On March 9, the fourth PKU - Upitt INNOVATE at PKU Program was launched. Professor Larry Shuman, Associate Dean of Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh and Professor Minjing Qiu, Director of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Material Science, led two other professors and 36 students from University of Pittsburgh to visit the College of Engineering at Peking University.

Began from 2012, the PKU - Upitt INNOVATE at PKU Program was a sub-project of Global Educational Exchange (Globex) program. According to the bilateral agreement, the students from University of Pittsburgh would have chance to visit Peking University every year. Since 2013, University of Pittsburgh also joined Globex summer project.

Professor Pingchou Han introduced the Globex to US guests

Professor Pingchou Han, Assistant Dean of Global Education in the College of Engineering, expressed his warm welcome to the students and faculty from University of Pittsburgh. He introduced the Global Educational Exchange (Globex) program, course syllabus, teaching aim, and student composition of the Summer Study Program, and answered the questions from the guests. Han also pointed out that with the further development of globalization in future, academic exchanges between China and US will be more frequent. He wished that the faculty and students from Pittsburgh could know more about College of Engineering and Peking University, and more actively participate in the Globex Program after this visit.

After that, one design group of Capstone Design project from College of Engineering demonstrated their self-driving car project and introduced its corresponding business model design, infrastructure, laws and regulations. Considering several shortcomings of the traditional fuel vehicle such as air pollution, traffic congestion due to low efficient in interior space utilization and man-made traffic accidents, the self-driving car project is to design more clean vehicles as well as the higher efficient and smooth road traffic system. This project will be completed by students from three universities (Pekingng University, University of Toronto and University of California, Irvine). Mr. Jia Lu and Yibo Wang, undergraduate students from Peking University, illustrated the business model and navigation algorithms design of this project to all faculty and students.

COE Students demonstrated their Project

After program demonstration, Professor Xiangdong Guo from Department of History of Peking University gave a lecture about the history and development of Peking University. All US guests expressed their great interest in his lecture.  One student form university of Pittsburgh said, “Peking University is awesome! I hope I could get a chance to study here in the future.”

Professor Xiangdong Guo gave his lecture to US guests