Introduction to the Discipline of Software Engineering

The Discipline of software engineering in NEFU was established in June, 2011. After 5 years of development and construction, we have preliminary completed subject layout and formed the integrated system of subject– professional degree-major. With a strong ability to run the discipline, an explicit guideline and philosophy running the discipline have been formed.

I. Orientation and Goal

1. Orientation

The most advanced characteristic of Northeast Forestry University is forestry engineering. The college of information and computer engineering is aiming to focus on the development of information science and to highlight the characteristics of forestry information science. Accordingly, the department of software engineering exerts its “profession”, methodology, technique and “transversality” as well as its service characteristics to the field. We promote department-enterprise cooperation, a diversified school and a combination of production and research. Based on the software industry and the forestry industry, the department has continuously transferred from teaching-based research to research-based teaching.

2. Goal

The Department focuses on the development of professional education and engineering education of “software and service.” We have constructed and enriched the training and educational platform, forming the integrated training system that discipline, major, and degree individually, supportively, cooperatively and distinctively exert their duties. Pushing forward the training strategy of “import, training, and special invite,” Promoting training by scientific research, quality of teaching level, service by projects and development by characteristics. Continuously solidify the foundation and refine the development direction. In the next 5 years, we will strive to reach the top level in the province and to become the advantaged discipline in NEFU and for a new stage in the provincial first-class discipline construction.

II. Research Directions:

1. Software service engineering (0835Z01), Director: Su Jianmin.

Research requires software technology, communication network techniques and other techniques of the industry. The target is not only to improve the efficiency and reduce operation costs in organizations, but also to implement information technology to help reconstruction of traditional business processes and improve competitiveness of enterprises. Research content includes the principle, methodology and technology of software service engineering. Construct infrastructure and platforms for software service systems, including: the structure of software service system, software service business process, software service engineering methodology, and software service operation support.

2. Software engineering techniques (0835Z02), Director: Luo Siqing.

Study the principle, methodology and technique and corresponding supporting tools, platforms, and environments of complex software development, operation, and maintenance, including: software engineering, software design, software architecture, model driven development, software analysis and testing, software maintenance and evolution, software project management and software engineering support tools, platforms and environments.

3. Application domain software engineering (0835Z03), Director: Wang Jian.

Study the application of software engineering in agriculture, forestry, communication, multimedia, Internet, networking and other industries. Form domain oriented software engineering principle, method and technique in Internet environment, including: domain analysis, domain design, domain implementation, domain integration and application engineering.

III. Staff and Research Achievements

1. Leader

Professor Su Jianmin, master’s degree, supervisor of master’s degree students.

2. Faculty

At the moment, 15 teachers work in the department, including 7 master’s tutors (3 with doctoral degrees), one professor, and 6 associate professors. 4 of the 15 teachers have the experience of studying abroad.

There are 2 distinguished professors and both have senior professional and technical positions and Ph.D. degrees.

3. Research achievements

Over the past 5 years, department staff have hosted 5 Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang province and 4 provincial and higher level teaching research projects. They have also participated in several national and provincial projects as main researchers and taken an active part in serving the enterprise. Faculty have published more than 50 academic papers, including 5 SCI papers and 15 EI papers and written 5 textbooks. They have won a third prize of science and technology progress of Heilongjiang province, hold 2 patents and more than 10 software copyrights.

Meanwhile, they have built up and shared two platforms: “research center of Heilongjiang province forestry ecological big data storage and high performance (cloud) computing engineering technology” and the “research center of Heilongjiang province forestry intelligent equipment”.

IV. Advantages and Characteristics

Software engineering is a novel transverse subject that is based on computing and takes software and engineering as its cores. It is cross-applicable and practical engineering practical and is the crucial subject of software industry. The department has gradually formed a wide research and application system that takes software services and applications as cores, guided by the thoughts and methodology of software engineering, by software engineering techniques and management, based on the characteristics of biological information, information control, forestry/agricultural service engineering of Internet of things and digital forestry software engineering technology.

V. Target of Training Professionals

1. Targets

Steadily master the basic theories of the subject and systematically gain expertise in depth. Deeply understand the developing trends and frontier overview of the subject. Independently carry out scientific research with academic value, or be able to solve practical problems based on software engineering theory, methodology, and tools and achieve creative products. Master the modern experimental methodology and skills. Master a foreign language and have the ability of international academic communication. Become a software engineering professional with a rigorous scientific attitude, cooperative spirit, and strong communication ability.

2. Enrollment and employment

The software engineering subject has recruited 27 postgraduate students since September of 2012. 12 of them have graduated and all of them had high quality employment within the area.

VI. Influences and Social Services

1. Influences in China and overseas

The influence can be evaluated by the achievements of professional cultivation, scientific research, academic communication, social service and cultural inheritance. The department has had certain achievements and considerable social influences since its establishment 5 years ago. The department tries to “adopt one's good points and avoid, overcome and remedy one’s shortcomings” and continuously improves academic level and social service capacity in order to make steady developments.

2. Social services

Social service is a vital sign of major strength and reputation. Software engineers’ ability of adapting to the society, transferring research outcomes, promoting techniques and inheriting IT culture are revealed in the beneficial service to the society.

We combine the orientation of NEFU and profession of software engineering to embark various scientific services, such as product services, technology consultation and staff training. With the culture of demand engineering, software engineering and service engineering, we have sent relevant teachers to enterprises, especially to forests for research. The research not only has solved many IT problems but also has improved IT culture in these places.

Related social service examples are as followed

1. “Study on monitoring networking technology applications in forestry based on the Internet of things” has transferred the outcome in agriculture.

2. “Intelligent power grid advanced measurement architecture AMI remote collection system” has created a new service platform for electrical power systems.

3. “Extension medical image processing system” has been applied for accurate medical treatment – 3D modeling and printing of medical image.

4. “1ZC-50 tree seedling selection combined machine” has been implemented to practical application.