Undergraduate students majoring in Marine Science won awards on Large Asian River International Symposium
The 7th Large Asian River International Symposium was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from August 11th to August 16th in 2024. Professor Lai Zhongping attended the meeting with his students Wu Ziyuan and Fang Zibin.Wu Ziyuan gave a report entitled "Late Quaternary luminescence chronology of the river terrace in headwater of the Yangtze River in interior Tibetan Plateau and implication to global climate change" , and shared the first prize of the oral report with a doctoral student from Cambodian Institute of Technology. The second and the third prize were won by graduate students from East China Normal University, Fudan University and other universities. Fang Zibin's poster "Spatial Distribution, Age, and Formation of Coastal Dunes in the Han River Delta in Guangdong Province of South China" won the third prize of excellent poster. Professor Lai Zhongping also gave a report at the conference.
Wu Ziyuan and Fang Zibin took the initiative to join the research team of Professor Lai Zhongping when they were freshmen. By clarifying scientific issues, doing field sampling, processing and analysing data and presenting work periodically in group meetings, Wu Ziyuan and Fang Zibin got experience regarding scitific research from all aspects.
In addition to participating in the arduous but fruitful field investigation and sampling in projects which launched in Yangtze River source area of the uninhabited area of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (a project in cooperation with the Yangtze River Commission) for nearly two weeks, Wu Ziyuan also involved in many projects launched in the lower reaches of the Yellow River Plain, the offshore waters of Nan’ao, Raoping Zhelin Bay, and the Chaoshan Plain. This projects which involve fieldwork and getting samples by drilling enabled Wu Ziyuan to get the ability about doing practical research in geology field trip. He also has a lot of academic experience in domestic and foreign exchanges, and has participated in four national conferences.
Fang Zibin presented his work on the coastal dunes of the Hanjiang Delta and the Shanwei dunes at this conference through a poster presentation. Beyond the work reported at the meeting, Fang Zibin has also participated in field trips and drilling sampling at the Hanjiang Delta, Guangxi Baise Paleolithic sites, Xijiang (a tributary of the Pearl River) terraces, Nanliujiang Delta (Beibu Gulf), offshore Nan'ao, Raoping beach rocks, Raoping Tuolin Bay, and the Lianjiang Delta, among others, accumulating extensive hands-on geological experience. Additionally, Fang Zibin has been selected for the "Changji Project" (Category A) for Marine Science major at Shantou University and leads a national-level innovation project. In terms of academic exchanges, he has attended four national conferences and frequently visits institutions such as Xiamen University, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Guangdong Geological Survey Institute, and Jiaying University for experimental work and collaborative learning.
Professor Lai Zhongping has always believed that in the rapidly evolving era of AI, traditional classroom and exam-focused teaching methods struggle to meet the learning needs of some outstanding students from generation Z who are passionate about developing practical skills.Therefore, Professor Lai tried his best to tailor study and research plans for every students based on their interests and foundational knowledge. The achievements of the students who attended this conference demonstrate that this problem-solving oriented guidance plan is effective and worth further exploration. Undergraduates who actively engage in research with Professor Lai Zhongping's team have shown significant improvement in self-growth, logical thinking, exploratory abilities, teamwork, collaboration with partner institutions, English proficiency, and fieldwork skills.
The 7th International Symposium on Asian Great Rivers has gathered experts, researchers, and practitioners from various fields to explore the evolution of river systems and the impact of global environmental changes from both historical and contemporary perspectives.The symposium covers topics such as river dynamics, geomorphology, hydrology, and environmental changes. Institutions which attended the conference include the National University of Singapore, the Institute of Physics of India, the Indian Institute of Technology, Cairo University in Egypt, the Royal University of Cambodia, Tribhuvan University in Nepal, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Kunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, East China Normal University, Fudan University, China University of Geosciences, Chang'an University, Hohai University, Shaanxi Normal University, South China Normal University, and Shantou University etc.
The Marine Science major in the College of Science upholds the educational philosophy of "establishing the self and pursuing selflessness," and is committed to nurturing high-quality talents who are "aspiring, knowledgeable, persistent, and capable." The College of Science leverages its strong disciplines (key construction disciplines of high-level universities in Guangdong Province) to drive the development of its advantageous majors (first-class undergraduate majors at the national level, the first batch of basic disciplines in Guangdong Province's "Changji Project"). It is committed to achieving a reciprocal relationship between scientific research and teaching, focusing on outcomes to solidify the quality of undergraduate education. In the future, the Marine Science major will take advantage of the "Changji Project" to cultivate more high-quality marine science talents with rigorous scientific attitudes, broad scientific foundations, and a macro marine perspective.
