A fresh start for the year ahead
Morning glow began to glimmer when some 100 Fudan faculty and students gathered on Handan campus for the first flag raising ceremony of 2020. The national flag rose again in the majestic national anthem. Gazing at the national flag flying high in the sky, everyone sang the university anthem together.
Fudan University Open Day 2020 also kicked off on this day. Over 4,600 middle school students and their parents came to Fudan to experience the campus culture. More than 400 teachers and students from 30 schools and departments volunteered to guide visitors.
Philosophy of education & dreams of future
University, where countless unknowns and mysteries lie, is a new starting point of life. Students may have all kinds of confusion over the ideal, lifestyle, academic development or future planning. Scholarships, international exchanges, double degree programs, career development and further education are also the issues concerning every university student.
In light of this, 7 lectures on talent cultivation were held for the students at Guanghua Building. Fudan University Vice President Xu Lei offered a vivid interpretation on Fudan’s educational philosophy, taking concrete examples of Fudan’s undergraduate talent cultivation and discipline construction.
Staff from the Academic Affairs Office, Student Affairs Department, College Office, Career Guidance Center, Graduate School and Office of Global Partnership introduced policies on major transfer, double degree programs, scholarships, student financial support, Fudan College, undergraduate career development, further education and international exchange programs. The information-rich lectures outlined a grand picture of Fudan’s effort in first-class undergraduate education construction.
Outstanding professors & academic feast
Five famous professors of different research backgrounds made special reports on the academic frontiers of their own fields. Their insights were well received by students.
Mao Ying, Deputy Dean of Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University and Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University and Executive Deputy Director of neurosurgery of Huashan Hospital, gave a lecture on “Unlock the Secret of the Human Brain - Brain Science in the Eyes of Brain Surgeons”.
Feng Jianfeng, Chief Professor of Shanghai Center for Mathematical Sciences and Dean of the Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-inspired Intelligence at Fudan University, has been devoted to mathematics, statistics and computer science, applying creative solutions to specific problems in neuroscience, various brain diseases and intelligent algorithms. His lecture titled “Biological Brain VS Artificial Intelligence” led students to unveil the mystery of those fields.
Yao Dali, Senior Professor of Liberal Arts at Fudan University, engaged students in the lecture titled “The Silk Road in History” with the long history, helping them understand the ancestral wisdom in history and the importance of commitment to truth and scholarship.
Zhang Yuanbo, Distinguished Professor of Fudan University, and “Changjiang Scholar”, a title awarded by the Ministry of Education, has been working on low-dimensional nanostructures, especially the electrical and optical properties of graphene. In his lecture entitled “There’s plenty of room at the bottom”, Zhang Yuanbo opened up the gate to the world of science for the young students.
Xiong Hao, Associate Professor of Fudan Law school, Champion of “I am a Speaker” Season 3 and 4 and popular contestant of a debate show Qi Pa Shuo, gave an interactive “Fudan Q & A session”. His witty remarks won rounds of applause.
In addition to these thematic lectures, department heads and “top-notch” scholars hosted lectures to introduce to the visitors their courses and programs, inspiring the students to identify majors of interest and know how Fudan would foster their learning and prepare for their future.
Besides lectures, a number of places on campus are open for public visiting. Visitors walked into laboratories and archives to have an in-depth experience of the environment Fudan University has created for students.
Immerse in Fudan culture and write down future expectations
On the lawn in front of Guanghua Building, visitors registered and sent postcards at arrays of red stalls. The red color symbolized flames of hopes and dreams, bringing warmth to this slightly bleak winter time.
A special open day passport for visitors to check out activities and collect stamps led them to every corner of the campus, from Yanyuan garden and Xiyuan garden to Guanghua Building, from the University History Museum to the libraries, and from Cai Guanshen Musuem to ZuJia Biology Museum. These sites together formed a trajectory that tells not only the vicissitudes, trials and hardships of the century-old university, but also the rise of Fudan to the call of the new era and its mighty power derived from unremitting endeavors. Here, visitors measured the vastness of Fudan with their steps and felt the depth of Fudan with their heart.
At the “Slow Mail” activity, visitors wrote down their hopes and wishes on postcards and dropped them into the mailbox in front of Guanghua Building. These postcards, entrusted with dreams of the young students, will be kept by Fudan University. They wrote about their frustration and joy in learning: as if walking down an endless corridor, they felt their way ahead in vain; they sobbed and cried in bed at night; and they cheered secretly when finally seeing progress. But when glorious blossoms of victory grow out of tears of struggles, their hard work will be paid off. Those postcards, and those hopeful messages, will come back to them at the right moment.
Experiencing Fudan’s canteens is one of the most popular things to do on the open day. The university offered meals for 10 yuan at Dan Yuan restaurant, the halal canteen and the Faculty’s Canteen in the southern area.
“I think a lot of details about this open day manifest Fudan’s culture, like the calligraphy society’s hands-on session, the entrepreneurship project demonstration, clear signs for waste sorting, and temporary hot water machines. The atmosphere of openness and warmth prevails the campus,” said one visitor.
