Xinhua News Agency | AI Empowerment, Public Welfare First - The 4th Summer School of Environmental Systems Engineering Opened

On August 5th, the 4th Environmental System Engineering Summer School, jointly organized by the Ecological Environment Artificial Intelligence Professional Committee of the Chinese Society of Environmental Sciences, the Water Environment and Water Ecology Branch of the Chinese Urban Science Research Association, and the Industrial Ecology Professional Committee of the Chinese Society of Ecology, and jointly hosted by the School of Environment at Tsinghua University, the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering at Fudan University, and China Water Environment Group, officially opened at the Nanxiang UndergroundReclaimed Water Plant in Jiading, Shanghai, China Water Environment Group. This summer school selected 50 students from universities and research institutes both domestically and internationally, including Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Nanjing University, and others.

Xu Ming, the initiator of the summer school, Vice Dean of the School of Environment at Tsinghua University, and Chair Professor of Carbon Neutrality, stated that Environmental Systems Engineering is an emerging interdisciplinary field that studies complex environmental problems from a systemic perspective. Essentially, it involves understanding from a systemic perspective and using systematic scientific methods to solve complex environmental problems at the systemic level. Xu Ming introduced that the goal of the Environmental Systems Engineering Summer School is to spread and promote universal theories and methods in the development of the discipline. Since its establishment, the summer school has adhered to the concept of prioritizing public welfare and is committed to cultivating more young reserve forces for the Environmental Systems Engineering discipline.

The co initiator of the summer school, Professor Wang Yutao from Fudan University, stated that the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has pointed out that addressing global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution requires an interdisciplinary and systematic approach to explore ways to achieve harmony between humans and nature. To cultivate students' professional abilities in environmental systems engineering and provide scientific support for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which is also the original intention of the Environmental Systems Engineering Summer School.

It is reported that since the first summer school in 2021, the cumulative number of participants in this public welfare activity has exceeded 500. This summer school has received 308 valid applications, and 50 people were finally selected based on merit, with an admission rate of only 16%. This summer school focuses on AI empowerment, hoping to help students broaden their academic horizons and learn professional skills.

Xie Chengcheng, Secretary General of the Water Environment and Water Ecology Branch of the China Urban Science Research Association, gave a detailed introduction to the relevant science popularization work such as the Urban Water Environment and Water Ecology Science Popularization Creative Competition to the students. The event has been held for 6 consecutive sessions since 2019, and has had a wide-ranging and far-reaching impact on the dissemination of water related concepts, knowledge, and actions. She encouraged the students to actively join the science popularization team and work together to promote the popularization of water environment and water ecology knowledge.

Guests at the opening ceremony took a group photo with their classmates to commemorate the occasion

Qu Jiuhui, an academician of the CAE Member, a professor of the School of Environment of Tsinghua University, and a researcher of the Ecological Environment Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has always been concerned about the growth of young scholars. He shared with students the three levels of scientific research and the principles of environmental discipline under the title My Research Experience, reminding students to do well in academia, use technology, and ignore skills. He proposed that the way of learning lies in reason. To break down the path of seeking reason in environmental disciplines, one must maintain creativity and insight, possess sensitivity and logic, discover special phenomena from scientific phenomena, known unknowns, theoretical deductions, and practical engineering, identify existing problems, raise scientific doubts, and reveal unknown mechanisms.

Academician Qu Jiuhui also pointed out the qualities that excellent researchers should possess from the difficulties encountered in starting scientific research, including challenging scientific imagination, mastery of concise scientific methods, and cultivation of habitual scientific interaction. Especially, it is important to understand that balance theory is the scientific foundation and collaborative principle for achieving zero pollution. It is necessary to establish a balance and regulation system for all materials, all factors, all processes, and all cycles, and to construct a digital decision support system that dynamically identifies and regulates multiple balances.

Finally, he emphasized that AI technology will focus on environmental issues, systematically analyze and integrate knowledge from various disciplines, and form a new system that promotes theoretical innovation, technological breakthroughs, and industrial applications. After the report, Academician Qu had an in-depth exchange with his classmates on the role of AI in scientific research and the importance of the dual carbon goal.

Zhang Lujing, Vice President of China Water Environment Group, the co organizer, stated that the group adheres to the path of green ESG development and continues to practice school enterprise cooperation. This summer school was held at the Nanxiang Submerged Reclaimed Water Plant in Jiading, Shanghai, providing students with an immersive learning experience at a national science popularization base. We hope that students will embrace the AI era and work together to promote the innovative development of environmental disciplines during the summer school.

In the afternoon of the opening ceremony, the students visited and studied at the Nanxiang Submerged Reclaimed Water Plant of China Water Environment Group. This water plant adopts the design mode of upper parkand lower plant, with a beautiful water ecological park on the ground. The water system in the park is all treated with high-quality raw water that meets the standard by the sewage treatment plant. The park is equipped with fitness trails, children's playgrounds, outdoor soccer balls, and more. On the east side of the park is the National Ecological Environment Science Popularization Base - Water Environment Science Popularization Museum, which disseminates the concepts of water environment protection and green development to the public through free access to the public.

Classmates take a group photo at the National Ecological Environment Science Popularization Base