In China
January 22, 2007
Bowling
Green, Ky. - Two faculty members from Western Kentucky University’s Department of Geography and
Geology, recently traveled to China to set up a computer research laboratory at China Southwest University in Chongqing.
This research facility will support the implementation of WKU’s China Environmental Health Project, sponsored by
the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) with the support of U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell.
During their recent 10-day visit, Assistant Professor Dr. Jun Yan and GIS Director Kevin Cary conducted a number of workshops using Geographic Information Systems software, ArcGIS 9.2. These workshops were specifically designed to improve the skills of Chinese scholars and students in conducting advanced geographic analysis and visualization using state-of-art information technology.
“Every aspect of Chinese society is undergoing rapid changes,” said Dr. Yan, a native of China. “To understand these changes, you cannot just look from the outside. You must experience it and be a part of it from the inside.”
Dr. Yan also noted that when he discusses topics related to China in his World Regional Geography class, WKU students are always fascinated by China’s unbelievable economic achievements that have occurred over such a short period of time. “Many students cannot understand why, but a major reason for China’s growth is the eagerness of the Chinese to learn and their willingness to embrace new ideas,” he said. “This was reflected in our GIS workshops. The Chinese students were so enthusiastic to learn new GIS skills; so much so that in order to complete the required exercises, students simply skipped meals and worked during evenings and weekends without any complaint. They understood that this was a great opportunity for them.”
Dr. Yan and Cary’s workshops mark the beginning of a series of geoscience-related technical workshops offered by WKU geoscientists to Chinese scholars and students at China Southwest University. Dr. Chris Groves, director of the Hoffman Environmental Research Institute, along with several WKU geoscience graduate students, also visited China during the Winter Term. Dr. Groves and his students have been conducting training in cave surveying and environmental monitoring.
“This wonderful partnership with China Southwest University provides both WKU and Chinese students and faculty the opportunity to learn though training and workshops,” said Dr. David Keeling, Geography and Geology Department Head. “These experiences are exactly what WKU envisions with its mission statement to prepare students (both ours and theirs) for success in a global society.”
Additional information on the China Environmental Health Project is available in the January-February issue of Echo, the online magazine for the WKU community, at http://www.wku.edu/echo/responsible.htm.
More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.
For information, contact Jun Yan or Kevin Cary at (270) 745-4555.
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