The Asian Universities Alliance-Tsinghua University Overseas Study Program 2023, co-organized by the Tsinghua SIGS Institute of Environment and Ecology (iEE), was successfully held in Shenzhen from June 29 to July 6. The program’s theme was “Environmental Stewardship for Sustainable Urban Development: Green Environmental Infrastructure, Ecosystem Conservation, and Resource-efficient Actions.” Thirteen students from five countries including India, Thailand, and Malaysia as well as domestic students from Tsinghua SIGS participated in the program.
Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony of the program took place on the morning of June 29 with welcoming remarks from Dr. Xiao Fu and Dr. Jong Mui Choo. In the afternoon, students participated in ice-breaker activities, fostering a warm atmosphere and enhancing friendships with each other.
Special lectures
During the 8-day program, special lectures on frontier topics in environment and ecology were delivered by professors Dr. Bo Zheng, Dr. Hao Guo, Dr. Matteo Convertino, and Dr. Yuanchao Fan. These lectures covered various aspects such as air pollution, water resources, human and ecosystems, and ecological system models, introducing the current environmental pollution issues and mitigation technologies to students from multiple perspectives.
Field visits
In addition to classroom lectures, students participated in field visits to environmental enterprises, solid waste treatment centers, a reclaimed water treatment plant, and Guangdong Neilingding Futian National Nature Reserve under the guidance of professors Dr. Lin Lin, Dr. Si Chen, Dr. Wenlong Wang, and Dr. Ana Gouveia, respectively. During these visits, students gained further insight into China's environmental protection efforts, infrastructure construction, and natural ecological conservation. Students were also able to observe a variety of wildlife including mudskippers and tidal crabs on the mudflats in the mangrove forest and appreciate the natural scenery.
Lab visits and group discussions
As part of the program, participants also had the opportunity to experience learning at Tsinghua by conducting sludge and wastewater experiments, visiting iEE’s experiment platforms and laboratories, and communicating with professors, current students, and platform engineers face-to-face. Through these experiences, they gained a deeper understanding of current research trends.
Poster presentations
The AUA-THU Overseas Study Program 2023 concluded on the afternoon of July 6. Program participants and fifteen iEE students gave oral presentations and presented posters on environmental and ecological topics in groups. Professors from iEE were invited to serve as judges and presented participation certificates to program students.
Prof. Jian'e Zuo presents Best Oral Presentation and Best Poster certificates
During the closing ceremony, Prof. Jian'e Zuo, associate dean of Tsinghua SIGS and executive vice dean of the Institute of Environment and Ecology, delivered closing remarks and presented the Best Oral Presentation and Best Poster certificates to student winners.
Closing ceremony
Background
The Asian Universities Alliance (AUA) is a university alliance comprising 15 member universities across Asia, founded in April 2017. The mission of AUA is to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between faculty and students among member universities to jointly address the challenges facing Asia and the world, including common problems in economic, technological, and environmentally sustainable development. Each year, AUA holds a variety of programs that promote student mobility, research collaboration, and the sharing of university strategies and policies.
The Asian Universities Alliance (AUA) Overseas Study Program was initiated by the AUA and has been successfully held for six sessions since 2017 at different member universities, including Seoul National University, the National University of Singapore, Universitas Indonesia, and Universiti Malaya.
Source: SIGS Institute of Environment & Ecology
Edited by Alena Shish & Yuan Yang
