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 2023, raising Cornell’s visibility in China, strengthening connections
through dynamic programs, and facilitating collaboration to address critical global challenges.
While partnering with multiple units and professors across campus, we created innovative ways to work together for impact and fostered dialogues between Cornell and academic partners in China. The center hosted a series of events in 2023 that strengthened the Cornell community in China, connecting Chinese alumni with current students, and engaging the energy and talents of different groups to promote the university’s mission of global education. We look forward to continuing to
advance Cornell-China collaboration into the future.
Ying Hua
Director, Cornell China Center
Highlights
- Supported collaborative research through seed grants.
- Fostered dialogues through the Cornell-China Forum and research symposia.
- Organized monthly career exploration events to connect Cornell students and alumni.
- Held regular eCornell keynote screenings of Cornell experts for Chinese audiences.
- Facilitated collaborations with strategic Chinese partner universities.
- Published 133 WeChat posts to 12,100 subscribers.
- Organized outings in Ithaca to highlight Cornell-China ties.
Faculty Research Grants
Since 2019, CCC has awarded $1,050,000 in research funding and leveraged an additional $450,000+ from partner universities in China through China Innovation Grants and joint seed funding to help researchers move from innovation to impact. Topics range from human health and agriculture to regional planning, engineering, and beyond.
Funded research spans a wide variety of disciplines across 10 colleges. Of the 44 faculty research grants awarded, 23
drive innovation on sustainability themes, and 12 are working to generate societal benefits in health and medicine.
Recent Updates
Vertebral Skeletal Stem Cell Research
Weill Cornell Medicine’s Associate Professor Matthew Greenblatt published research on vertebral metastasis in Nature (Sept. 2023), which was funded in part by our center and attracted significant media coverage.
Joint Research
Professor of Food Science Rui Hai Liu, CALS, established a multidisciplinary team with the Southern China University of Technology and the University of Macau to investigate the health benefits of whole foods and dietary patterns for chronic disease prevention and healthy aging.
Jessica Chen Weiss, the Michael J. Zak Professor for China and Asia-Pacific Studies in the Department of Government, A&S, is collaborating with Tsinghua University’s Institute of Computational Social Science to illuminate contemporary attitudes in Chinese society by improving understanding of perceptions of global issues, the interaction of domestic factors and foreign policy making, and the role of (new) social media.
Many of our funded research projects are still in progress, and to date, there are over 30 publications stemming from our grants, including 22 peer-reviewed journal articles.
Ithaca Outings
A spring tour to the clock tower included a concert of Chinese tunes played on the chimes by Chenchen Lu ’23. In the fall, a
campus walking tour of historic Cornell-China connections was led by Liren Zheng from Cornell Library’s Wason Collection on
East Asia.
Activities in Beijing
The CCC Beijing office provides a Cornell-branded space for students, alumni, faculty, and guests to learn and network. In 2023, we hosted 80 events with 4,650 attendees. We welcomed 110 visitors and facilitated 138 space-use requests, which brought in nearly 8,000 guests.
We have held a successful series of events, including a biweekly eCornell keynote series featuring faculty panels on
sustainability and other pressing issues. Our monthly career exploration series in technology, finance, and public health brings together Chinese industry leaders and Cornell alumni to share knowledge about professional trends and the job market for Chinese students and alumni.
Cornell-China Forum
In November, more than 200 Cornell alumni, collaborators, and friends gathered for the Cornell China Center’s annual signature event, held this year in Guangzhou, China. The forum brought together teams of Cornell and Chinese faculty with business leaders to showcase high-impact research and education projects on decarbonization, environmental resilience, health technology for aging societies, and materials innovations.
Jonathan Zhu, chair of the Cornell China Advisory Board, gave a keynote on “Cornell in China: Doing the Greatest Good.” The well-attend event demonstrated Cornell’s vision and commitment to collaboration as pathways to addressing global challenges and embracing shared opportunities.
Notable 2023 Events
China Architecture Panel
(March) In collaboration with the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, we held a hybrid panel of renowned Chinese architects for the annual Preston H. Thomas Memorial Symposium.
Cornell Summer School Session
(April) Jim Schechter, director of Precollege Studies, visited Beijing and hosted a hybrid event for students and families.
CCC-CALS-CAU Student Event
(April) A vibrant student networking event was cohosted by the center, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and China Agricultural University.
International New Student Sendoff
(August) Cornell’s largest-ever international new student sendoff event was cohosted with the Cornell clubs of Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, bringing together
156 students, parents, and alumni virtually and in two physical locations.
Cornell in China Alumni Event
(November) Global Cornell and campus partners cohosted an alumni networking event featuring panel discussions by college deans and SC Johnson College of Business Distinguished Mentors.
Cornell Women in Leadership
(November) Vice Provost Wendy Wolford, Dean of Human Ecology Rachel Dunifon, and CCC Director Ying Hua joined distinguished alumnae Ouyang Dan (MA ’01, JD ’05), Wilson LLP and Asian Capital Markets; Lili Qiu (MS ’99, PhD ’99, PhD ’01), Microsoft Research Asia to discuss strategies that drive innovation, build successful teams, and achieve lasting impact.
