“Belt and Road” youth science and technology humanities exchange activities (Guangxi) concluded
Nearly 100 Teachers and Students from 8 Countries Gathered in Guangxi Academy of Sciences to Create a New Name Card for International Exchange on Science Popularization

On September 25, 2024, the 7-day “Belt and Road” Youth Science and Technology Humanities Exchange Activity (Guangxi) came to a successful end. This activity is co-sponsored by the Youth Science and Technology Center of the Chinese Association for Science and Technology, Guangxi Association for Science and Technology, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Guangxi Science and Technology Museum (Guangxi Youth Science and Technology Center), China - ASEAN International Exchange Center for Science and Technology, Guangxi Youth Science and Technology Education Association, Guangxi Academy of Sciences Science Education and Communication Center to undertake the integration of scientific and technological and humanistic exchanges, covering the scientists' report, scientific and technological thematic classes, The program was organized by the China-ASEAN International Exchange Center for Science and Technology, Guangxi Youth Science and Technology Education Association, Guangxi Science Academy Science Education and Communication Center. Nearly one hundred teachers and students from eight “Belt and Road” countries, including Brunei, Cambodia, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, participated in the program, and started the “dream journey” of science and technology and culture together with science as the guide, creativity as the soul, and humanity as the bridge. “As one of the organizers of this event, the organizer of this event is the China National Science Foundation.

As one of the organizers of this event, Guangxi Academy of Sciences Science Education and Communication Center closely around the “maritime silk road heart to heart science and technology to build dreams to the future” theme of the event, “science and technology + ecology” as the core, the scientists' report and science and technology themed class organic combination. The two-way interaction between theory and practice inspires the scientific dreams of the youth of the Belt and Road, and at the same time deepens their positive understanding and identification with China, which will play a positive role in promoting the high-quality development of the joint construction of the Belt and Road.

Scientists' Report: Listen to experts' stories of scientific research and realize the symbiosis between human beings and ecosystems

As one of the important links of the “Belt and Road” Youth Science and Technology Humanities Exchange Activities (Guangxi), the Scientist Report was held in Guangxi Science and Technology Museum, and two experts from Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Huang Xianglin and Chen Mo, gave a keynote speech.

Dr. Huang Xianglin, a researcher of Guangxi Academy of Marine Sciences, used his own scientific research path as a guide to talk about the investigation and research of Chinese white dolphins in the past ten years, and he conveyed to the youth the concept that on this blue planet, all lives are one and interdependent, and that only by respecting each other and coexisting harmoniously can the community of life flourish and be vibrant.

“How can you tell the difference between a whale and a shark?” “What are the species of whales in the world?” Chen Mo, deputy director of the Science Education and Communication Center of the Guangxi Academy of Sciences (GACS), presented the cetacean research results of the marine mammal research team of GACS in recent years under the title of whale research and conservation, while conveying the importance of marine conservation. The lecture, which was full of scientific rigor and vivid interest, made the teachers and students present at the “One Belt, One Road” become fans in a second, and the end of the lecture turned into an interactive site for fans to ask questions.

Science and Technology Theme Class: Collision of Science and Technology and Ecology Exploring New Paths of Science Popularization in Depth

The Science Education and Communication Center of Guangxi Academy of Sciences, with “exploring the wonders of science and technology and appreciating the beauty of ecology” as the main theme of science and technology themed class design, gave full play to the high-quality science education resources of Guangxi Academy of Sciences, developed an innovative underwater robot (Blue cube) course in conjunction with the Institute of High-end Equipment Manufacturing of Guangxi Academy of Sciences, and linked Guangxi Academy of Marine Science (Guangxi Mangrove Research Center), Guangxi Mangrove Research Center, Guangxi Institute of Oceanography (Guangxi Mangrove Research Center), and Guangxi Institute of Science. (Guangxi Mangrove Research Center) and Beihai Binhai National Wetland Park to create an exploratory course on mangrove plants and benthic biodiversity. Under the collision of science and technology and ecology, Guangxi Academy of Sciences creates a new name card for international exchange of science popularization, transmits scientific education thinking and ecological protection awareness to teachers and students of the “Belt and Road”, and jointly discusses the development and application of scientific activities.

A few water pipes, a few motors, a set of remote control, seemingly simple parts, after assembling immediately transformed into a simple underwater robot. “One Belt, One Road” students realized the basic movement commands and completed the task challenges one by one by launching into the water and test sailing. Guangxi Academy of Sciences Institute of High-end Equipment Manufacturing Dr. Lu Di said, most people mention underwater robot, the first reaction is a very high-end, intelligent equipment on TV, in fact, from the perspective of science education, the cognitive process follows the shallow into the depth of the underwater robots designed for young people should start from the simple version of the starting point, in the understanding of the machine structure, the principle of buoyancy, the principle of propulsion and control, in order to explore the possibility of more realization. The team was the first to complete a simple version of an underwater robot for youth.

“Our group was the first to complete the assembly of the underwater robot, the construction process is very test of spatial sense and meticulousness, the launching of the pilot has high requirements for buoyancy and balance, after repeated debugging, and finally completed the task challenge, the whole process is very interesting.” said a student from Brunei. The underwater robotics (Blue cube) program is very attractive to young people, not only exercises hands-on ability, collaboration and scientific thinking, but also helps to fully mobilize their enthusiasm for science and technology learning.

How can ecological conservation be carried out under science and technology? The course on mangrove plants and benthic biodiversity was held in Beihai, and Zhou Hao Lang, a researcher from Guangxi Academy of Marine Sciences, brought an overview of mangrove forests in Guangxi to teachers and students of the Belt and Road Program, and demonstrated the mangrove protection and restoration achievements of Guangxi Academy of Sciences in recent years.

When the tide receded and the roots of mangrove trees were exposed, the teachers and students of “One Belt, One Road” were divided into dozens of groups to investigate the benthic organisms of mangrove forests, digging sample squares, sifting sediment, identifying organisms and recording the names and characteristics of various types of organisms. The Indonesian students in the low-tide zone found a Chinese horseshoe crab, a second-class protected animal, and many of them gathered around to take pictures of it before releasing it into nature. “I dug up sand crabs, shellfish, and a mollusk in the high tide zone, which my teacher said was called stone sulfur, and it's an organism I've never seen before,” said a student from Malaysia, describing the benthic organisms he collected. Chen Mo, deputy director of the Science Education and Communication Center of Guangxi Academy of Sciences, said that by going into the mangrove reserve, people can understand more intuitively the ecological characteristics of mangrove forests and their importance to the environment, and deeply appreciate the necessity and urgency of environmental protection.

Teachers and students of “One Belt, One Road” fully felt the fun of the mangrove theme course and the responsibility of ecological protection, and they expressed the hope that in the future, they could play their own strength and do their best to make the awareness of green environmental protection like a seed to be sown in every corner of the world. At the end of the course, all of them planted mangrove saplings together as a testimony of friendship in the “One Belt, One Road” 10,000-mile co-polymerization.

In recent years, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, based on the advantages and characteristics in the field of popularization of science, in-depth exploration of the innovative implementation path of science education, and actively participate in international exchanges and cooperation with foreign countries, to open up the “scientific research - popularization of science” chain, and to realize the innovative development of “two wings” fly together, and to achieve the goal of “two wings” fly together with the international community. The two wings of innovation and development will be realized by opening up the chain of “scientific research and popularization of science” and promoting the image of the country with international popularization of science.

【Written by: Huang Ping】