On December 15th, Ruolan Wu, the new ambassador to China from the United Kingdom and her staff came to Huazhong University of Science and Technology, visiting the Rapid Manufacturing Center, School of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE), and the photo exhibition recording the fight against COVID-19. During her visit she discussed Sino-British education and the role of scientific research cooperation with Jianguo Chen, vice president of HUST, and attended a video conference focusing on the anti-epidemic experience exchange between Wuhan Union Hospital, affiliated to Tongji Medical College and medical institutions in Swansea, UK.
At the Rapid Manufacturing Center, the results of the cooperation between the center and the University of Birmingham, University of Southampton, Swansea University and other British universities and institutions in the field of 3D printing were shown, as well as the construction of Birmingham-HUST Joint Laboratory for Advanced Materials & Manufacturing. Ruolan Wu also experienced the 3D measurement and 3D printing technology.
While visiting the photo exhibition, Wu communicated with representatives from the medical staff of HUST Affiliated Union Hospital and listened to their experiences and thoughts regarding the epidemic. The front-line medical staff deserve our admiration for their courage, collaboration, and selfless dedication in the anti-pandemic battle, Wu said and expected that China would share its successful experience in fighting the epidemic with the rest of world facing the probability of the rebound of the global epidemic.
Afterwards Wu met with Jianguo Chen and other representatives from HUST and discussed Sino-British education and scientific research cooperation.Jianguo Chen introduced HUST and the results it has achieved over the last few years through its exchange and cooperation with the UK. He pointed out that the UK has always been one of the preferred destinations for our university’s students and teachers to further their studies and expand international partnerships. HUST has established partnerships with more than 30 prestigious British universities, including the University of Manchester and the University of Birmingham, with all institutions significantly benefiting from humanities exchanges, education and scientific research. Chen continued, the ravages of COVID-19 have dramatically affected the international community and the life of people during the past year, and the international situation has undergone profound changes. The global joint fight against the epidemic, however, also fully demonstrates that problems can only be effectively solved if the international community is united in its actions alongside cooperating in an open and equal relationship. In this year, HUST, as the university that has invested and contributed the most to the domestic battle against the epidemic, has been invited to share anti-pandemic experience with British partner universities such as Queen Mary University of London and Swansea University many times via video connections. Chen regarded this visit as an opportunity to comprehensively strengthen the cooperation between HUST and British universities and institutions in the fields of education, scientific research and humanities exchanges.
Yu Zhang, Chair of the Hospital Committee, and Kai Huang, the Vice Dean of Wuhan Union Hospital, introduced the hospital, the highlights and prospects of its exchanges with the UK, and the results of the fight against the epidemic.
Wu fully affirmed the achievements deriving from the collaboration and cooperation between HUST and the UK, and expressed her appreciation for HUST’s effort in the fight against the epidemic. She pointed out that the UK and Hubei, China are highly complementary in many fields, and education and scientific research have always been important directions for cooperation. Huazhong University of Science and Technology is a very good university in China, with outstanding advantages in medicine and engineering. Wu expressed her hope that there would be more cooperation between HUST and British universities and research institutions in pandemic prevention and control, medical innovation, and other cutting-edge fields.
In the video conference between Wuhan Union Hospital and medical institutions in Swansea. Wu said that the current global situation of the epidemic was still severe. As a result of this, it is vital that we continue to strengthen communication and cooperation between Sino-British universities and medical institutions, to make greater contributions to overcome the epidemic and improve global health and safety.
Representatives from the British Consulate in Wuhan, School of MSE, Tongji Medical College and Affiliated Union Hospital, and School of Optical and Electronic Information, HUST, also attended relevant events during the visit.
Written by: Jianwei Ren
Edited by: Andrew, Yumeng Peng
Source: Office of International Affairs, HUST
