Polytechnic University Showcases Its Achievements to Students from Tsinghua University

On August 25, a group of Tsinghua University students visited Polytechnic University as part of an annual social practice aimed at learning about other countries and exposure to the world’s outstanding technological achievements.

Tsinghua University, a leading Chinese university ranked 14th in the QS 2023 international ranking, is a long-standing strategic partner of SPbPU. Every year the universities hold many events, our cooperation covers a large number of activities. The last meeting of the leaders took place in June 2023 —
Rector A.I. Rudskoi met with Jiang Peixue, Vice President of Tsinghua University at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

This time 17 students from Xinjiang College and School of Hydraulic Engineering of Tsinghua University visited Polytechnic University. The delegation was headed by Prof. Dong Ge, Head of the Institute for Russia-China Strategic Cooperation of Tsinghua University and Director General of the HuaMan Innovation Park of Information Technology and Telecommunications. The meeting of employees of international services and institutes of SPbPU with the Chinese delegation took place in the Resource Center for International Activities. One of the tasks of the visit was to review the current situation of Sino-Russian economic, technological and scientific and educational cooperation.

The organization of a student visit within the framework of social practice became a natural development of a long and reliable partnership between our universities. Such visits are important for continuing cooperation and maintaining friendship that lasts for generations. Our young people nowadays do not study Russian so widely anymore, and we want to restore this tradition, shared Prof. Dong Ge. On the other hand, scientific, educational and technical cooperation is an opportunity to exchange experience in the implementation of these activities and even find a new approach.

During the meeting between Prof. Dong Ge and students and the heads of international services of SPbPU, the issues of scientific research development, methods of educational activities in Russia and differences between the two countries were discussed. Vladimir Khizhnyak, Head of the International Cooperation Department, spoke about the possibilities of joint postgraduate studies, as well as conducting scientific work and research for Chinese graduate students.

Before the pandemic, a large number of students from Tsinghua University had internships at Polytechnic, and our students had internships in China, said Evgenia Satalkina, Head of the International Education Department. The pledge of friendship and cooperation both in educational and cultural terms will be the resumption of student mobility, internships, participation in summer and winter schools. We hope for the support of the Tsinghua University leadership in the implementation of the 2+2 program, according to which students will study two years in Tsinghua and two years at us.

Deputy Director of the Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications, Associate Professor Evgeny Popov discussed with Professor Dong Ge the issues of attracting Chinese students to postgraduate studies in applied physics and space technologies, as well as further development of scientific projects between our universities in this field.

The rich program of the Chinese students’ visit consisted of acquaintance with the leading laboratories and centers of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Transport of SPbPU: the Robotics Center, the Laboratory of Additive Technologies, the Laboratory of Lightweight Materials and Structures. The delegation also visited the Gazprom-Politech Research and Education Center. The Polytechnic University Supercomputer Center and the Boiling Point — Fablab Center for Project Activities of Youth made a particularly vivid impression on the students who wished to take part in the projects implemented there.

Also during the program, the Chinese delegation visited the Main Building of Polytechnic University and the Museum of SPbPU History, where they got acquainted with outstanding Polytechnic scientists and scientific achievements.

The meeting resulted in an agreement to strengthen academic student exchanges, cultural and humanitarian cooperation between our universities. Representatives of both universities noted that such student study visits should be continued.