Alumni: TU expands relationship with Chinese graduates

This goal was confirmed by the 100 or so participants who attended a festive event on German-Chinese exchange in the TU auditorium at the end of October. Many alumni, such as Professor Du Zhimin from Chengdu, had traveled all the way from Asia. "Our Chinese alumni are ambassadors of Clausthal University of Technology abroad and valuable partners for our institutes and graduates, but also for institutions and companies in the region," emphasized University President Professor Thomas Hanschke in his welcoming speech.

The best-known Clausthal graduate from China is Professor Wan Gang. The Minister of Science and Technology of the People's Republic was unable to attend the event in the Oberharz. Instead, he delivered a greeting, which Dr. Zhao Qinghua read out as a representative of the Chinese Embassy in Berlin.

Wan Gang said that numerous Clausthal graduates are now presidents or vice presidents of Chinese universities or hold leading positions in companies or institutes. "They all act as a bridge between Germany and China in science, technology and education." Regarding his own time at the TU - Wan Gang completed his doctorate at the Institute of Mechanical Engineering between 1985 and 1991 - the minister wrote: "The awareness of innovation and sustainable development that was conveyed in Clausthal had a particularly strong influence on his professional development. With its research topics such as new energies and materials, environmental technologies and complex systems, the university has its finger on the pulse of the times, according to the greeting. In addition, the mentoring relationship that is cultivated between lecturers and students in the Oberharz is a major advantage of the TU. Wan Gang announced that he would continue to promote relations between China and Clausthal in the future.

This cooperation has blossomed over the past ten years in particular. Professor Michael Z. Hou, China Representative at Clausthal, outlined the development: the first German-Chinese degree program with a double degree was launched between the TU and Sichuan University in 2005. To date, 200 students of the subject (geo-environmental technology) have received their certificates. Clausthal University of Technology now maintains intensive relations with eight selected Chinese universities. The students who come to the Harz from there go through a selection process and a language test. Cooperation in research has also been established, for example the Chinese-German Energy Days, which have already taken place twice in Goslar and once in Beijing. The latest success story is only a few days old. "The German Academic Exchange Service," reported Professor Hou, who organized the ceremony together with the TU's Alumni Management, "has just approved 60,000 euros to set up a Clausthal alumni network in China."

Contact:

Clausthal University of Technology
Press spokesperson
Christian Ernst
Phone: +49 5323 72-3904

E-mail: +49 5323 72-3904 christian.ernst@tu-clausthal.de