—A Recap of 2024 Tsinghua University Global Summer School
Tsinghua University unveiled its 2024 Global Summer School, attracting nearly a thousand international students from across the globe. This event served as a vibrant platform, fostering cross-cultural understanding and academic growth among its diverse participants.
A Feast of Interdisciplinary Fusion: Exploring the Boundless Realm of Knowledge
Tsinghua's Global Summer School, which boasts a strong academic foundation and an open international perspective, covers a wide range of fields in its 2024 event, including computer science, electrical engineering, finance, pharmacy, foreign languages, chemistry, electronics, art and design, neuroscience, nuclear science, industrial engineering, and advanced manufacturing.
“Ice-Breaking” of Summer School hosted by the Department of Electronic Engineering
On June 13, the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences launched the 2024 Tsinghua Amgen Scholars Program and the International Summer School, offering Amgen scholars an enriching platform for scientific research and learning.
The Summer School of the Department of Electronic Engineering also kicked off on July 1, offering students insights into the department’s academic achievements and key projects, fostering international exchanges, and broadening their global perspectives.
The Chemistry Class of Tsinghua Xuetang Talents Program launched its Summer School on July 6, bringing together chemical elites from around the world to jointly delve into the mysteries of chemical science.
The 2024 Tsinghua-Princeton-Combustion Institute (CI) Summer School on Combustion, started on July 7, focuses on the frontier of combustion science, presenting students with valuable opportunities for international research participation.
Participants visit the Laboratory of Center for Combustion Energy (CCE).
Hosted by the Tsinghua Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence (THBI), the CNeuro 2024 Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience Summer School began on July 8. This program facilitated students’ exploration of neuroscience, sparking their keen interest in intelligent technology.
The Industrial Engineering and Data Analytics (IEDA) Summer School, organized by the Department of Industrial Engineering (IE), wrapped up on July 14, equipping students through hands-on learning with practical skills essential for their future careers.
The China-Italy Joint Laboratory on Advanced Manufacturing (CI-LAM) Summer School, hosted by the Department of Electrical Engineering (EEA), showcased a deep collaboration between China and Italy in advanced manufacturing, impressing upon students the significance of international cooperation in technological innovation.
The 2024 World Nuclear University-Tsinghua Week (WNU-THU Week 2024) gathered global scholars and students on July 15 to explore the peaceful utilization and sustainable development of nuclear energy, providing students an international exchange opportunity to gain deeper insights into the field of nuclear science.
WNU-THU Week 2024
On July 1, the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures (DFLL) launched a series of lectures on literature, history, philosophy and art, bolstering cross-cultural understanding among the students.
The 2024 Global Summer School of Tsinghua SIGS (Shenzhen International Graduate School) was also held, with participants engaging in a diverse array of activities spanning academic seminars, workshops, corporate visits and cultural excursions over a two-week period.
2024 Tsinghua SIGS Global Summer School
The succession of these varied global summer schools underscores Tsinghua University’s profound expertise across disciplines and highlights its diverse initiatives to nurture innovative talents with a global outlook. These endeavors allowed students to transcend disciplinary boundaries, immerse themselves in multicultural experiences, and cultivate global competencies, laying a solid foundation for their future academic pursuits and career development.
Group Photo of the 8th Financial Leaders of Tomorrow Summer Program 2024 of Tsinghua PBCSF
Convergence of Academic Luminaries: A Wellspring of Diverse Wisdom
Renowned experts and scholars from around the globe bring a wealth of academic resources and teaching expertise, offering students invaluable learning opportunities to tap into cutting-edge technological thinking and practical experience.
THBI-hosted CNeuro2024 featured top scholars globally, such as Professor Nathaniel Daw from Princeton University and Professor Naoshige Uchida from Harvard University. They not only offered captivating courses but also served to foster an insatiable curiosity about intelligent technologies.
Course “Reinforcement Learning: Basic Algorithms, Brain, and Behavior” and “Advanced Reinforcement Learning: Replay, Temporal Abstraction, and Function Approximation” by Nathaniel Daw
Course “Dopamine and Reinforcement Learning (I)” and the cutting-edge topic “Dopamine and Reinforcement Learning (II)” by Naoshige Uchida
The Financial Leaders of the Tomorrow Summer Program 2024 of Tsinghua PBCSF gathered seasoned experts from academia and industry, including Sabino Fornies Martinez, Minister Counsellor of EU Delegation Beijing.
These experts combined theory and practice to address the students’ questions on current issues and career development in the financial sector. The comprehensive, high-quality curriculum and the integration of full-time and adjunct faculty have become the program’s defining features, deeply appreciated by students.
Course on Financial Technology by Zhang Xiaoyan, Associate Dean of Tsinghua PBCSF and Chair Professor of Finance
The Tsinghua-Princeton-CI Summer School on Combustion invited distinguished scholars in the field of combustion to offer lectures, including Professor Chung K. Law at Princeton University, Professor Henry Curran at the National University of Ireland Galway, Professor Andreas Dreizler at Technische Universität Darmstadt, and Professor Tianfeng Lu at the University of Connecticut.
These important interactions provided students with opportunities to engage face-to-face with academic masters and delve deep into combustion science.
During The Summer School of the Department of Electronic Engineering, Professor Wee Peng Tay, Associate Chair (Academic) of the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, encouraged the students to approach their academic journey with an open mind, actively engage with renowned mentors within their field, embrace challenges to scale the peak of knowledge and proactively forge life-long friendships.
Wee Peng Tay shares insights.
The Academy of Arts & Design (ENAD) Summer School featured a keynote address entitled “Convergence: New Forms of Collective Intelligence” by Christopher Grant Kirwan, a professor at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia. He explored how design, technology, nature and self-actualization intertwine in the rapid advancement of AI technology, jointly giving “birth” to new forms of collective wisdom.
Christopher Grant Kirwan delivers a keynote speech.
Multicultural Exchange with a Global Perspective
Thousands of young minds gathered at Tsinghua spanning dozens of prestigious institutions, including Columbia University, the University of Cambridge, the University of Tokyo, the National University of Singapore, the University of Geneva, and RWTH Aachen University.
The Tsinghua-Princeton-CI Summer School on Combustion welcomed 220 participants from 13 countries and regions.
The Tsinghua-Princeton-CI 2024 Summer School on Combustion
The 2024 Tsinghua SIGS Global Summer School attracted 110 international students from 63 universities in 34 countries. The 2024 Summer School for Future Power and Energy System (FPES) of EEA was participated by 20 students from 15 different institutions in 12 countries.
Group photo of EEA’s 2024 Summer School for Future Power and Energy System (FPES)
In addition to enriching students’ academic horizons, the Summer Schools also built an international platform for cooperation and exchange, promoting interactions and camaraderie among students from diverse cultural backgrounds.
A Fusion of Cultures: Merging Chinese Spirit with World Cultures
Carefully curated cultural exchange activities served as a “spiritual feast”, allowing participants to explore traditional Chinese culture while experiencing the blend and harmony between Chinese and foreign cultures, revealing the infinite charm of cultural exchange within the Tsinghua University campus.
The Financial Leaders of Tomorrow Summer Program of Tsinghua PBCSF served as an important platform for global students to deeply delve into financial knowledge, complemented by cultural experiences like paper cutting, calligraphy and martial arts, enabling them to personally experience the vastness and unique charm of Chinese culture.
A visit to the Mutianyu Great Wall further enriched their journey, allowing them to trace the historical footprints along its winding expanse.
Students of Financial Leaders of Tomorrow Summer Program at Tsinghua PBCSF showcase their paper-cutting artworks.
The SIGS Global Summer School comprises of a series of events for experiencing Chinese culture. During the introduction and demonstration of dough figurine and clay sculpture, a traditional Chinese folk art, the students got hands-on experience in traditional handicrafts by molding pandas of various shapes, gaining a deeper understanding of China’s traditional culture and folk arts, and fostering interest and identification with Chinese culture.
Maxim Alexander Baumgärtel, a student representative from Technical University of Munich, Germany, shared his experience. Maxim said that this was his first trip to China, and through participating in the Summer School, he had met like-minded friends from diverse cultures and majors around the world.
Maxim Alexander Baumgärtel delivers a speech.
A student makes a panda dough figurine.
In the IE Summer School, a visit to historical attractions such as the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace was arranged for the students, as well as immersion in traditional Chinese cultural items like calligraphy, paper cutting, and tea ceremony. These activities not only enriched their summer school life but also deepened their understanding of China’s historical and cultural heritage.
At the DFLL Summer School, Keir Swift, a sophomore in History at the University of Exeter (UK), remarked, “Our courses ranged from Chinese paper cutting and calligraphy to Tai Chi and traditional medicine, from dialects to literature, and from history to philosophy. The professors’ insights were invaluable. Everything about the Summer School was incredible.”
Expanding Global Horizons: A Cradle for Cultivating International Talents
By participating in the Global Summer Schools, Chinese and foreign students not only acquired valuable knowledge and skills but also learned respect, understanding, and inclusiveness through cross-cultural exchanges. These experiences helped them gain a comprehensive understanding of the world, and enhance their adaptability as well as leadership skills in a globalized context.
Zubair Verachia, a master’s student from the University of Cambridge, shared at the Financial Leaders of Tomorrow Summer Program, said, “I gained an incredibly valuable experience at the camp, substantially enriching my insights and comprehension of key trends in global and Chinese finance.”
Babar Iqbal
During the World Nuclear University-Tsinghua Week program, Babar Iqbal from Harbin Engineering University said, “The intelligence and dedication of Chinese students have left a lasting impression on me. Our friendship and joy broke down language barriers, greatly enriching my research experience.”
Barr Yotam from California State Polytechnic University on the Great Wall
Barr Yotam, a student in IE’s IEDA Summer School, represented California State Polytechnic University, said, “Technologically, I noticed China’s remarkable development speed in many engineering fields. Here, every student is passionate and we have formed friendships during this Summer School. It’s an incredible experience.”
The intellectual and cultural “feast” has provided a platform for students from all over the world to probe deeply into varied cultures, disciplines, and ideologies; it also presented an international stage for them to showcase themselves, learn from each other and attain individual development.
Editor: Li Han
