The BMS department has organised a student summer exchange visit to Tianjin University, which is one of most prestigious universities in China. The student group includes undergraduate and graduate students from both BMS and the Department of Biology and Chemistry and was led by BMS faculty Dr Linfeng Huang and Dr Xi Yao.

The group was warmly received by the host institute, the School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology (SPST), led by renowned chemist Prof Jay Siegel. SPST, as a model institution of China’s internationalizing effort of its research, has a large proportion of foreign faculty members and uses English as the medium of teaching. The school also carries out a very strong research program.

The group visited the campus and the departments of Tianjin University as well as its neighbouring Nankai University. Advanced lectures were given to the students in a workshop jointly organized by SPST and BMS faculties. A key component of the workshop was a group task of giving group presentations on selected topics in biomedical sciences. Four groups were formed by students from both CityU and Tianjin University and they successfully gave presentations on topics from viral disease therapy to tissue engineering. During the stay, the group also visited tourist attractions, high-tech district and bio-tech companies in Tianjin.

Through this visit, CityU students learned new knowledge and practiced their knowledge and skills in the group activity. Moreover it was a valuable cultural experience and friendships were made between CityU and Tianjin University students.

This visit is supported by the 10000 Program from the Ministry of Education.