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Future Chinese Scholars Join Midwest Summer Environmental Enrichment Program
Fifty elite Chinese sophomores and juniors with “Key High School” status will take part in an environmental research and enrichment program in the Midwest this summer.
The 18-day program -- now planned for Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois – will unite the Chinese students and some of their teachers with American peers for the program established by the Environment and Public Health Network for Chinese Students and Scholars (ENCSS), headquartered at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The Chinese students come from schools certified by their government as “Key High Schools” based on highly respected regional and national reputations for superior standards in selecting and teaching students. The students enrolled are among the top 10 percent of their peers with not only solid educational background but also family ties to government agency officials and successful businesses, including mining, chemical, manufacturing, agriculture, services, pharmaceuticals and technology.
The program hopes to establish long-term relationships that benefit the students, as well as encourage new business and government relationships since the youth will relay information they learn in the US back to their family members and friends in China, according to Xiaojun Lu, president of ENCSS.
“Environmental and public health problems are boundless, requiring a global exchange of information and experiences to solve them,” said Lu. “Strategic measures to solve these common problems facing human beings include introducing key environmental and health issues to a younger generation across countries.”
Schools that have shown interest include the Affiliated High School of Beijing Normal University and the Affiliated High School of Tsinghua University, both in Beijing, as well as Wuxi No. 1 High School in Jiangsu Province and others in Shanghai, Shandong, Zhejiang, Hubei, Hebei, Heilongjiang and Guangdong.
He said the program expects to find support among Fortune 500 companies who will help expose the students to hands-on research and field projects. Final details have not been worked out, but Lu said he expected the students to visit or learn about environmental history, sewage treatment, fresh water ecosystems, fisheries, wetlands restoration, geology, PCB cleanup, endangered species protection, river management, energy conservation, sustainable agriculture, and citizen service.
Special consideration will be given to sponsors or consultants with a major interest in Chinese markets and who can showcase or demonstrate processes and products that expose students to issues involved in environmental monitoring or corrective practices.
“The Midwest is a prime spot for students to get this exposure,” Lu said, adding that this inaugural program could lead to future exchanges of teachers, students and sponsors that benefit the Midwest as well as China.
ENCSS – with members in 23 US states and 27 Chinese provinces -- has a solid record of breaking new ground with high profile exchanges, events and collaborations. One, authorized by the Wisconsin Legislature and UW System in 2008 (For Official Evaluation Report), was a three-week water symposium for government officials and researchers. A second, in 2010, was the “River Spirit Exchange” in Wisconsin and Iowa for 40 undergraduates, graduate students and post-graduate students who explored river ecology and Native American traditions, as well as performed service projects and researched environmental issues (For VOA news report).
ENCSS has also organized briefings by high-ranking US and Chinese officials and participated in conferences on sustainable business practices and shared ideas with sustainable communities.
Lu said the focus on high school students was a logical next step to ensure the needed research skills, collaborative spirit and global outlook were developed in future generations.
The students will fund their travel to the US and food and lodging here. Businesses, non-profits, individual, high schools or universities can sponsor some or the entire event with ENCSS, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
For information, contact Lu at:
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or at 608.334.7627. Information on ENCSS at: www.encss.org
Information for Sponsors
Potential Chinese and US stakeholders in the inaugural enrichment program will find several reasons to participate.
For schools and teachers: Taking part in this program offers each group prestige and reputation-enhancing status. Each gains bi-national standing and peer recognition. Each gets exposure to major universities. Each gets exposure to other teaching and learning styles, opening the possibility of “teach-the teacher” and exchange opportunities. It will also help US schools to identify highly qualified candidates as their future students.
For students: Students from both countries will meet new people, build their knowledge and research skills, enhance their desirability as future college students, learn about types of colleges and universities, and build a foundation for study abroad.
For business: Sponsors will get access, through the students, to many of the present leaders, business persons and decision-makers in China, who are students’ parents and teachers. They have the chance to make an impression upon and develop a relationship with future leaders, business persons and decision-makers, who are now the students. And they will support their community’s role in the world.
For Midwest: This program will help the Midwest get on China’s map. It is a positive relationship-builder that crosses borders and could unify projects among states. Finally, it markets the Midwest friendliness and plays to the region’s strengths in education and environment.
The tentative program:
July 20 Friday
AM: News conference in China and preparation
PM: Departure for the US
July 21 Saturday
AM: Welcome news release in the US
Orientation
PM: Introduction of environmental history in the US
July 22 Sunday
AM: Training of basic research skills
PM: Pairing and assigning research topics (4-5 Chinese students and 1 American form a group with direct help of a Chinese Ph. D. student at UW-Madison. One American science teacher will work as the overall chief scientist)
July 23 Monday – August 3 Friday
Field trips (*data collection, business visits and university campus tours): while the whole group will visit sites such as those listed, each team will focus on one specific site/topic for its research and report. The final sites have not been determined.
For example:
Madison for waste water treatment
UW-Milwaukee for fresh water ecosystem and fishery
Horicon for wetlands restoration
Devils Lake for geology system
International Crane Foundation for wildlife protection
Fox Valley for PCB cleanup
Dubuque for river management
Quad Cities for citizen service
August 4 Saturday – August 5 Sunday
Data analysis and interpretation, poster session, **paper draft (optional), and ***conclusion news release
August 6 Monday
Departure for China or other optional activities
*Along with data collection in these eight projects, participants will visit the sponsoring businesses and government agencies to learn their environmental devotions. They will also visit the universities along the trip and interact with the international admission advisors for information about the environment-related programs on campus as well as the schools’ interest in international students and exchange programs. .
**Participants may have 2 months to finalize their papers after the program. All posters and papers will be published in a special edition of ENCSS’ Advances in Global Environment and Health (AGEH).
***Each participant will earn a program certificate. Specific awards named by the sponsors will be issues to students who are rated top students during the whole event or in specific areas.
Sponsorship Levels
Several levels of sponsorship (cash and in-kind), both in China and the US, are available. Based on the amount of sponsorship for the program, ENCSS will work with sponsors to tailor face-to-face appointments and time with the students and adults that respond to each business’ strengths, interests and communication styles. This could include time at meals, during bus trips, evening receptions and more.
In addition, the level of sponsorship will guarantee more news stories in the US and China and availability for logo space on buses, T-shirts, programs.
Naming rights -- $25,000. At this level, the following is available:
1. Sponsored publicity (print, TV, Internet and *senior high schools’ websites) in China and the US
2. Logo and tagline on the bus, T-shirt and hat, etc.
3. Logo and tagline links on the website of ENCSS; and
4. Logo and tagline published in the AGEH
5. Logo on the program certificate and specific award certificate
6. Input on site visits
7. Unlimited face-to-face time with participants at appropriate meals, travel, etc.
8. Attendance at graduation ceremony in US and China
Platinum level -- $15,000. At this level:
1. Sponsored publicity in China and US
2. Logo and tagline on the bus, T-shirt and hat, etc.
3. Logo and tagline links on the website of ENCSS; and
4. Logo and tagline published in the AGEH
5. Logo on the program certificate and specific award certificate
6. Input on site visits
7. Some face-to-face time with participants
8. Attendance at graduation ceremony in US
Gold level -- $10,000. At this level:
1. Sponsored publicity in China and US
2. Logo and tagline on the bus, T-shirt and hat, etc.
3. Logo and tagline links on the website of ENCSS; and
4. Logo and tagline published in the AGEH
5. Logo on the program certificate and specific award certificate
6. Limited face-to-face time with participants
Silver level -- $5,000. At this level:
1. Sponsored publicity in China and US
2. Logo and tagline on the bus, T-shirt and hat, etc.
3. Logo and tagline links on the website of ENCSS; and
4. Logo on the program certificate and specific award certificate
Patron level -- $2,500. At this level:
1. Sponsored publicity in China and US
2. Logo and tagline links on the website of ENCSS; and
3. Logo on the program certificate and specific award certificate
ENCSS will charge the Chinese participants a marginal amount to cover its operational cost for this program and support its sustainable development for future events.
*ENCSS will work closely together with the senior high schools in both China and the US which are involved in this program, and publicize it in their websites.
Timeline
March 15: Final decision of naming sponsor and other sponsors, and final schedule
Feb 16 - June 15: Promoting
June 15: Deadline for application
March 15 - June 16: Invitation letters to be sent
July 13: Deadline for application cancellation |
