Students Attend Summer School at University of Toronto

On July 23,12 undergraduate students and 4 graduate students from School of Earth Sciences of Zhejiang University arrived at the University of Toronto's Scarborough Campus (UTSC), where they began an 18-day summer school. The event was strongly supported by the schools of both sides. Under the framework of exchanges and cooperation between the two universities, the Department of Environmental Science and Physics of the University of Toronto, the International Department and the International Cooperation and Exchange Department of Zhejiang University, and the School of Earth Sciences of Zhejiang University worked together closely to promote this exchange practice, opening a new chapter in the long-term cooperation and exchange between the School of Earth Sciences of Zhejiang University and the Department of Environmental Science and Physics of the University of Toronto.

(UTSC Vice President and Provost Professor William Gough on the left, Professor Gar Mitchell, Deputy Director of the Department of Environmental Science and Physics at the upper right, and Dr. Jerry Jien, Head of the GAPP Project at the bottom right)

At the welcoming ceremony on July 24th, Professor William Gough, UTSC Vice President and Provost, and Professor Carl Mitchell, Deputy Director of the Department of Environmental Science and Physics, gave a welcome speech on behalf of the school and the department. Professor William Gough first welcomed the arrival of the Summer Exchange Practice Group from the School of Earth Sciences of Zhejiang University. As a professor of environmental science at the University of Toronto, he encouraged students to be good at thinking and to face the future environmental pressures and challenges together. Professor Carl Mitchell hopes that the students of the School of Earth Sciences will communicate with local students and professors during their study period, make full use of various academic resources to obtain updated academic nutrients. Mr. Yan Yu (Ph.D. in Environmental Science, University of Toronto), the head of the GAPP program at the International Department of the University of Toronto, introduced the entire exchange practice activities to the students and led the students to visit the University of Toronto campus after the meeting.

During the three-week academic exchange and cultural practice, the students were deeply impressed and full of harvest. They not only learned the expertise of climate change, meteorological data processing and analysis, future climate prediction and R software applications, but also learned practical communication skills, social etiquette and job search skills. Outside the classroom, the University of Toronto has also arranged rich cultural experience activities, students have the opportunity to experience the local customs of Canada and feel the charm of different cultures. The students unanimously stated that through this valuable exchange practice program, they not only learned about environmental protection and sustainable development strategies of Canada, but also enhanced their understanding of the cultural connotations of China and the West.

At the closing ceremony, Ms. Yan Yuan, Director of the International Department of the University of Toronto, presented the certificate of completion to the 16 students of the Exchange Practice Group on behalf of the school. Shen Xinchi, a teacher of the exchange practice group, presented the memorial fan of Zhejiang University and the Chinese knot on behalf of the School of Earth Sciences of Zhejiang University.

A complete success of this event marks a substantial step in the process of building an exchange platform between two universities. Such an international communication platform not only helps students improve their academic ability, understands multiculturalism, but also promotes the development and cooperation in the research fields of related disciplines. The School of Earth Sciences of Zhejiang University closely follows the school's international strategic goal of promoting "double first-class" construction, and continuously improves the level of international education with an open philosophy. The School of Earth Sciences will continue to strengthen cooperation with international organizations, overseas high-level universities and research institutions, actively expand international exchange channels, and provide more excellent academic exchange opportunities for the teachers and students of the college.