The 1st Sino-German Special Seminar was held online on November 29. This seminar series aims to present the innovative achievements of Tsinghua University and Leibniz University Hannover (LUH) in urban water systems, discuss the development and future of urban water system research, promote the academic development and engineering applications of urban water systems, and further strengthen the cooperation between the two institutions in the field of environmental studies.
The theme of this year’s seminar was “Urban Water Environment System under Extreme Weather Conditions.” The event was co-hosted by Tsinghua SIGS and the LUH Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geodetic Science and co-organized by the SIGS Institute of Environment and Ecology (iEE) and the Institute of Engineering and Waste Management (ISAH), Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geodetic Science at LUH.
Experts attending the seminar included Jiang Peixue, vice president of THU and dean of Tsinghua SIGS, Zuo Jian'e, associate dean of Tsinghua SIGS, Professor Wang Kaijun, professor at the School of Environment, Tsinghua University, and Christina von Haaren, vice president for International Affairs and Sustainability, LUH, Stephan Köster, head of ISAH, Max Dohmann, professor at RWTH Aachen University, Jörg E. Drewes, professor at the Technical University of Munich, and Silvio Beier, professor at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar.
Moderators of the seminar sessions Zuo Jian’e and Stephan Köster (left to right)
LUH Vice President Christina von Haaren and THU Vice President Jiang Peixue delivered welcoming remarks at the event.
In her speech, Vice President von Haaren highlighted the long-term cooperation between China and Germany in addressing climate change and undertaking urban water system research. She emphasized that the continued exchanges between the two sides will support the realization of sustainability goals.
In his remarks, Vice President Jiang highlighted the increasing impact of extreme weather caused by climate change and emphasized the efforts that China and Germany have contributed to mitigating its effects, including achievements in carbon emission reduction and urban infrastructure construction. Through this cooperation, “the scientists from Tsinghua University and Leibniz University Hannover are expected to have more and more breakthrough achievements,” said Vice President Jiang.
During the seminar, keynote speeches were delivered by expert scholars on topics ranging from German stormwater management and urban water environment infrastructure challenges in China to applications of AI technology in urban sewer systems and the use of stormwater as a new wing of urban water supply with additional presentations on urban water supply systems and urban wastewater drainage and treatment in proceeding sessions.
Keynote speeches by Max Dohmann, Wang Kaijun, Zuo Jian’e, and Stephan Köster (left to right, top to bottom)
Liu Yanchen, Johannes Reiter, Mui-Choo Jong, Silvio Beier, Sarah Häußer, Matteo Convertino, Dagmar Pohl (left to right, top to bottom) delivering talks on urban water supply systems and urban wastewater drainage and treatment
This seminar further deepened the cooperation between Tsinghua University and Leibniz University Hannover in the field of environmental studies, offered an understanding of modern urban water systems in the two countries, and contributed ideas and directions for planning and implementation of resilient urban water systems in the face of global climate change. The event attracted over 15,000 views.
Editors: Alena Shish, Yuan Yang, Li Han
