. Meanwhile, these achievements could guide us to do better in the future. In 2014, we planned and formed the Urban Tunnel Noise Control Design Standards, the local standards of Jiangsu Province which targeted at the blank of noise environment protection sector. In 2015, Urban Tunnels Lighting Design Standard in the industry of lighting and energy saving was published. In 2016, as chief editor, we finished many local standards and guidelines. Within 4 years, Underground Space and Tunnel Department applied for 14 patents and published 20 influential essays on core journals. At the same time, we translated Tunnel Standards and Norms (Open Excavation) and Instructions from Japan.
 
▲ Huang Jun Actively Participates in Various Exchange and Activities
 
      Meanwhile, we actively collected dynamics and frontier information of this industry. We held domestic and international big academic conferences and symposiums. We made academic speeches and exchanges with others during the meetings, which will improve capabilities of the team and its members. In 2015, we took part in World Tunnel Conference (WTC) and hosted “the 8th China-Japan Conference on Shield Tunneling”. In 2017, we supported “the 9th China-Japan Conference on Shield Tunneling” and “the 5th International Academic Conference of Underground Space”. In 2019, we still supported “the 6th International Academic Conference of Underground Space”. In 2018 and 2019, we held “the 11th and the 12th Jiangsu Green Building Development Summit—Green Underground Space Forum” consecutively. In 2019, we held “the 1st Jiangsu Academic Conference of Underground Space”.
 
Q: In the end, please share your definition and understanding about “Outstanding Engineers”.
 
      I am an “underground worker” (also means secret intelligence agent in Chinese). No matter in war or peace, “underground workers” all shoulder great revolutionary responsibilities. “Outstanding Engineer” is the same as “underground worker”, meaning that engineers should forge ahead regardless of any dangers or perils to ensure the quality of projects.
 
      General Secretary Xi Jinping once said that the Chinese dream is achieved through hard work. Working hard is happiness. I have the opportunity to participate the planning and design of many large-scale projects and underground spaces including Hang Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge undersea immersed channel, the Yangtze River channel, and West Jianning Road river-crossing tunnel. I feel happy due to honors and the sense of mission. When I show the certificate of “Outstanding Engineers” to my son, or when I see my works when driving or walking on the road, I cannot help but feeling proud. 
 
      I always stick to “the spirit of craftsman, never forget where I started, and start innovation again”. I would work hard to contribute to the society in return, which is also my original intention. I want to show my gratitude for the good learning environment created by our mother China and I expect to devote to the society with what I have learned.
 
     God helps those who help themselves. Adhering to my dreams and catching the pace of the time and the industry, I will influence others with my behaviors. I wish that more outstanding engineers would appear in our team.