Glasgow University’s School of Interdisciplinary Studies (SoIS) welcomed a delegation of distinguished academics from two of China’s most prestigious environmental research institutions to Dumfries on Wednesday (31 July 2019).
Dr John Shi, Senior Lecturer in Hydrology, used his connections in China to bring academics from the Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences (SAAS) and the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CREAS) in Beijing to the School to discuss current research, other interests in common and the potential for future collaborations.
Following discussions between the visitors and staff from SoIS, including Fabrice Renaud, Professor in Environmental Risk / Community Resilience, Dr Jane Cavani, School Director for Internationalisation, and Natalie Anderson, Head of Professional Services, the visitors toured the campus, noting the excellent facilities provide by the University in their Rutherford-McCowan and Maxwell House buildings, before enjoying further lively discussion over lunch.
Dr Shi explained how important this visit was. He said: “The work to address current environmental issues in China being undertaken by SAAS and CRAES is incredibly important and reflective of many of the environmental issues covered in our MA Environmental Science and Sustainability programme.
“There is real potential for a strategic international partnership between SoIS, SAAS and CREAS that would be of benefit to all three institutions; their students, academics and the countries involved.”
Professor Renaud said: “The School already has strong research and teaching links with China through the joint graduate programme in Environmental Science with Nankai University in Tianjin. This visit contributes to developing new and synergistic collaborations with two exceptional organisations undertaking valuable research on global issues.”
