As part of the close cooperation between Russia and the People's Republic of China, a delegation from Zhengzhou University of Aeronautics, represented by Professor Chen Leiming, visited South Ural State University. This visit marked a new chapter in the long-term cooperation between the two educational institutions.
SUSU and ZUA have maintained partnership relations for many years. The South Ural Institute was established jointly with SUSU on the basis of the Chinese University, where more than 1,000 Chinese students are currently studying engineering and IT programs. The Institute operates in a network format, and teaches some SUSU disciplines as a participating organization. The best students of the joint Institute are selected to participate in projects in the 2+2 format (2 years of study in China, 2 years at SUSU) and 2+2+2 (2 years in China, 2 years at SUSU and 2 more years of Master's degree).
During the visit, the Chinese delegation held a meeting with the leadership of SUSU – Marina Potapova, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Andrey Kocherov, Deputy Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, and Lyudmila Lapina, Head of the International Cooperation Department. The colleagues expressed their mutual gratitude for the fruitful cooperation and discussed plans for further joint activities in the field of education development.
The guests from the Chinese University visited the Scientific and Educational Center "Nanotechnology" and the laboratory of electromechanical, electronic and electrochemical systems. The central event of the visit was a scientific seminar in the field of materials science, which was attended by teachers of the Department of Materials Science and Physical Chemistry of Materials: Ivan Yerdakov, Deputy Director of the Polytechnic Institute and Associate Professor; Svetlana Shtin, Deputy Director of the Polytechnic Institute for Public Relations and Associate Professor of the Department of Physical Chemistry of Materials. Professor; Vladimir Zhulin, Associate Professor; Natalia Shaburova, Associate Professor; and other staff of the department.
"As it turned out, Zhengzhou University of Aeronautics has many research areas that are also conducted at our university," said Svetlana Shtin, Deputy Director of the Polytechnic Institute for Public Relations. "First of all, our cooperation will focus on the work of researchers, but we can also involve students. We are just starting this work, despite the fact that student exchange between our universities has been going on for some time. The development of joint research projects is a promising area that we are striving for."
During the meeting, representatives of both universities discussed a new stage of cooperation – the possibility of creating joint research laboratories in the field of materials science. To this end, the universities will choose a common research topic, and then open laboratories for joint research and publications. Such cooperation will contribute to solving global challenges in the chosen field.
"We have already achieved a lot over the past 5 years – our students are already studying at SUSU," said Chen Leiming, Professor of Zhengzhou University of Aeronautics. "We look forward to further cooperation not only in the field of student exchange, but also in other areas. We would like to open a joint research laboratory at one of our universities for research in the field of materials science, as well as create an international research center where foreign specialists could work."
On the same day, representatives of Zhengzhou University of Aeronautics met with Chinese students who are currently studying at SUSU.
The visit will last several days. The program includes guided tours of the university and the city, as well as a visit to the graduation ceremony for Chinese students who have completed their studies at SUSU.