This summer school was sponsored by Sino-German Center and undertaken by Institute of Botany, CAS and University of Heidelberg, Germany. The opening ceremony was held in the vast auditorium at the new Turpan Museum. The main leaders of the local government of Xinjiang, Urumqi, Turpan, the Chinese Academy of Science and the Sino-German Center presented the ceremony and presented their congratulations and best wishes to the summer school.
The summer school consists of 4-day lectures indoor and field work. The field work included earth resistivity tomography, seismic refraction, drilling and sampling of fluvial and lake sediments, as well as investigating and interpreting soil profiles and fluvial sediments. We believe that the students improved their scientific knowledge and technological skills through the lectures and practice.
During the training and practice in the field, the students worked hard in spite of the hot weather. After four days, all students had learned the new techniques and lots of interesting results were gained by applying these advanced methods. We believe such kind of training and practice provided the basis for a continuing successful co-operation between the Chinese and German sides.
On the final day of the summer school, following a bottom-up approach, the students gave short lectures in English about the primary results obtained during the field works, with the guidance and help of the teachers.
During the closing ceremony, the teachers and students gave their congratulations on the success of the summer school. All participants wished that such kind of school would be continued in the future. The students were awarded their certificate of the summer school. Finally, all teachers and students expressed their gratitude to the Sino-German Scientific Center for all their aid. They also thanked the institutions and persons who supported the school.
In summary, the summer school fulfilled all scientific and social expectations. From a scientific point of view the interdisciplinary cooperation of the disciplines Geography (Heidelberg), Archaeology (Academia Turfanica) and Botany (Palaeobotany and Archaeobotany) and environmental sciences (Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing) provides an excellent opportunity for a future joint research project in the Turpan region.
From a social and intercultural point of view the performed approach of the summer school combining theory and practice was also very successful. The joint work in mixed groups, particularly in the field and during the discussion of the results, really supported and enhanced the intercultural knowledge and mutual communication of all participants.
In conclusion, the metaphor suggested in the application for the summer school can be confirmed: in ancient times the Silk Road built an economic bridge between Asia and Europe, and the summer school succeeded in building a cultural and scientific bridge between China and Germany.
This summer school was sponsored by Sino-German Center and undertaken by Institute of Botany, CAS and University of Heidelberg, Germany. The opening ceremony was held in the vast auditorium at the new Turpan Museum. The main leaders of the local government of Xinjiang, Urumqi, Turpan, the Chinese Academy of Science and the Sino-German Center presented the ceremony and presented their congratulations and best wishes to the summer school.
The summer school consists of 4-day lectures indoor and field work. The field work included earth resistivity tomography, seismic refraction, drilling and sampling of fluvial and lake sediments, as well as investigating and interpreting soil profiles and fluvial sediments. We believe that the students improved their scientific knowledge and technological skills through the lectures and practice.
During the training and practice in the field, the students worked hard in spite of the hot weather. After four days, all students had learned the new techniques and lots of interesting results were gained by applying these advanced methods. We believe such kind of training and practice provided the basis for a continuing successful co-operation between the Chinese and German sides.
On the final day of the summer school, following a bottom-up approach, the students gave short lectures in English about the primary results obtained during the field works, with the guidance and help of the teachers.
During the closing ceremony, the teachers and students gave their congratulations on the success of the summer school. All participants wished that such kind of school would be continued in the future. The students were awarded their certificate of the summer school. Finally, all teachers and students expressed their gratitude to the Sino-German Scientific Center for all their aid. They also thanked the institutions and persons who supported the school.
In summary, the summer school fulfilled all scientific and social expectations. From a scientific point of view the interdisciplinary cooperation of the disciplines Geography (Heidelberg), Archaeology (Academia Turfanica) and Botany (Palaeobotany and Archaeobotany) and environmental sciences (Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing) provides an excellent opportunity for a future joint research project in the Turpan region.
From a social and intercultural point of view the performed approach of the summer school combining theory and practice was also very successful. The joint work in mixed groups, particularly in the field and during the discussion of the results, really supported and enhanced the intercultural knowledge and mutual communication of all participants.
In conclusion, the metaphor suggested in the application for the summer school can be confirmed: in ancient times the Silk Road built an economic bridge between Asia and Europe, and the summer school succeeded in building a cultural and scientific bridge between China and Germany.