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I was very lucky to have been invited as a
Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence to teach a
course entitled "China's Environmental
Studies, Planning and Sustainability"
at both Bard College and State University
of New York at New Paltz from August 2004
to June 2005. Although the academic year has
passed away quickly, it has impressed me deeply
as a year of wonderful experiences with friendly
and cooperative Americans making me feel at
home. My visit and experience in the United
States was a great asset to my education and
scientific research as well as giving me a
better understanding of the American culture
and environment.
During my grant, I had many opportunities
to lecture at other universities and colleges,
to attend academic conferences, and to visit
both government and non-government research
institutions for discussing research programs
and cooperation in urban ecology and environmental
protection. I also involved myself in supervising
undergraduate student's papers and graduate
student's thesis.
When I first started my teaching and lecture
work at Bard College and SUNY at New Paltz,
I found that the educational system and
teaching methods in the United States are
different from those at my university in
China. Most American universities and colleges
like to provide graduate and undergraduate
students with an open learning environment
in a so-called liberal education method
and environment. Students and teachers can
sit around a table and either can be the
speaker for the topic. The students can
ask questions while the teacher is lecturing
and join in discussions at the end of class.
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As I was teaching, I regularly traveled
the 35 miles between the two campuses and
was happy to do so as it gave me the opportunity
to teach and exchange my experience in environmental
protection and sustainability in China and
Asia with students and colleagues. My course
and lectures were warmly welcomed by both
students and faculty. They considered my
time as a Scholar-in-Residence to have opened
a window to further understanding of the
environmental protection, planning and management
and sustainability in China and developing
countries.
I was also invited to provide lectures
and attend workshops and academic conferences
at Vassar College; the University of Hawaii;
the Departmental of Environmental Protection,
NY; the EPA in NY and Albany; Institute
of Ecosystem Studies, Hudsonia; Hudson River
Foundation; and various power plants in
NY. In addition, I visited other renowned
universities, including Harvard University,
MIT, Yale University, etc.
All these experiences deeply impressed
me on how the United States works with environmental
education and eco-environmental protection
and my time in the United States will benefit
my future teachings and research work in
China as I share these wonderful experiences
and valuable academic visits with students
and colleagues. I hope my efforts will enhance
the cooperation and exchange in education
and scientific research with American universities
and colleges.
While I was teaching, I also paid much
attention to the research program on the
comparative study of environmental water
protection and ecological restoration between
the Hudson River in New York and the Huangpu
River in Shanghai. I finished a preliminary
analysis on the background, current situation
and management of water environment of these
two rivers. The rivers have some similarities
in geographic conditions, environmental
dynamics and urbanization impact on environmental
quality, but differ in management policy.
Beginning in the 1960s, a great deal of
effort and capital has been invested in
an endeavor to improve the quality of surface
water in America, particularly in metropolitan
areas such as New York City. The Hudson
River has been at the forefront of these
efforts and has benefited immensely from
this campaign. Similar efforts in parts
of the developing world, such as China,
are beginning to gather that same momentum.
Within the past decade, the Huangpu River,
which flows through Shanghai, has been a
target for environmental remediation. It
is possible to draw parallels between the
cleanup efforts involved in improving the
environmental conditions of the Huangpu
and Hudson Rivers. The results of a comparative
study will be of great significance to the
understanding of the process by which a
river can be effectively cleaned and provide
a base for forecasting future environmental
remediation efforts in China. I hope to
further develop this comparison into a cooperative
program between China and America and publish
some academic papers on this topic. The
study will also be helpful in carrying out
the key program on Ecological Restoration
and Landscape Planning for Three Gorges
Reservoir Area in China.
Although I already had some knowledge of
environmental education and environmental
protection research in the United States
from my participation in the International
Visitor Program in 1997 and 2000 and the
International Conference on Industrial Ecology,
my visit as a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence
has given me a better understanding of the
educational system and teaching methods
at American universities and colleges. The
Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Program has
also allowed me to become more familiar
with the diversity in American culture,
to experience the beautiful natural environment,
and to greatly improve my English. I will
remember this marvelous experience and the
friendships that were forged forever and
do my best to contribute to the enhancement
of the cooperation and exchange between
China and United States.
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