On December 8, Professor Xinwan Li, the University of Michigan- Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute’s (UM-SJTU JI) Secretary of Party Committee and Associate Dean for Research, was invited to give a technology seminar at Hunan Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Region Minority High School (hereinafter referred to as Xiangxi People’s High School).

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In his two-hour lecture to nearly 100 teachers and students, Professor Li talked about how to use innovative and intelligent technologies to solve the desertification and dust storms facing China based on his innovations of the desert robot monitoring project in the international cooperation project sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Technology over the past several years. He took the opportunity to introduce JI to the students.

Principal Bin Wang of Xiangxi People’s High School expressed strong wishes for his students to enter the world-class JI and the opportunities for them to realize their dreams in the outside world.

Professor Li shared Principal Wang’s enthusiasm. He pointed out that JI is committed to building a world-class global innovative leaders training zone on the Chinese soil so that the best students can enjoy the excellent educational resources equitably. “At the Joint Institute, we try to provide every student with opportunities and supports and we will not let any good student lose the opportunity to enroll at JI because of insufficient financial resources.”

The Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Region is the only ethnic minority autonomous region in Hunan Province, located in Wuling mountainous area of northwest Hunan. Xiangxi People’s High School has a long history as a Xiangxi elite school. It was founded in 1936 and has 3,300 students currently, of which minority students accounted for 88% of the total number of students. In recent years, the school’s university entrance rate has been maintained at more than 90%, double the national average of 45%.