The symposium for the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Talent Development Center for Environmental Science and Technology Innovation at Tongji University was held

On January 9, 2024, the symposium "Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Talent Development Center for Environmental Science and Technology Innovation" was held at the Mingjing Building of Tongji University. More than 20 professors, including Professor Zhao Jianfu, former Vice President of Tongji University, participated in the symposium. They retrospectively discussed the innovative journey of the Talent Development Center in environmental talent cultivation since its establishment in 2003, and jointly sought new developments in cultivating innovative talent in the new era.

At the symposium, Vice Dean Yin Junfeng from the School of Entrepreneurship and Innovation mentioned that the Talent Development Center for Environmental Science and Technology Innovation has always placed great emphasis on cultivating practical and innovative abilities. It closely followed the trends of the times and explored a high-level and outstanding environmental talent cultivation model characterized by "independent learning ability, academic innovation ability, interdisciplinary integration ability, and engineering practice ability." This model provides strong support for Tongji University's innovation and entrepreneurial talent cultivation efforts. Senior professors such as Zhao Jianfu, Xu Jingcheng, and Chen Ling shared their experiences in the reform of the environmental science and technology innovation talent cultivation model over the past 20 years. They suggested fully leveraging the leading role of the Talent Development Center to enhance the quality of cultivating top-notch innovative talent and refining the paradigm for fostering innovation and entrepreneurship talents. This would contribute to the reform of undergraduate education and teaching as well as innovation and entrepreneurship education, making significant contributions to the field of environmental science.

Subsequently, representatives of the supervising teachers, evaluation experts, counselors, academic affairs officers, and teachers from the Talent Development Center for Environmental Science and Technology Innovation shared their experiences in guiding college students' innovation and entrepreneurship projects, organizing the Challenge Cup competition, and coordinating and nurturing holistic development. Finally, Professor Wang Zhiwei, Dean of the CESE, stated that the Talent Development Center for Environmental Science and Technology Innovation serves as a beacon for talent cultivation at the College of Environmental Science. He emphasized the continued commitment to cultivating top-notch innovative talents as the fundamental mission and strengthening communication and cooperation with various sectors of society to make a greater contribution to the advancement of environmental discipline talent cultivation in China.