It’s official: Drexel has a new home in the most exciting and dynamic city in China.
A Drexel University delegation led by President John A. Fry marked the official opening of the new Drexel-SARI Center in Shanghai on June 6 with a celebration at the Center that included a performance by musicians from the Philadelphia Orchestra, with which Drexel toured China for two weeks this summer.
Drexel signed an agreement with the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute (SARI) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences to launch the Drexel-SARI Center last October. The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) is a leading academic institution and comprehensive research and development center in natural science, technological science and high-tech innovation in China. The Center will serve as home to a variety of Drexel research initiatives and broaden the University’s global outlook.
Drexel alumnus and president of the Shanghai branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Dr. Mianheng Jiang, who was instrumental in the formation of this partnership, joined the Drexel festivities and—together with the Drexel delegation—toured the new facility. Mianheng received a doctoral degree in electrical and computer engineering from Drexel’s College of Engineering in 1991. His father, Jiang Zemin, former president of the People’s Republic of China, made a major international visit to Drexel during his presidency in 1997.
Drexel Provost Dr. Mark Greenberg, Vice Provost for Global Initiatives Dr. Julie Mostov, Vice Provost for Research Dr. Deborah Crawford and Daniel Tedesco, a 2011 Drexel graduate and 2012 China Fulbright Fellow, were among the Drexel representatives. Other distinguished guests included United States Consul General Robert Griffiths and CEO and Philadelphia Orchestra President Allison Vulgamore.
The celebration of the new center was among the highlights of the China trip, which Drexel undertook as education partner for the Orchestra’s 2012 Residency Week and Tour of China. The weeklong residency in Beijing marks the first time any U.S. orchestra has co-created a long-term residency in the People’s Republic of China, opening a new door for the Orchestra’s deeper engagement with China.
The Residency Week included three concerts, two free open rehearsals, community engagement activities, and U.S.-China diplomatic forums and cultural exchange programs. Of course, for Drexel, the trip also included the formalization of the landmark agreement with SARI—one that cements Drexel’s reputation as a truly global university.
Located in the Shanghai Pudong Science and Technology Park, the Drexel-SARI Center will be a home for Drexel’s research collaborations and educational partnerships with SARI and other institutes of the CAS, offering Drexel faculty insight into the latest technology and innovation in China. The Center will also serve as a base in Shanghai for other Drexel educational endeavors including internships and co-ops, and symposia.
Among the first research collaborations at the Drexel-SARI Center will be a joint research initiative led by Dr. Wei Sun, Albert and Harriet Soffa Professor in Drexel’s College of Engineering and School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, and scientists from SARI’s Life Science Department to apply 3D cell assembly technology to generate in vitro cellular cancer models used for drug screening testing.
Engineering professor Dr. Yury Gogotsi, director of the A.J. Drexel Nanotechnology Institute, has also proposed expanding his study of nanomaterials for biomedical applications with SARI colleagues at the Drexel-SARI Center.
