Shanghai Jiao Tong University hosts international education forum on Sustainable Development Goals
Educators and officials from China and abroad have called for international cooperation in education and interdisciplinary research to achieve sustainable development goals set by the UN as they attended a forum at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
The 2024 International Education Forum on Sustainable Development Goals, the first of its kind co-organized by the the university's Paris Elite Institute of Technology, National Graduate College for Elite Engineers and Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press, focuses on the theme of "interdisciplinary integration, and the cultivation of internationally outstanding engineers."
Xu Xuemin, vice president of Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Xu Xuemin, vice president of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, said with the continuous iteration of artificial intelligence and other technologies, higher education has observed the characteristics of interdisciplinary and cross-cultural integration. She said Shanghai Jiao Tong University has always upheld its principle of being "comprehensive, innovative and international" and integrated sustainable development goals in its education through international cooperation.
As this year marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and France, she added that the university wished to carry out wider and deeper cooperation with more countries including France in areas such as international education, engineering, and medical talent cultivation.
Chen Wei, deputy director of the Ministry of Education's Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges
Chen Wei, deputy director of the Ministry of Education's Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges, said there was a huge demand for top-notch talent as the Chinese government has put forward plans for development of "new quality productivity forces."
"The development of new quality productivity forces needs top creative talent cultivated through higher education," he said. "We hope our universities can deepen their cooperation with their counterparts around the world, to make joint contributions to the sustainability of the whole world and the development of international community with a shared future by cultivating more creative talent with international vision."
Yu Lizhong, chancellor emeritus of Shanghai New York University
Yu Lizhong, chancellor emeritus of Shanghai New York University, shared the story of the development of the first Sino-US joint venture university in China and stressed the importance of exploring new training modes of innovative talent in the information age and establishing a multi-cultural integration mechanism so as to build a talent center and innovation highland in the world.
Serge Stinckwich, head of Research of United Nations University Institute in Macau
Serge Stinckwich, head of Research of United Nations University Institute in Macau, spoke of the risks of artificial intelligence to society, such as in employment, academia, education, compliance, and the environment, and stressed the necessity of interdisciplinarity in AI research.
Frédéric Toumazet, French dean of SJTU Paris Elite Institute of Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and one of the winners of Shanghai Magnolia Silver Award last year, pointed out that the professionalism of university studies is a trend that can be observed with enhanced connection between higher-education institutions and industries.
He gave SJTU Paris Elite Institute of Technology as an example to show how universities can prepare students with scientific and technical knowledge as well as the skills of leadership, membership, and social responsibility required by industries. He called for efforts to encompass different aspects of professionalism and connection with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, stressing the importance of "steering training as an individual asset in a collective context."
Frédéric Toumazet, French dean of SJTU Paris Elite Institute of Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
During the forum, the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press, SJTU Paris Elite Institute of Technology, the International Elite Engineering School of East China University of Science and Technology, the Sino-French Engineer School of Nanjing University of Science and Technology, and the Paris Curie Engineering School of Beijing University of Chemical Technology signed an agreement to develop textbooks for cooperation in engineering education between China and France.
