Fostering Research and Connections Across Borders
Message from the Director
The Cornell China Center (CCC) continued to serve as a bridge between Cornell and China in 2022, raising Cornell’s visibility in China and building border-crossing connections through dynamic programs and research collaborations that deliver practical solutions to critical global challenges.
We partnered with multiple units on campus and—despite pandemic limitations—found innovative ways to work together, explore important topics, and foster dialogues between Cornell and academic partners in China. We also sponsored events in China that strengthened the Cornell community, connecting Chinese alumni with current students and engaging their energy to advance the university’s educational priorities.
Ying Hua
Director, Cornell China Center
Cornell-China Online Forum
CCC’s annual forum—conducted in Chinese and English on December 15–16—featured 30 alumni, faculty, and other speakers highlighting collaboration and innovation. Over 725 unique viewers joined the event, including 500 on the Chinese channel.
Cornell Global Hubs
In 2022 we became a vital location of the new Cornell Global Hubs. Our record of seeding high impact collaborative research; building strategic relationships with university partners across China; and bringing together alumni, students, and local communities make CCC a success story for the Hubs initiative as it grows in 2023 and beyond.
Discoveries: Faculty Research Grants | 2019–22
Since 2019, CCC has awarded nearly USD $1 million in research funding and leveraged an additional $375,000+ from partner universities in China through multiple rounds of China Innovation Grants and joint seed grants. Topics range from human health and agriculture to regional planning, engineering, and beyond. The projects featured below show how our teams move from innovation to impact.
"Luckily our seed grant project had a large portion of computation work, perfect during the pandemic in work-from-home mode. We are very pleased to report that jointly we have published two peer-reviewed papers in relatively high-impact journals. Considering the fact that our collaboration started in the unusual pandemic period, these outputs are indeed truly impressive."
—Dan Luo
Cornell PI, In Silico Nanosafety Assessment for Promoting Nano-Enabled Strategies in Agricultural Production
Toward Automated Eating Activity Recognition in the Wild
Cornell PI: Cheng Zhang, Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science | China PI: Junchi Yan, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU)
The team developed an AI-powered sensing algorithm that allows an off-the-shelf smartwatch to track eating by estimating the wearer’s 3D arm postures and learning the movements that indicate eating. EatingTrak can recognize eating behavior in only three seconds, while existing devices require five minutes. Using the novel algorithm, millions of commodity smartwatches may soon provide on-the-spot feedback on unhealthy eating behaviors for on-site intervention and treatment.
- Peer-reviewed publication in Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction (Sept. 2022)
- The team filed a Center for Technology Licensing invention disclosure, a step toward bringing a Cornell innovation to market.
China, Aging, and the COVID-19 Response
Cornell PI: Mildred Warner, College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP) China PI: Zhilin Liu, Tsinghua University
The team hosted international research workshops in English and Chinese on COVID-19 policy responses and lessons across global economic, social, and institutional contexts. Researchers presented a total of 16 papers at the twin events—a virtual seminar in May 2020 and an in-person seminar at Tsinghua University in April 2021—leading to major publications and follow-on research funding from Tsinghua for continued collaboration.
- Special issue of Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis 23.2 (2021)
- CCC-funded student interns translated Chinese neighborhood response surveys on COVID-19 among the elderly.
EatingTrak: Eating detection using a single wrist-mounted motion sensor.
Linda Shi
Newly Funded: Climate Adaptation in New York and Shanghai
Joint seed funding brings together Cornell’s Linda Shi (AAP) and SJTU’s Ruishan Chen. Their urban planning project examines how coastal megacities can effectively respond to climate change threats, including sea-level rise, typhoons, and storm surges. Shi is a leading voice in U.S. and international media on climate disasters, strategic adaptations, and policy reforms that redress underlying causes of vulnerability to climate change.
Follow-on Funding for Online Learning
A China Innovation Grant project led by Cornell natural resources professor Marianne Krasny and research associate Yue Li (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences) developed online courses that reached 2,500+ participants from more than 50 countries. The team received additional grant support of $30,000 from the China-based Paradise International Foundation to create a new e-STEM course for use in China.
Grant Distribution by College
Nine of Cornell’s colleges have participated in CCC grant opportunities.
Publications
Many projects are still in progress. So far, researchers report 23 publications stemming from China Innovation Grants.
- 15 peer-reviewed journal articles
- 4 forthcoming journal articles
- 2 long conference articles
- 1 journal special-themed issue
- 1 book chapter
2022 analytics as of December 16:
- 10,360 subscribers
- 107 posts
- 88,326 views
- 53 articles | 65,270 views | 1,232 average views
- 54 events | 23,056 views | 427 average views
WeChat growth by academic year:
Connections: Partnerships and Events
In 2022, CCC shared the excitement of Cornell campus happenings with audiences in China, gave Chinese students new opportunities to engage, and hosted virtual and in-person meetings and events to strengthen trusted strategic partnerships and foster new understandings.
Our guests in Beijing enjoyed the largest-ever hybrid international new student sendoff in August. CCC cohosted the event with the Cornell Clubs of Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, bringing together 156 students, parents, and alumni in two physical locations and virtually.
New CCC Location
The center’s new home is located in Beijing’s central business district. We host events for up to 80 people, and the space offers meeting rooms and offices for Cornell faculty, students, and alumni with students and a digital display for virtual events and exhibiting faculty research.
Exploring Chinese Treasures on Ithaca’s Campus
Popular CCC fall field trips showcased for the campus community the deep bonds between Cornell and China at the Cornell Botanic Gardens, Cornell Library, and the Herbert F. Johnson Art Museum.
Advancing Careers, Building Connections
The Beijing office hosted monthly career exploration panels in fall 2022, bringing together Chinese industry leaders and Cornell alumni to share their knowledge about professional trends and the job market for Chinese students and alumni. We also recruited nine Chinese companies to participate in Global Cornell’s 2022 virtual career fair for international students.
"International students like me consider returning home after graduation, but most job fair activities on campus do not have applicable information. I am especially grateful for the center’s effort to bring together companies and Cornell alumni in China for us. I got career development inspiration from outstanding alumni during the career exploration series and also got help from alumni in my job search process."
—Ann Nie ’23
Weekly eCornell Keynotes
Partnering with eCornell, CCC created a new weekly lecture series continuing in spring 2023 that shares selected eCornell Keynotes with Chinese subtitles for our audiences in China.
Community-Engaged Learning
Partnering with Cornell’s Einhorn Center for Community Engagement, CCC surveyed Chinese and other international students to learn about their engagement with community partners around the world. We are currently developing recommendations to improve experiential learning opportunities at Cornell.
