Opening of International Summer School on Earth Sciences for a Shared Future

ANSO Secretariat

14 07, 2025

On the morning of July 6th, the 2025 International Summer School on Earth Sciences for a Shared Future, which will last two weeks, was inaugurated at the Sino-Danish Center, Yanqi Lake Campus, UCAS.

The event was a collaborative activity initiated by the Alliance of National and International Science Organizations for the Belt and Road Regions (ANSO) and the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) and implemented by the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. More than 60 international students from 37 universities across 25 countries and regions participated in the event.

The ceremony was presided over by Prof. Zhou Yuanze, Vice Dean of the UCAS’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences. Prof. Lin Xiao, Vice President of UCAS, Dr. Yi Zhijun, Deputy Executive Director of the ANSO Secretariat, and Prof. Thomas Schneider, Executive Director of APRU, delivered opening remarks successively.

On behalf of UCAS, Prof. Lin Xiao extended a warm welcome to the participants who had traveled afar to Beijing. He briefly introduced UCAS’s education system, which integrates science and education. He emphasized that this summer school was to build a platform for academic exchange and cultural communication among global young scholars. He expressed hope that participants would take this opportunity to discuss issues of common interest and global concern, broaden academic horizons, stimulate innovative thinking, advance international cooperation, and contribute ideas and insights to the building of a community with a shared future for humankind.

In his speech, Dr. Yi Zhijun mentioned that ANSO had been committed to promoting international scientific cooperation and capacity building for young researchers. This summer school was a practice of ANSO’s vision and an important collaborative action of the three parties, ANSO, APRU, and UCAS. He urged students to cherish the opportunity for academic exchange and trans-boundary cooperation, actively explore how to leverage science and technology to fulfill the global goals of sustainable development, build international friendships and collaborative networks, and make collective contributions to advancing global sustainable development.

Prof. Thomas Schneider delivered his remarks online. He pointed out that against the backdrop of accelerating climate change, resource depletion, and other intensifying global challenges, the theme “Earth Sciences for a Shared Future” holds critical significance. Especially in the ecologically vulnerable Pacific Rim region, humanity’s future depends on understanding the Earth System and taking coordinated action. He encouraged young participants to leverage their participation in this international summer school as an opportunity to deepen scientific understanding, expand global perspectives, break through traditional frameworks with innovative thinking, and become important forces in advancing the agenda of Earth Sciences for Shared Future.

The event was initiated at a meeting between the Executive Director of ANSO and the Executive Director of APRU in Hong Kong in 2024. After rounds of discussions among ANSO, APRU, and UCAS, this joint event came into reality with the participation and support of several CAS-affiliated institutions. The 14-day program consists of online courses and on-site activities. By creating a platform for academic exchange and cross-cultural experience, the summer school will not only help enhance participants’ professional capabilities but also broaden their international horizons and inject new vitality into cross-disciplinary international cooperation in earth sciences.