The penultimate day of the UW’s week of events in China featured the University’s inaugural Innovation Summit, preceded by a gathering of alumni leaders from around Asia.
Category: Connecting
Huskies immerse in Chinese culture before the big game
With less than 48 hours left before the big Pac-12 China game, the UW Men’s Basketball team took in the sights of Shanghai, observing monks, visiting historic sites and practicing their Mandarin with locals. The Huskies also gave presentations at a temple as part of their class with English Professor Shawn Wong.
Scenes from the first half of #UWinChina
Photographers have been capturing scenes from the first half of the #UWinChina events, from a visit to Tsinghua University, to meeting Jack Ma at Alibaba’s headquarters, to experiencing some of the history and culture of China. Here are a few of our favorites.
All photos courtesy of Dan Schlatter (UW), Chad Ingraham (Shanghai) and the Pac-12
Extended Gallery
Visit UW Athletics’ site for more photos of Huskies in China.
Jack Ma gives advice to UW students during Alibaba visit
Try everything. Be optimistic. Don’t be afraid of failure. And make sure the people around you are empowered. Those are Alibaba founder Jack Ma’s guiding principles, and the advice he gave student journalists at the company’s Hangzhou headquarters Tuesday.
Big data holds tremendous opportunities to solve health challenges, Cauce tells Tsinghua forum
The challenges of our time cross boundaries, so universities and nations must do the same to solve them. That was the message President Ana Mari Cauce delivered during her keynote address Monday at the Tsinghua University Innovation and Big Data Forum in Beijing.
UW and Tsinghua deepen partnership with new GIX degree agreement
A partnership created in June with the launch of the Global Innovation Exchange was further deepened Monday in Beijing as the University of Washington and Tsinghua University signed an agreement creating a 1+1 dual degree program.
Cauce, Gregoire highlight inclusive innovation in The Seattle Times
President Ana Mari Cauce and former Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire highlighted how the Puget Sound’s unique spirit of inclusive innovation presents international opportunities in today’s Seattle Times. Gregoire is taking part in the UW’s events in China this week.
“[T]he most meaningful innovations of the future will result from multidisciplinary, multi-institutional and multinational collaborations to address and solve some of the world’s most perplexing challenges,” the two wrote.
“We believe our two great countries have much to contribute to making our world better and that we can accomplish more if we work together.”
UW Department of Communication well represented during #UWinChina
In a trip all about building international partnerships and bridging two cultures, it makes sense that the Department of Communication would be well represented.
This week the department highlighted the faculty, students and alumni taking part in the events in China.
Associate Professor Gina Neff and UW Communication Hall of Fame member and former Gov. Chris Gregoire will both speak at the UW Innovation Summit.
Meanwhile, three students and a recent graduate are also part of the week. UW junior Joe Knight, a men’s basketball player, and sophomore Jane Yang, a teaching assistant, are part of the Pac-12 China game and related educational activities, and junior Olivia Fuller and alumnus Erik Erickson are reporting on the events for The Daily and HUA Voice.
Read more on the department’s blog and keep up with the trip through #UWinChina.
Cauce talks about the UW in China with Seattle, Austin media
Before departing for China, President Ana Mari Cauce and other UW officials, including Head Men’s Basketball Coach Lorenzo Romar, spoke with media from Seattle, as well as the home of the Huskies’ Pac-12 China game opponent.
The stories all encompassed the full range of activities — from academics and innovation to athletics — that will take place during the week. Follow all the events on Twitter at #UWinChina.
Media roundup:
- Geekwire: University of Washington visits China to celebrate partnerships, play in historic basketball game
- Seattle Times: UW president, other leaders part of Husky basketball trip to China
- The Daily / HUA Voice Radio: Q&A with Ana Mari Cauce before trip to China
- Austin American-Statesman: Texas, Washington headed to China: ‘This isn’t just a basketball game’
A cultural exchange with fellow UW students in China
Kim Boudreau served as a Husky Presidential Ambassador this summer, traveling to China to study abroad and mentor incoming international freshmen. For this senior from Spokane, the trip was a chance to leave North America for the first time and share her Husky Pride with incoming freshmen. She came back with new friends and fresh perspectives.
I loved exploring China with the freshmen students. Meeting them in their home country opened my world and theirs. I was matched with Qingyuan and Leo in Beijing, and with Zhicheng and Danni in Shanghai. One of my favorite memories is visiting the crowded, windy Hutongs of Beijing. The Hutongs are a series of old, narrow alleyways, not an ideal place for a big group. Our group of eight UW students was having so much fun that we decided to stick together anyway. Miraculously, we managed not to lose anyone.
I gained as much from the experience as the freshmen students did. I had traveled outside the U.S. only once before, on a trip to Montreal to visit family. This experience was on a whole new level. The Chinese students asked a ton of questions about life at the UW and in the United States. What are the professors like? Which classes should I take? Where’s the best place to eat? If I didn’t know the answer, I asked a fellow Husky Presidential Ambassador. This showed the freshmen students that peers are very useful resources. For my part, I learned that Chinese students are a lot like me. They have the same questions and worries that I had when I first started college. When I started at the UW I was very nervous, and I was only moving from Spokane. I can’t imagine moving halfway across the world. This experience totally changed my perspective on international students.
My study abroad experience was so much richer because I had the opportunity to participate in this cultural exchange. Being with someone who spoke the language and knew the culture made exploring Beijing and Shanghai much easier, but more importantly, I had new friends with me who could answer questions, and tell me about these new places from their perspective.
I didn’t want our time in China to end. At the same time, I was so excited to get back to Seattle because that meant I was one step closer to welcoming the Chinese students to the University of Washington. This quarter, we have class together every Friday. I’m excited for us to explore our University together.