Tsinghua ISSU E 36 April 2018

President’s Message for Tsinghua’s 107th Anniversary

The Unveiling Ceremony of the China-Italy Design Innovation Hub and the Tsinghua Arts and Design Institute in Milan

The Higher Education Roundtable, with the theme of the Rise of Asian Universities, held during the Boao Forum For Asia Annual Conference

1 APRIL | NEWSLETTER At this time of the scientific research Tsinghua’s majestic system and mecha- spring, it gives me great President’s nisms that focus on a pleasure to extend cor- few key areas, includ- dial greetings and best ing interdisciplinary wishes to all Tsinghua Message for research, cutting-edge students, faculty and technologies, and tech- staff, as well as alumni, nology transfer. at home and abroad. Tsinghua’s 107th In 2017, five inter- My heartfelt apprecia- disciplinary research tion is extended to all institutes have been friends of Tsinghua, established: the Center throughout the world, Anniversary for Intelligent Auton- who have contributed omous Systems; the to Tsinghua’s develop- Center for Intelligent ment over the years. & Connected Vehicles The past year has been truly In replacement of the tradition- and Transportation; the Center for remarkable and fruitful. Major tasks al examination based admission, we Flexible Electronics Technology; the have come to fruition and solid prog- have adopted the application based Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence; ress in advancing the comprehensive admission process for Ph.D. programs, and the Future Laboratory. reform has been made, and we’ve which includes a comprehensive Policy reform measures have stepped up the implementation of review of the application materials been implemented to break the tradi- our global strategy. In addition, the and interview performance. This is tional silos that separate schools and Institutional Evaluation on Under- designed to carry out a sound evalu- departments. By promoting interdis- graduate Education was concluded ation of the comprehensive quality of ciplinary research across the board, with a strong endorsement by the doctoral applicants, and facilitate the allowing faculty to work across experts of the evaluation commit- emergence of innovative talents that departments, conferring interdis- tee of Ministry of Education. With possess great academic potential. ciplinary degrees and establishing renewed confidence and strength- For the first time in the univer- special funds earmarked for interdis- ened resolve, Tsinghua is poised for sity history, Tsinghua introduced ciplinary studies, we will enhance our excellence. the New Centennial Achievements reputation as a university that places Breakthroughs have been made Award and the Annual Award for great attention to academic innova- in advancing the Education and Excellence in Teaching to recognize tion and the cultivation of creative Teaching Reform the extraordinary commitment of talents. In 2017, Tsinghua received Tsinghua has given top prior- best performing teachers. The Center 11 National Science and Technology ity to the Education and Teaching for Faculty Development has also Awards, including the first prize for Reform. We have fully adopted the been established to enhance profes- the State Scientific and Technolog- multi-disciplinary admission pro- sional skills and encourage world’s ical Progress Awards, and 16 major cess. 49 majors are consolidated into best teaching practices. research grants from the National 16 multi-disciplinary categories. This Reform on the scientific research Social Science Fund. admission reform helps break down system and mechanisms has been The Implementation of the Global disciplinary barriers and promote accelerated across the board Strategy has moved forward in leaps general education. Led by 16 distin- Higher education is a natural and bounds guished scholars, a university-level place for innovation to thrive. Tsin- Openness is one of the defin- Supervision Committee was estab- ghua has set its sights on the frontiers ing features of higher education in lished to oversee this implementation. of science and technology together the 21st century. In line with Chi- Furthermore, we have restructured with the national strategic objectives. na’s increasing role in world affairs, the undergraduate education curric- We will continue to strengthen our Tsinghua must actively participate in ula across the board, in order to give innovative capabilities and strive the knowledge sharing and common students greater academic flexibility, to produce more advanced research development of global higher edu- and support students to excel in mul- outcomes. Tsinghua has brought for- cation. By implementing the Global tiple disciplines. ward its reform program related to Strategy, we will continue to cultivate

TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY NEWSLETTER | APRIL 2 talents with global competence. have launched the “Double P” Plan Tsinghua is in full bloom. In February 2017, witnessed by (Plateau and Peak) to strengthen the Building on past success, Tsing- Chinese President Xi Jinping and development of the liberal arts and hua will push ahead and make solid Italian President Sergio Mattarella, announced the first group of distin- progress in its comprehensive reform, Tsinghua University and Politecni- guished professors of arts, humanities with a strengthened sense of respon- co di Milano signed an agreement and social sciences. sibility and mission. We will make to establish the China-Italy Design Tsinghua continues to be a sustained efforts to tackle grand soci- Innovation Hub in Milan. On April source of inspiration for talent- etal challenges head-on and make 17th 2018, the Design Innovation ed young people. In 2017, we have concrete, meticulous, and effective Hub was officially opened, and the successfully attracted 49 young schol- efforts in all our work. Tsinghua Arts and Design Institute in ars who were approved to join the It is my firm belief that, with the Milan was formally established. “National Thousand Talents Plan” for joint efforts of our faculty, staff, stu- In April 2017, Tsinghua initiat- young scholars, and eight scholars dents and all stakeholders, 2018 will ed and jointly established the Asian were elected as Academicians of the be the starting point for Tsinghua’s Universities Alliance with 15 found- Chinese Academy of Sciences or the new era of even greater endeavors ing members, aiming at addressing Chinese Academy of Engineering. and achievements! regional and global challenges, spe- In the past year, Tsinghua cifically related to higher education University has forged ahead in a and economic, scientific and techno- comprehensive, orderly and coor- logical development. In April 2018, dinated way, and reached new the AUA founding members attended milestones across the board. As we a higher education roundtable “The celebrate the 107th anniversary, we Qiu Yong Rise of Asian Universities” at the can reflect on Tsinghua’s enduring President of Tsinghua University Boao Forum for Asia. The first annual vitality and dynamism. With more President of Tsinghua Alumni Asso- report on Asian higher education will than 100 years of combined effort, ciation be released this July. The Global Innovation Exchange (GIX) institute, a joint initiative with University of Washington and Micro- soft based in Seattle has continued to attract leading innovators and build global competence to tackle complex problems. In September 2017, the GIX teaching and research building was officially opened. “Double First-Class” Initiative has moved into a new phase In 2017, Tsinghua official- ly released its “Double First-Class (First-Class University & First-Class Disciplines)” development plan, in which a three-tiered discipline devel- opment system has been put in place, outlining four key disciplinary areas and 28 discipline groups and subjects. In the fourth round of national assess- ment of disciplines, 21 disciplines of Tsinghua University were graded A+. Tsinghua has established the School of Clinical Medicine and the Department of the History of Science, expanding its discipline layout. We

3 APRIL | TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY NEWSLETTER The Unveiling Ceremony of the China-Italy Design Innovation Hub and the Tsinghua Arts and Design Institute in Milan

On the afternoon of April 17th Chen Xu noted that the inau- (local time), the China-Italy Design guration of the China-Italy Design Innovation Hub and the Tsinghua Innovation Hub is an important Arts and Design Institute in Milan step in the implementation of Tsin- were officially unveiled in Milan, ghua’s Global Strategy in Europe. It Italy. This is an important constituent will make the most of the advantag- part of Tsinghua’s Global Strategy, es of Tsinghua and the Politecnico and the first teaching and research di Milano in arts and design, forge base Tsinghua has established in Chen Xu delivers an address a comprehensive platform for the Europe. Simultaneously, the Tsinghua Sino-Italian cooperation in design and University Alumni Center in Italy Chen Xu, Secretary of the CPC innovation, and endeavor to become was also inaugurated. The China-It- Tsinghua Committee and Chairper- a design and innovation center with aly Design Innovation Exhibition, son of the University Council, Song global influence. co-organized by Tsinghua’s Academy Xuefeng, the Chinese Consul General As a crucial part of the Univer- of Arts & Design, the Politecnico di in Milan, Giuseppe Sala, the Mayor of sity’s Global Strategy, the Tsinghua Milano, and the China-Italy Design Milan, and Ferruccio Resta, Rector of Arts and Design Institute in Milan Innovation Hub, formally com- the Politecnico di Milano, along with will integrate excellent education- menced during Milan Design Week other distinguished guests, took part al resources worldwide, provide 2018. in the opening ceremony. interregional, interdisciplinary, and intercultural research opportunities and vacancies for practice to students from all over the world, and culti- vate innovative talents who possess a global competence and are capable of dealing with global challenges.

Song Xuefeng delivers an address

TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY NEWSLETTER | APRIL 4 The Higher Education Roundtable, with the theme of the Rise of Asian Universities, held during the Boao Forum For Asia Annual Conference

----Qiu Yong, President of Tsinghua and the Founding President of the AUA, expounds the role of Asian universities

The Boao Forum For Asia (BFA) Qiu Yong, President of Tsin- Institute of Technology Bombay, Annual Conference 2018 was held ghua University and the Founding Abdul Rahim Hashim, Vice-Chan- from April 8th to 11th in Boao, President of the Asian Universities cellor of the University of Malaya, Hainan Province. Chinese President Alliance (AUA), attended the Round- Lakshman Dissanayake, Vice-Chan- Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech table, together with Muhammad cellor of the University of Colombo, at the opening ceremony. The theme Anis, Rector of Universitas Indone- Shigeo Katsu, President of Nazarbayev of this year’s BFA Annual Conference sia and the Executive President of the University, Sabrina Lin, Vice-Presi- was “An Open and Innovative Asia AUA for 2018-2019, as well as other dent for Institutional Advancement of for a World of Greater Prosperity.” distinguished guests including Tan the University of Science On April 10th, as one of the Eng Chye, President of the National and Technology, Abdullah Alsalman, official sessions of the BFA Annual University of Singapore, Sung Nak-in, Vice Rector of King Saud Universi- Conference 2018, the Higher Educa- President of Seoul National Universi- ty, and Omar Kyaw, Pro Rector of the tion Roundtable, with the theme of ty, Bundhit Eua-arporn, President of University of Yangon. the Rise of Asian Universities, was Chulalongkorn University, Devang The participants in the Round- held. Khakhar, Director of the Indian table conducted a thorough

5 APRIL | TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY NEWSLETTER they will have three important roles to play -- facilitating innovation in Asia, promoting global cooperation in higher education, and contributing unique educational ideas to the global higher education community. In the discussion and the fol- lowing Q&A session, Qiu Yong expounded the role of Asian universi- ties in the broader context of a rising Asia, the significance of the AUA, communication, focusing on issues the role of the Asian universities in the role of openness in Asian higher such as the responsibilities and mis- a fast-changing world, noted in his education, and Tsinghua’s Global sions of Asian universities, the impact address at the Roundtable that in Strategy. of Asian universities in the Fourth recent years, Asian universities have Industrial Revolution, innovation, made significant progress, both in and the transfer of technology. quantity and quality. In today’s era of President Qiu, reflecting on rapid global change, he believes that

AUA Board Meeting 2018 held in Sanya On April 9th, the Asian Univer- Report 2017-2018, the budget for Eua-arporn who served as the AUA sities Alliance (AUA) Board Meeting 2018-2019, and the programs of the Executive President for 2017-2018, 2018 was held in Sanya, Hainan Prov- Alliance for 2018-2019 in the domains and Rector Muhammad Anis of Uni- ince. Qiu Yong, President of of mobility, research collaboration, versitas Indonesia, who will serve Tsinghua University, and Yang Bin, and strategy & policy, among others. as the AUA Executive President for Vice President and Provost of Tsing- At the end of the meeting, all 2018-2019, each delivered an address. hua, attended the meeting. The other member universities voted that the In his closing remarks, Qiu Yong attendees included presidents, rep- University of Colombo would hold extended his thanks to all the member resentatives, and professors from the the Executive Presidency for 2019- institutions and the AUA Secretari- member universities of the Alliance. 2020. For 2018-2019, the Executive at for their passionate and persistent Qiu Yong, also the AUA Pres- Presidency will be held by Universi- dedication and noted that the Board ident, presented the AUA Review tas Indonesia. Meeting was very productive. A good 2017-2018 during the meeting. Vice President Pomthong review of AUA’s progress and import- The Board Meeting also reviewed Malakul of Chulalongkorn Univer- ant decisions for the coming year and approved the AUA Financial sity, on behalf of President Bundhit were made. “I think we all agree that

TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY NEWSLETTER | APRIL 6 we had a wonderful start for AUA. On the evening of the previous from the growth of the AUA. A good beginning is half done,” said day, Qiu met with Wang Lu, Vice Last April, board members and Qiu. Governor of the Hainan Provincial delegates of the fifteen AUA found- He also noted that more prog- Government, together with the rep- ing institutions gathered in ress would be achieved in the coming resentatives of the AUA member and jointly launched the AUA. It year, and there would be many more universities. In his address, Qiu noted was a significant milestone in Asian exchanges of scholars and staff among that the AUA will work to enhance higher education. From that day on, the member universities. Qiu hoped connectivity, promote knowledge the fifteen founding universities have all members could continue to sup- exchange, nurture global leaders, and been working towards the mission of port AUA just as they did in the first raise member universities’ regional jointly addressing regional and global year. He is sure that in future, the and global impact. He believed that challenges by strengthening collabo- AUA will attract more attention. every member institution will benefit ration among each other.

Tsinghua celebrated its 107th Tsinghua Celebrates anniversary on April 29th, bring- ing together alumni from around the country and abroad for a weekend of 107th Anniversary reunions. The celebration was highlight- ed by art exhibitions and various celebrations scheduled by differ- ent departments. A series of student activities including concerts, field and track events, and the techno- logical innovation exhibition were also held throughout the weekend in honor of the returning alumni.

7 APRIL | TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY NEWSLETTER Tsinghua holds opening ceremony for the 61st Ma Yuehan Cup Writer: Galia Popov

The Opening Ceremony for Tsin- received by the audience. After the older alumni commented that Tsing- ghua University’s 61st Ma Yuehan performances, the Chinese national hua has changed a lot since they were Cup began at 8:00 in the morning on anthem played and Qiu Yong for- in school more than thirty years ago, April 29th. Alumni, current Tsinghua mally announced the opening of the and also expressed their wish that students, faculty, classes from Tsing- event. today’s students will go on to become hua’s primary and high schools and After the ceremony, many even better than those who came other observers all crowded into the alumni mingled on the track while before them. seating area at the East Stadium to waiting for the games to start. Several watch the ceremony. The atmosphere was cheerful, and many alumni brought their children along to enjoy the festivities. Chinese artist Qiu Yong, President of Tsinghua University, Chen Xu, Chairperson of the University Council, and other awarded Coubertin leaders as well as former leaders of Tsinghua, together attended the Opening Ceremony. Medal at IOC The ceremony began with the entrance of the Chinese national flag and the Tsinghua flag, followed headquarters in by cohorts of students representing each of the academic departments. Source: Xinhua The students waved to the audi- Lausanne Editor: Zhu Lvhe ence and demonstrated their pride in their department with group chants. The international students also had LAUSANNE, Switzerland, April his outstanding contribution to the their own cohort. Tsinghua’s alumni 24 -- Thomas Bach, the president development of the Olympic move- entered last and were enthusiastically of the International Olympic Com- ment. cheered on by the students and other mittee (IOC), on Tuesday issued the Bach said at the prize presen- alumni in the audience. “Pierre de Coubertin Medal” to Chi- tation ceremony that the Olympic The ceremony also included nese artist Han Meilin, Professor spirit is to blend sports with culture dance performances, synchronized from the Academy of Arts & Design, and art, and the award of the Medal jump rope and martial arts demon- Tsinghua University, at the IOC Head- to Han Meilin showed the apprecia- strations. They were all very well quarters in Lausanne to commend tion of IOC for his contribution and

TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY NEWSLETTER | APRIL 8 achievements in this regard. A famous Chinese painter, sculp- tor and designer, Han’s most famous creations are the Fuwa (“good-luck doll”) mascots, which debuted at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The 82-year-old Chinese artist said after receiving the award that for him, the Olympic spirit not only meant “higher, faster and stronger”, but also meant a young vitality for everyone. “The Olympic Spirit, in my view, endows this world with youth and vigor,” he said. “As I see, youth has nothing to do with age, has nothing to do with race, or gender, or skin color, and has During the award ceremony, by the IOC to those athletes, former everything to do with love for life, Han also donated his manuscripts athletes, sports promoters, sporting awe for nature and passion for inno- during the creating of the Olympic officials and others who exemplify vation,” he explained. mascots “Fuwa” to IOC. the spirit of sportsmanship in Olym- “As I receive this Pierre de Cou- The Pierre de Coubertin medal, pic events or through exceptional bertin Award, my greatest wish is also known as the De Coubertin medal service to the Olympic movement. that our world is forever young,” he or the True Spirit of Sportsmanship added. medal, is a special decoration awarded

the meaning of global competence. It should also be committed to strength- Tsinghua Launches ening the cultural confidence and shaping the values of the students. Gao Hong also extended her con- Center for Global gratulations on the establishment of the Center. Liao Ying, the Center’s Director, Competence introduced its aims to the audience. The Center for Global Compe- tence Development would target six core competencies, namely a knowl- Development edge of world culture and global issues, foreign language skills, openness and respect for differences, aptitude in

On April 27th, the Center for involved on the establishment of Global Competence Development, the Center. He noted that its estab- Tsinghua University, was launched. lishment forms an important part of Guo Yong, Vice Chairperson Tsinghua’s Global Strategy. He hoped of the University Council, and Gao that the future development of the Hong, Vice Provost for International Center would provide all students Education, unveiled the Center. with more opportunities to improve On behalf of the University, their global competence. The Center Guo Yong congratulated everyone would endeavor to explore and enrich

9 APRIL | TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY NEWSLETTER communication and collaboration, a sense of ethics and responsibility, and a heightened self-awareness and self-confidence. Tsinghua strives to equip its stu- dents with the capability to learn, work and live with people from dif- ferent cultures, and the readiness to embrace opportunities and challenges in the future. Global competence has been promoted as an integral compo- nent of Tsinghua’s education.

Atomic structures of human Dicer and its complexes with pre-miRNA revealed by Cryo-EM

A research article describing the Furthermore, this work reported two more than 1,800 miRNA genes dis- first atomic models of human Dicer different conformers of Dicer-TRBP covered in human cells. Now, more and its complexes with a pre-miR- bound with its pre-miRNA substrate and more data verified that tumors NA substrate was published online in pre-let-7. are highly related with an abnor- Cell on April 26th, 2018. This is work RNA interference (RNAi) path- mal level of miRNAs. In human cells, from Hong-Wei Wang’s group in the way is a major gene regulation process most miRNAs are generated by an School of Life Sciences at Tsinghua in eukaryotic cells and is a widely used RNase enzyme called Dicer. It is very University and the Beijing Advanced and powerful tool in knocking-down interesting that there is only one copy Innovation Center for Structural gene expression. In 2006, scientists of Dicer in human cells. This means Biology. In this article, named “Cryo- Andrew Fire and Craig Mello won that human Dicer protein plays a piv- EM structure of human Dicer and its the Nobel prize in physiology or otal role in the maturation process complexes with a pre-miRNA sub- medicine for their discovery of the of most miRNAs. Dicer protein is a strate”, the high resolution structure RNAi mechanism. The mostly studied double stranded RNA specific RNase of full length human Dicer (220 kDa) endogenous small RNAs for RNAi are consisting of multi-domains. Some was determined for the first time【1】. miRNAs. Till now, there have been domains are responsible for binding

TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY NEWSLETTER | APRIL10 To understand the processing of human Dicer over its RNA substrates, a complex consisting of human Dicer, TRBP and pre-let-7 RNA was assem- bled via in vitro reconstitution. Using cryo-EM, the Wang group also obtained 3D reconstructions of such a complex at a high enough resolution to identify two different conform- ers of pre-let-7 RNA present in the complex (Figure 2). In the first con- former, the stem of pre-let-7 adopted a perfect base-paired A form helix,

Figure 1. Cryo-EM structure of a human Dicer-TRBP complex while in the second conformer, the stem of pre-let-7 is partially splayed. In collaboration with Qiangfeng Cliff Zhang’s group at Tsinghua University RNA substrates, some domains take Dicer. They established biochemical with expertise in icSHAPE technolo- charge of cleaving RNA substrates procedures to purify human Dicer in gy, the research team found that the and others serve as a ruler for the a complex with its cofactor protein stem of pre-let-7 RNA adopted mul- precise cleavage. Human Dicer can TRBP by co-expressing the two pro- tiple conformations in free states but recognize and process variant pre- teins in 293F mammalian cell lines. the loading of pre-let-7 onto human cursor miRNAs into mature miRNAs They tried different kinds of cryo- Dicer and TRBP complex may pro- with common features characterized EM grids and parameters to optimize mote the stem of pre-let-7 into a by ~22 bp in length and a 3-termi- the cryo-EM specimen preparation stable base-paired state. These struc- nal bearing 2 nt overhangs. However, conditions for the molecules to be tures therefore revealed a function of there is no three-dimensional struc- distributed evenly with less preferen- the hDicer-TRBP complex in stabiliz- ture with a high resolution of the tial orientations in vitreous ice. Using ing the stem duplex of pre-let-7 in a whole human Dicer protein and the an optimized image processing pro- substrate-loading state and revealed mechanism underlying Dicer’s pre- cedure, they were able to solve the a mechanism that human Dicer uses cise RNA processing remains elusive. structure of human Dicer complexed to warrant precise dicing on pre-miR- The challenge in revealing the with TRBP at 4.4 Angstrom resolu- NAs with various structural features. 3D structure of full-length human tion by cryo-EM. In this structure, Furthermore, the high-resolu- Dicer at high resolution lies in the almost all the domains within human tion structure revealed that human following: human Dicer is a 220kDa Dicer are determined and located pre- Dicer’s DExD/H-box helicase domain protein without symmetry, relative- cisely for the first time (Figure 1). presented a C-shaped architecture ly small for single particle cryo-EM reconstruction; it is hard to get mon- odispersed human Dicer protein molecules in a homogeneous distribu- tion in vitreous ice; and human Dicer suffers from low contrast and pref- erential orientation in the cryo-EM specimens. There were few 3D structures of full-length human Dicer report- ed at rather low resolution using singe particle EM analysis【2，3，4】. Through a decade’s effort, Hong-Wei Wang’s group conquered the techni- cal obstacles one by one to achieve a Figure 2. Two conformers of human Dicer-TRBP-pre-let-7 complex high-resolution structure of human

11APRIL | TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY NEWSLETTER composed of Helicase 1, Helicase 2i and Helicase 2 subdomains. Based on President Qiu Yong meets sequence alignment and secondary structural analysis, the DExD/H-box Rector of the University of helicase domain proved to be con- served with those of RIG-I and MDA5 Oslo and confers proteins, also involved in RNA trans- action. Similar to the latter two, Honorary Professorship on human Dicer’s DExD/H-box helicase domain proved to play an important Norwegian scholar role in regulating the dicing activity of human Dicer protein. This work opened new doors to investigate the mechanism and regulation of small RNA biogenesis in more detail in the future and may lead to the develop- ment of new RNAi tools. Professor Hong-Wei Wang is the corresponding author of this article. Postdoctoral fellows Dr. Zhongmin Liu and Dr. Jia Wang, graduate stu- dents Hang Cheng and Ke Xin of Tsinghua University are co-first authors. Professor Qiangfeng Cliff Zhang and his graduate student Lei Sun performed the RNA sequencing and data analysis. The project was performed on the cryo-EM facility On April 17th, Qiu Yong, Presi- Qiu noted that in the future and high-performance computation- dent of Tsinghua University, received Tsinghua will pay more attention to al facility of Tsinghua University Professor Svein Stolen, Rector of the its internationalization and its coop- Branch of the National Center for Pro- University of Oslo (UiO), at Gongzit- eration with partner institutions. The tein Sciences (Beijing). This work was ing of Tsinghua, and exchanged views University of Oslo is an important supported by research funds from the on future cooperation between the partner of Tsinghua. He hoped that National Natural Science Foundation two institutions. in the future Tsinghua will conduct of China, the Ministry of Science and During the meeting, Qiu extend- closer cooperation with UiO in more Technology, Beijing Municipal -Sci ed his welcome to Prof. Stolen and areas. ence and Technology Commission, thanked him for his support for Prof. Stolen noted that he is Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center of Life the cooperation between Tsinghua honored to be at Tsinghua, and the Sciences, and Beijing Advanced Inno- and the UiO. The two institutions collaboration with Tsinghua is crucial vation Center of Structural Biology. have already signed a Memoran- for the UiO. The UiO is also an inter- dum of Understanding and a student national university. It welcomes more exchange agreement in 2017, facil- Chinese students and will send more itating student mobility and the Norwegians to China in the future. possibilities of collaborative research. At the end of the meeting, Qiu Qiu hoped that in the future the exist- Yong formally conferred the title of ing areas of collaboration between Honorary Professorship of Tsinghua Tsinghua and UiO could be extended. on Professor Stenseth. Qiu Yong also congratulated Afterwards, the Norwegian Link: Professor Nils Christian Stenseth for guests also attended the opening cer- https://doi.org/10.1016/j. becoming an Honorary Professor of emony of the “Tsinghua-Norway cell.2018.03.080. Tsinghua and hoped he would become Collaboration-Workshop Series”. a bridge between the two institutions.

TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY NEWSLETTER | APRIL12 On April 12th and and hoped that a new 13th, Chen Xu, Chair- round of exchange person of the University Chen Xu Visits Israel and dialogue would be Council of Tsinghua, vis- initiated to explore a ited Israel and paid visits ----To Promote In-depth Cooperation between greater space for coop- to both Tel Aviv Uni- Tsinghua and Israeli Universities eration. versity and the Hebrew During Chen University of Jerusalem, Xu’s visit, Professor further deepening cooperation and Professor Klafter noted that Tsin- Hanoch Gutfreund, former President exchange between Tsinghua and the ghua is a strategic partner of Tel Aviv of the Hebrew University of Jerusa- Israeli universities in fields such as edu- University. The two sides have main- lem, accompanied her in a visit to the cation, economy, and culture. tained close cooperation in student Albert Einstein Archives. Chen Xu met with Professor exchange and collaborative research On April 13th, Chen Xu paid a Joseph Klafter, President of Tel Aviv conducted by the faculty members. visit to the Chinese Embassy in Israel University, and exchanged views on He hoped that the two institutions and held a talk with Ambassador expanding the cooperation between could accomplish more fruitful results Zhan Yongxin. Chen Xu noted that the two institutions. Chen said she from their cooperation. Tsinghua and the Israeli universities was very glad to see that the two During her visit to the Hebrew could make the most of their respec- sides have achieved substantial prog- University of Jerusalem, Chen Xu tive research capabilities and build an ress in technological innovation and talked with Professor Asher Cohen, interdisciplinary platform for inter- collaborative research, as well as fac- President of the University, Profes- national cooperation and innovation. ulty and student exchange. Based on sor Oron Shagrir, Vice President for They could jointly train innovative their research capabilities and their Global Affairs, and Professor Reem talents and contribute to the contin- leadership positions in higher edu- Sari, Vice President for Research uous and in-depth development of cation, the two universities jointly and Development. Chen Xu noted Sino-Israeli relations. Ambassador established the XIN Center in 2014, a that Tsinghua and the Hebrew Uni- Zhan noted that the Chinese Embas- joint center of innovation, and have versity of Jerusalem both have their sy in Israel would continue to actively already made substantial progress. distinctive features. The two institu- support exchanges between Tsinghua The two universities have held two tions signed a university-level student and the Israeli higher education insti- China Israel Innovation Forums in exchange agreement in 2014. Com- tutions in order to further raise the 2016 and 2017 respectively, offering munication between young people is level of Sino-Israeli cooperation in a high-level platform for the academ- essential for cooperation between the higher education. ic circles and the enterprises of both two universities. Cohen noted that the countries to exchange ideas and pro- Hebrew University attaches impor- mote innovation. tance to its cooperation with Tsinghua

13APRIL | TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY NEWSLETTER Tsinghua and University of Waterloo Launch Joint Research Center

On March 29th, Professor Feri- dun Hamdullahpur, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Waterloo of , visited Tsinghua University. Chen Xu, Chairperson of the University Council, received him at Gongziting in Tsinghua. The two sides exchanged views on the further promotion of collaborative research, and together unveiled the Tsinghua University-University of Waterloo Joint Research Center for Micro/Nano Energy & Environment Technology. Chen noted that Tsinghua and the University of Waterloo are the sustainable development of the University are top higher educa- engaged in a long-term partnership. world. Tsinghua will fully support tion institutions of their respective Tsinghua attaches importance to this the Center and hopes more innova- countries. The two universities are cooperative partnership. The deci- tive contributions will be achieved engaged in close collaboration for the sion to establish this joint research in clean energy technology and envi- shared future of humanity. He hopes center, endorsed by the two univer- ronmental governance. the newly established Center will sities, is an important measure to deal Prof. Hamdullahpur was glad to unite the scholars from both institu- with and solve global issues such as have come to Tsinghua for the second tions and provide solutions for major energy shortage and environmen- time. He noted that both the Uni- global issues related to energy and the tal pollution, and thus contribute to versity of Waterloo and Tsinghua environment.

Department of Biomedical Engineer- Tsinghua signs dual- ing of Johns Hopkins, together signed the MOA. The program allows students to degree agreement complete the Johns Hopkins Master of Engineering (MSE) and Tsing- hua Master of Science in Engineering with Johns Hopkins concurrently. The program provides students with in-depth knowledge On April 12th, Tsinghua Uni- the Tsinghua Laboratory of Brain and of how to solve important biomedi- versity and Johns Hopkins University Intelligence, Prof. Hong Bo, Chair- cal problems through the application of the US signed a memorandum of man of the Department Council of of engineering principles, prepares agreement (MOA) at Tsinghua, which Biomedical Engineering, attended the them to become global leaders in bio- offers a dual-degree graduate program signing ceremony. medical research, and facilitates the in Biomedical Engineering and Elec- Huang Yidong, head of the transfer of the research results into tronic Engineering. Yang Bin, Vice Department of Electronic Engineer- applications. President and Provost of Tsinghua, ing, Wang Guangzhi, head of the Yao Qiang, Dean of the Graduate Department of Biomedical Engineer- School, Wang Xiaoqin, Director of ing, and Michael Miller, head of the

TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY NEWSLETTER | APRIL14 Tsinghua University and Alibaba Group Announce Joint Lab on Natural Human- Computer Interaction Research On April 3rd, Tsinghua Universi- engineering, liberal arts and design, smell - will become a dominant mode ty and the Alibaba Group announced while Alibaba has rich experience in of interaction with machines. that they will together establish a product development and design in For example, consumers’ prefer- joint research lab that focuses on the the HCI field. We are confident that ences for a product can be digitalized natural experience for human-com- the joint lab with global talents will to help merchants with better product puter interaction (HCI). yield fruitful research results in the design and personal recommendations This is the first HCI-focused joint near future.” based on feedback from consumers’ research lab that Alibaba has unveiled Jeff Zhang, Chief Technology affective states. Also, studies have since the company launched an inno- Officer, Alibaba Group, said: “Graph- shown that drivers’ reaction to touch vative global research program, ic interfaces and the touchscreen stimulation is much faster than their “Alibaba DAMO Academy”, in Octo- have demonstrated how new ways of reaction to visual signals, implying ber last year. The program will focus interaction could lead to an unprec- prospects for auto cockpit redesign on both fundamental and disruptive edented information revolution. As that combines both visual and touch research, with HCI as one of the key artificial intelligence and data - tech interfaces for safer driving. areas among others. nologies advance, humans’ senses and Alibaba has been a pioneer The partnership will see both emotions will be further digitalized in both fundamental technolog- parties collaborating on frontier and become the new mode of inter- ical research and its commercial technologies including multi-source action with machines.” Zhang added: application in areas such as speech emotion data analysis, affective com- “we are excited about the prospects recognition and visual recognition. puting, tangible interaction, and of another wave of the information Last December, Alibaba introduced multimodal perception and inter- revolution based on new HCI, and it far-field voice-recognition technolo- action, which are fundamental in is our honor to have a distinguished gy to the ticketing kiosks in Shanghai driving forward the advancement of partner like Tsinghua University to metro stations to enable faster ticket HCI study. Researchers from both join us in leading a breakthrough in purchasing. Through combining sig- parties with a diversity of expertise in next-generation HCI research.” nal-processing and computer-vision cognitive science, linguistics, physiol- The lab’s technological inno- technology, Alibaba is able to better ogy and aesthetics will join forces in vation is expected to be applied in a identify sound sources and solve the spearheading different research proj- wide array of commercial scenari- problem of intense noise disturbance. ects. Prof. Xu Yingqing, Director of os, including new retail, autonomous As a global research institute, the Future Lab at Tsinghua Univer- driving and smart living in the future, Tsinghua University has solid research sity, and Paul Fu, Senior Director of where human emotions or affec- background in areas including natu- User Experience for Alibaba Group, tive states are better understood, ral interaction experience, multimedia will lead the lab’s operation and while multi-module interaction that computing, multi-user sharing inter- research directions. involves two or more of the five senses face management and multimodal Prof. Yang Bin, Vice President - visual, auditory, speech, touch and human-computer interaction. of Tsinghua University, said: “by making machines better understand and communicate with humans, HCI is expected to revolutionize various industries and have a pro- found impact on how we work and live.” Yang added, “Tsinghua Uni- versity is a global research institute with a cutting edge in a wide array of fields including computer science,

15APRIL | TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY NEWSLETTER