Officials at Iowa State University and a leading technology university in China have signed agreements that will bring several top Chinese students each year to Iowa State to work on their degrees.
The agreements with Dalian University of Technology will enable up to five Chinese PhD students a year in the sciences and engineering to pursue their doctoral degrees from ISU, or conduct research at ISU as part of their Dalian degrees. The agreements also will bring several top Dalian undergraduate and master’s students to ISU for two or three years to complete their degrees. In addition, ISU students will have an opportunity to study in the summer at Dalian.
“These agreements are designed to develop and strengthen relationships and cooperation between our two universities,” said Arne Hallam, associate dean in ISU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He added that the agreements will promote academic exchanges between faculty members and students of the universities and are expected to lead to long-term collaborations in the sciences and engineering.
Dalian University of Technology is located in the coastal city of Dalian in northeastern China’s Liaoning Province. Several of the university’s academic programs, such as engineering, chemistry and materials science, are highly ranked among Chinese institutions, according to ISU officials.
The Chinese PhD students coming to ISU will all be outstanding, said Mufit Akinc, professor of materials science and engineering and the College of Engineering’s professor-in-charge of international engagement. The students will receive awards from the China Scholarship Council, which provides a limited number of scholarships only to the “very best students.”
“Students in our college will benefit from their interactions with top students from China and elsewhere,” Akinc said. “It’s yet another way to gain an appreciation for other cultures and outlooks.”
ISU undergraduate students may study in the summer up to six weeks in Dalian, typically taking either an engineering or science course and another class in the humanities or social sciences.
On top of being a strong academic institution, Dalian University of Technology is home to four Chinese national laboratories: Structural Analysis for Industrial Equipment; Coastal and Offshore Engineering; Fine Chemicals; and Material Surface Modification by Laser, Ion, and Electronic Beams.
Contacts:
Arne Hallam, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, (515) 294-5861
Mufit Akinc, College of Engineering, (515) 294-0738
Eric Dieterle, Engineering College Relations, (515) 294-4881
Steve Jones, Liberal Arts & Sciences Communications, (515) 294-0461