Wed, Jan 15, 2020
On the morning of January 6, 2020, the Unveiling Ceremony of the International Arctic School, Harbin Institute of Technology (IAS-HIT) and the Opening Ceremony of the International Arctic School Winter 2020 (IAS-HIT-Winter2020) were held at the State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment.
In total, 106 graduate students worldwide participated in the Opening Ceremony, of which 48 international students came from 24 countries on 5 continents (including 7 Arctic countries: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, and the United States), and 58 from domestic universities, such as Harbin Institute of Technology, Peking University, Tsinghua University and Tianjin University. Professor LI Yifan, Director of the UArctic-HIT-Training Center (UArctic-HIT-TC) and Professor of School of Environment hosted the Ceremonies. Academician REN Nanqi, the Principal of the IAS-HIT and Dean of School of Environment, delivered a welcome speech, and announced the opening of IAS-HIT-Winter2020. Prof. Anatoly N. Nikolaev, Rector of the North-Eastern Federal University, Russia, Dr. FAN Hongbo, Vice-Dean of International HIT, and Dr. Pål Markusson, Vice President Mobility, UArctic, delivered their speeches at the Ceremony. Experts and scholars from domestic and foreign well-known scientific research institutions and universities, and the heads of relevant units of HIT participated in the event.
Academician REN Nanqi, the Principal of IAS-HIT and Dean of School of Environment, Prof. Anatoly N. Nikolaev, Rector of the North-Eastern Federal University, Russia, Dr. Pål Markusson, Vice President Mobility, and Dr. FAN Hongbo, Vice-Dean of International HIT, unveiled the "Harbin Institute of Technology International Arctic School (IAS-HIT)".
After the Unveiling Ceremony, JING Qiaonan of Peking University and Susan Bowen of the University of Alaska at Fairbanks respectively spoke as student representatives. They introduced their understanding of hosting the IAS-HIT-Winter2020, and expressed their expectation to strengthen the cooperation between students in universities at home and abroad and to exchange the results of research on Arctic through IAS-HIT.
The IAS-HIT-Winter2020 is sponsored by the International Program Office of International HIT and Graduate School of HIT and co-hosted by the HIT, the UArcitic-HIT-Training Center, and the Association of Sino-Russian Technical Universities (ASRTU), in collaboration with Norwegian University of Life Sciences & University Centre in Svalbard, Norway and North-Eastern Federal University, Russia. The theme of the IAS-HIT-Winter2020 is To Understand Arctic: Environment and Ecosystem.
Professor LI Yifan introduced the purpose and significance of the establishment of the IAS-HIT. The Principal of the IAS-HIT is Prof. REN Nanqi, and the Vice Principals of the IAS-HIT are Dr. Pål Markusson and Prof. LI Yifan. LI Yifan stated that the mission of the IAS-HIT is to improve Chinese students the knowledge about Arctic issues and students in the Arctic countries understanding about Chinese Arctic policies and research by taking courses at the IAS-HIT, thus strengthen understanding, friendship and collaborations between students from Chinese and Arctic universities by providing a unique and advanced platform for cooperative educational and research opportunities. The courses in the IAS-HIT include lectures, experimental courses, group discussions, cultural tours and other learning activities. IAS-HIT invites renowned experts worldwide to give the courses in the IAS-HIT in exploring scientific topics related to Arctic challenges. The goal of the IAS-HIT is to train the students “to understand, protect, develop and participate in the governance of the Arctic”, and at the same time, to cultivate and improve innovative talents in teaching and scientific research on the Arctic.
After the Ceremony, all participants took a group photo.
