By Tong Zhang, bostonese.com
Cambridge, Mass., August 4, 2014, — If you want to get latest updates on global innovation, there is no better place than the classroom of MIT. Lecturers from Harvard University, MIT and Tsinghua University delivered insightful speeches on Innovation and Entrepreneurship yesterday at MIT Sloan School of Management, a few blocks away from Kendall Square subway station. About 80 members of MIT-CHIEF, delegation of Tsinghua educational management to USA, scholars and students from Harvard, MIT, UC Berkeley, Beijing Normal University attended the seminar.
Speakers and organizers pose for a group picture (photo by Tong Zhang).
Xiaofei Zhang, a student from Harvard Graduate School of Education, hosted the seminar. Xiaoyang Wang, Director of Higher Educational Research Institute from Tsinghua University, gave a lecture on “Features of Innovative University in US and China”. He pointed out features of USA innovative universities are: stability, continuity, high competitiveness, and high innovation. By comparison, Chinese leading university such as Tsinghua University had a different model of management, which he defined as “academic capitalism under the support of government”.
Wu Gang, Deputy Editor-In-Chief of New Media Department of China National Radio, made a great speech on “Can China Restore the Future of Innovation Leadership in Information Age”. He evaluated the information age in the globalized context by giving examples of Spain, Netherlands, France, Britain, and USA chronologically from the 15th century to 21st century. He believed soft power is as important as hard power for China. Therefore, information and globalization should be the new road for China to catch up with the Third Wave- technology. Moreover, China’s Voice should be heard by the whole world.
Jiang Rushan, a Visiting Fellow and Researcher of Harvard Kennedy School of Government, talked about “Difficulties in Innovating Chinese Higher Education”. He held the opinion that higher education should go back to human nature, because the career of education is to teach students how to work and think independently. Old educational system should be broken in order to keep pace with natural and social development as well as human civilization.
Yajun Fang, MIT, USA Program Chair the international conference on Universal Village (UV2014) introduced an innovative concept of “Universal Village” on the topic of “Innovation Universal Education for Universal Future”. Universal Village (UV) is a desired future society, which provides its residents with sustainable happiness. It is an expanded and advanced version of Smart City. We should follow the regulation of universe, earth and system, to protect environment and ecological system. One American audience commented that “a shared common vision” is crucial for the whole world.
Conal Doyle, a senior lecture of business administration who received a B.A. from Harvard University, gave a lecture on“American Innovation Leadership Education”. Two biggest focuses in the next five to ten years are energy and cyber security, and he explained “disruptive technology” to cope with the latter problem. He also invited his friend Dave from California to introduce their innovative product. The product is a newly designed file system that is based on closed data economy, and the purpose is to protect copyright and stimulate innovation.
Audience gave warmly applause to five speakers, and they continued asking questions and communicating with speakers afterwards. The seminar built a platform for scholars and students between US and China, and itfacilitates ideas sharing and innovative communication.
The seminar is co-organized by MIT-CHIEF, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Tsinghua University. The delegation of Tsinghua educational management to USA sponsored the seminar.