The one-week joint international summer school between Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) and Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) on the topic of "Health and Engineering" successfully concluded on June 15th, 2018 in room 108 of SJTU Library in Xuhui Campus. This summer school was funded by the SJTU Graduate School International Summer School project and was hosted by School of Biomedical Engineering, SJTU. A total of 22 doctoral students, 12 from KTH and 10 from SJTU, participated in this summer school; they were from 10 countries, including China, Sweden, and the United States.

The opening ceremony of  the 2018 SJTU-KTH Joint Summer School

        The SJTU-KTH International Summer School has always focused on exchanging academic knowledge and promoting cooperation within the field of biomedical engineering by providing opportunities for interaction and communication between multiple cultures. The courses in this summer school was in-depth and covered a wide range of topics. Not only did well known scholars in the field of biomedical engineering from both SJTU and KTH gave extensive and wonderful academic lectures, it also included computational experiments and visitation to a leading national company in the biomedical engineering industry. In addition, through cultural exchange activities, the teachers and students of KTH had a direct and in-depth understanding of Chinese culture and SJTU’s campus life.

Amazing academic lectures from KTH & SJTU professors

        Thirteen professors from both universities presented professional academic lectures in disease biology, nano-biotechnology, medical devices, medical imaging, and system biology & medicine. In addition, in order to better integrate the application of biomedical engineering knowledge and practice, computational experiments were integrated into the summer school curriculum; providing students with first-hand opportunity to learn and translate theory into practice. The computational experiments incorporated survival analysis concepts and provided understanding of conventional methods, it is applied to nuclear magnetic imaging processing. The professors provided on-site guidance to the students and promptly resolved student’s questions. The combination of practice and theory with the interaction of problems solving enables the students to gain critical experience. During the summer school, teachers and students from KTH also visited SJTU laboratories, such as the Institute of Personalized Medicine and the Digital Medical Center of the Ministry of Education, according to their respective areas of interest.

Professor Örjan Smedby instructing students on computational experiment

Professors and students of KTH  visiting SJTU labs

    The opening ceremony of the summer school and ice-breaking activities were held at the Xuhui Campus on June 11th. The Chairman of the Graduate Cultivation Committee of the School of Biomedical Engineering, the Associate Dean of Zhiyuan College, and the Summer School principal of SJTU, Professor Weiliang Xia, gave a welcome speech at the opening ceremony and provided a brief introduction to the institute's history and background. In the subsequent ice-breaking activities, teachers and students of both sides were randomly divided into five groups to complete a search-and-find game on campus, and quickly got familiar with each other. Then the participants visited the SJTU History Museum with an English guide, enabled the teachers and students from KTH to have a deep understanding of SJTU’s history and culture. Many SJTU teachers and students agreed that this was a good opportunity to deepen recognition of SJTU.

Professor Weiliang Xia giving introductions during the opening ceremony

Summer school participants  visiting SJTU History Museum

        In the ensuing day, the curriculum included activities outside of the campus, including a visitation to United Imaging in Shanghai. Professor Qun Chen, Chief Executive Officer of United Imaging Research Institute, elaborated on the company’s history, development status, and the research and development of existing technologies in a global perspective. During the reports and on-site visits to the assembly workshops, the summer school teachers and students actively put-forth questions, and had intensively discussed with Prof. Chen. Prof. Chen said that United Imaging and the SJTU’s School of Biomedical Engineering have established a joint talent cultivation model, and that International talent, including KTH students, are very welcome to practice at the company. Due to the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival, SJTU and KTH students and professors were introduced to traditional tea and dumplings to enjoy native culture. In the evening, the summer school teacher and student toured Huangpu River, beautifully reflected lights from both sides of the strait. Both teachers and students experienced a perfect blend of Eastern and Western cultures accompanied with pleasant conversations.

Professor Qun Chen of United Imaging Research Institute interacting with students

Summer school participants visiting the United Imaging Research Institute

Summer school participants  visiting the Huangpu River

        The farewell ceremony of the summer school was held on the afternoon of June 15th. After five days of exchange and interaction, teachers and students from SJTU and KTH, as well as the volunteers, have learned a lot and have forged deep friendships. Professor LiXu Gu, Dean Assistant of SJTU’s School of Biomedical Engineering, congratulated all trainees on their successful participation and thanked KTH for visiting. Professor Örjan Smedby gave thanks on behalf of KTH and welcomed the professors and students to join the 2019 KTH-SJTU International Summer School, which will be held in Stockholm, Sweden. At the farewell ceremony, professors awarded the students with certificates of completion and expressed their congratulations.

Professor LiXu Gu giving thanks at the farewell ceremony

Professor Örjan Smedby giving thanks at the farewell ceremony

Students at the farewell ceremony

       During the summer school, seeking to promote international cooperation and exchange, the two schools held a roundtable discussion on international exchanges and cooperation at the Med-X Research Institute in Xuhui, discussing the development of dual-degree programs, joint laboratory constructions, joint seed fund projects, and 2019 Summer School preparations alongside other issues.

The round-table discussion  between SJTU and KTH

        The successful conclusion of the SJTU-KTH Summer School is the physical implementation of BME international cooperation in scientific research and cultivation. Compared to previous years, this summer school had number of participants, with richer content and activities, and more diverse communication platforms. This event allows students to have more direct communication and intuitive understanding of other's scientific research projects. Teachers from both sides also took this opportunity to achieve multi-dimensional in-depth exchanges. At the farewell party, both teachers and students left messages and farewells. Messages from participants indicated that “It was a blast!” and was a “great experience”. At the same time, it promoted the academic exchanges and cooperation between SJTU and KTH in the field of biomedical engineering and strengthened the cultural exchange experience between teachers and students from both sides. This event shows the characteristics of the internationalized effort of BME promotes.

The successful closure of the 2018 SJTU-KTH Joint Summer School

Written by：Hanqun Wang
Translated by：Antony Warden
Photographed by：Jiangyuan Su etc.