Song Yonghua, Executive Vice President of Zhejiang University(ZJU) and Dean of International Campus, visited Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT)on July 21, 2016. He met with Martin Schmidt, Provost of MIT, Sanjay Sarma, Deputy Executive Vice President, and Vladimir Bulovic, Director of MIT’s Nano Center to exchange views on two parties’ possible cooperation in the newly founded International Campus. Song discussed at length with Schmidt on the prospect of cooperation, respective strengths of the two universities, fields of cooperation and ways to cooperate. They agreed on launching cooperative projects in nanotechnology by developing strategic relationships in terms of teaching, scientific research and production that would benefit both sides.
Song Yonghua met with MIT Provost Martin Schmidt
Song Yonghua met with MIT Vice President Sanjay Sarma
Song Yonghua heard briefing by Vladimir Bulovic, Director of MIT’s Nano Center
Song Yonghua visited construction site of MIT Nano Center
Song also discussed with Sanjay Sarma and Vladimir Bulovic on details about the establishment of the ZJU-MIT Center. They agreed that the two parties would focus on nanotechnology and relevant fields, promoting in-depth and sustainable cross-disciplinary cooperation through their respective advantageous areas and transformation of technological achievements. They would further explore the possibilities of launching dual-degree graduate programs in the International Campus, conducting nanotech-based cross-disciplinary researches, establishing regular student and professor exchange programs, and constructing a joint nanotech center at the International Campus on the basis of MIT’s and ZJU’s nano centers. These cooperative initiatives, they hope, would improve quality education and nanotechnology innovations, which may also facilitate industrial progress and social-economic development.
Founded in 1861, MIT is a private research university, ranking 1st in QS World University Rankings and 2nd in US News and World Report in 2015/16. It is best known for its excellence in engineering and computer sciences, while its economics and social sciences studies also rank among top 5 globally. MIT is home to 85 Nobel laureates and 19 Turing Award winners. Its newly founded MIT Nano Center, with a total investment of 500 millions USD, is its most expensive strategic science & education platform in recent years, and its development has been a high priority for MIT. Through cross-disciplinary researches, it is committed to bringing about innovations in fields such as material structure, health, energy science, sustainable development, computing and communications and nanotech products. The center is expected to address major challenges that people face through international cooperation and interaction in nanotechnology.