To begin our fifth day in Shanghai, we used our usual method of travel, that being the subway, to enjoy the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center. Of the urban exhibits featured, the one that had me in awe, I’m sure like most, was the small scale model of the central Pudong district of Shanghai. In addition to the great detail that was illustrated, their projections urban development projections to the year 2020 was inspiring to see.
We then headed to the other Jiao Tong University campus which I believe is located further southeast of the campus that we are staying at. This lecture specifically pertained to me and my research topic because it specifically addressed the environment and was given by an associate professor in the university’s environmental sciences and engineering department. This was one of the most well-prepared lectures and was filled with great content that I will most likely use within my research. Shortly after we had the dean of humanities of the university come and speak to us about Jiao Tong University itself. A point of emphasis for the university that he mentioned was that of creativity. Because the university was founded in order to better compete against the Japanese in technological innovations, there exists a very narrow, goal-oriented approach. Thus encouraging and fostering creative innovation is he mentioned will get them to the level of success that they are striving for.
From the talk about the Jiao Ting University system I also gained a new appreciation for Rice and the liberal education that students are able to acquire. Our motto of unconventional wisdom communicates everything about the way of thinking that is inspired to have due to the established understanding of how impactful it is in any endeavor one ends up exploring.
