HIT Delegation attended the UArctic Rectors' Forum 2019

The UArctic Rectors' Forum 2019 has opened on August 19, 2019 in Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.

As UArctic undergoes significant organizational and governance changes, the rectors attending the Forum discussed the future role of university leadership in the organization. Over 40 rectors, students and other participants has participated in the meetings in Peterborough before departing for additional meetings in Ottawa with key representatives of the Canadian government and other UArctic partners.

This year's Rectors' Forum took the theme "Made in the Arctic". Following a keynote panel on existing gaps and challenges in Arctic education and education policy, the event featured a number of engaging panel discussions among assembled rectors. Other topics include Pan-Arctic youth engagement, building stronger collaboration with Arctic communities and universities, and training the next generation of Arctic scientists.

A delegation from Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) attended the Forum. The delegation was composed of Dr. LI Yifan, Chief Scientist of Polar Academy, HIT and Director of UArctic-HIT Training Centre, the first Regional Center of UArctic, Mr. ZHAO Yijie, Vice Dean, the Science and Industrial Technology Research Institute, HIT, and Ms. FENG Yang, International Coordinator, Office of Global Affairs, HIT. The HIT delegation received warm welcome from the organizer and UArctic. According to Dr. Lars Kullerud, the President of the UArctic, this is the first Chinese delegation has attended the Forum since the establishment of UArctic in 1998.

In a Special Rectors Panel on the Future of Institutional Leadership/Students Meeting chaired by Dr. Lars Kullerud, Dr. Li gave a talk entitled “UArctic-HIT Training Centre: Mission, Organization, and Activities”, in which Dr. Li introduced Harbin Institute of Technology, Polar Academy, HIT, and the UArctic-HIT Training Centre. Two major branches of the UArctic-HIT Training Centre, “China2North Mobility Program Office” and “International Arctic School (IAS)” were introduced in detail. At the end, the IAS-HIT Winter School 2020 and the UArctic Rectors’ Meeting were announced, which received warm responses from rectors and students. The UArctic Rectors' Forum 2020 will be held in Reykjavik, Iceland from 6 to 8 October, 2020.

Dr. LI Yifan, the third on the right of the first row; Ms. FENG Yang and Mr. ZHAO Yijie, the first and the second on the right of the second row, respectively.

From left to right: FENG Yang, LI Yifan, the ZHAO Yijie.