Recently, Professor Ahmad Dallal, Provost of the American University of Beirut visited the College of Engineering (COE) to seek cooperation opportunities. He was warmly received by Prof. Steven Feng Chen, Associate Dean of COE for International Relations and Graduate Studies, Ms. Yongmei Li, Assistant Dean of COE for Administrative Supervision and Ms. Shanshan Zhang, Director of the COE Office of International Relations.

The American University of Beirut (AUB) was founded in 1866 with around 700 instructional faculty and 8,000 students currently. Its engineering department, focusing on electrical engineering, computer science, mechanical and environmental engineering, has around 2,000 students, mostly at undergraduate level. Dallal wishes to enhance the understanding and communication between AUB and PKU, and explore academic exchange and cooperation in interdisciplinary areas of engineering such as petroleum engineering, energy, biomedical engineering, and materials.

Professor Chen gave an overall presentation about COE’s history and development in recent years. He said that although only re-founded for nine years, COE has attracted a very outstanding group of faculty members from home and abroad, and become one of the fastest growing colleges inside Peking University and in the world engineering community. Putting education globalization as one of its development strategies, COE has now established relationships and collaborations with over 30 international universities. In particular, the COE Globex Educational Program has connected COE with about 20 overseas institutions as a platform where faculty and students from the participating universities can have regular short-term bilateral academic exchanges. He asked Dallal to consider joining the program.

Both parties expressed willingness to enhance mutual understanding and communication, in an effort to foster exchange and cooperation.