On March 20, the 2016 Academic Advisory Committee of School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology of China (SUSTech) was held. Present were Chen Shiyi, President of SUSTech, all members of the Committee, Academician Mary Anderson from University of Wisconsin, Academician Steven Gorelick from Stanford University, Academician Michael Hoffmann from California Institute of Technology, Academician Wang Guanglian from Tsinghua University and Academician Fu Bojie from the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Prof. Zhang Xiaodong, Dean of the College of Engineering, Peking University attended the conference as invited experts. Prof. Zheng Chunmiao, Dean of the School of Environmental Science and Engineering, chaired the conference. Also present were all teachers at the school.
Chen thanked the five Chinese and foreign academicians present, and introduced SUSTech to them. Zheng introduced the history, organization, strategy and objective of the school. Since its establishment in May 2015, the school has developed rapidly so as to initially establish a well-structured and energetic faculty of 15 full-time teachers (six professors, two associate professors, two assistant professors). These teachers include three experts included in the Recruitment Program of Global Experts, one winner of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, one expert enjoying the special allowance from the State Council.
Prof. Zheng Yifu, Teaching Director of the School of Environmental Science and Engineering, reported the progress of the school's undergraduate and postgraduate training, and analyzed the opportunities and challenges faced by teaching. Subsequently other teachers made presentations on teaching, research and industrialization. Prof. Li Hailong, Prof. Liu Junguo, Assistant Prof. Sujong Jeong and Assistant Prof. Tang Yuanyuan introduced the school's research orientation such as water resources and water environment, global environmental changes and industrial ecology based on their research work. Prof. Hu Qing made a presentation on the orientation, development and strategic objective of the SUSTech Engineering Innovation Center (Beijing); Associate Researcher Yi Shuping introduced the construction progress of the Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Prevention and Control; and Prof. Liu Chongxuan introduced the preparatory progress of the multi-disciplinary environmental research center.
After listening to the reports and presentations, committee members held discussions school teachers, communicated with Zheng separately, and offered opinions and suggestions on the school's teaching, research, industrialization and faculty construction through panel discussion. This conference provided clear ideas for and important guiding opinions on the school's development in the next period.
