On the morning of July 6, 2025, the opening ceremony of the 2025 UCAS-ANSO-APRU International Summer School was held at the lecture hall of the Sino-Danish College at the Yanqi Lake Campus of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS).
With the theme of “Earth Science for a Shared Future”, the summer school welcomed more than 50 outstanding students from 37 universities and colleges across 25 countries and regions. Professor Lin Xiao, Vice President of UCAS, Dr. Yi Zhijun, Deputy Executive Director of the Secretariat of the Alliance of National and International Science Organizations for the Belt and Road Regions (ANSO), and Professor Thomas Schneider, CEO of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), delivered speeches at the ceremony. Professor Zhou Yuanze, Deputy Dean of College of Earth and Planetary Sciences of UCAS, hosted this event.
On behalf of the university, Professor Lin Xiao extended a warm welcome to the participants who had traveled from afar. He introduced that UCAS represents the integration of science and education and emphasized that the summer school aims to build a platform for young global scholars to conduct academic exchanges and cultural mutual learning. He hoped that the participants could seize this opportunity to discuss global issues, broaden their academic horizons, inspire innovative thinking, and strengthen international cooperation, thereby contributing wisdom and strength to building a community with a shared future for humankind.
Professor Lin Xiao delivers a speech.
In his speech, Dr. Yi Zhijun pointed out that ANSO has long been committed to enhancing capacity-building for young researchers and international scientific research cooperation. He said that this summer school is not only a vivid practice of the Alliance’s core philosophy, but also an important collaborative achievement made by ANSO, UCAS, and APRU. He urged the participants to cherish the opportunities for academic exchanges and transnational cooperation, actively exploring how to utilize scientific and technological achievements to realize global sustainable development, build international friendships and knowledge networks through idea exchanges, and jointly contribute wisdom and strength to promoting global sustainable development.
Professor Yi Zhijun delivers his speech.
Professor Thomas Schneider delivered a speech online. He noted that as global challenges such as climate change and resource depletion escalate, the theme “Earth Science for a Shared Future” is of critical significance—especially in the ecologically vulnerable Pacific Rim region, and humanity’s future depends on our understanding of the Earth system and coordinated responses. He encouraged the participants to leverage the opportunity of this program to deepen their scientific understanding, broaden their global vision, and break through traditional frameworks with innovative thinking, preparing themselves as a key force in advancing the agenda of “Earth Science for a Shared Future.”
Professor Thomas Schneider delivers an online speech.
The international summer school is co-hosted by the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Alliance of National and International Science Organizations, and the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (UCAS-ANSO-APRU), and it has also gathered the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, CAS, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, CAS, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, CAS, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS, and Institute of Earth Environment, CAS.
The summer school lasts for 14 days and provides courses (25th June-1st July) and offline scientific and research activities (5th July-11th July). It attracted 1,088 applications from 86 countries, which fully demonstrates the appeal of interdisciplinary dialogue, and the attention young scholars pay to sustainable development issues. After rigorous screening, over 50 participants gained the invitation of the summer school. As a platform for academic exchanges and cross-cultural activities, the International Summer School will not only help its participants improve their professional abilities, and broaden their horizons, but also inject new vitality into international cooperation and development in the field of earth science.
Group Photo
