China through the eyes of a GCSU professor

Editor’s Note: Dr. Andrei Barkovskii is a GCSU assistant professor of Microbiology in the Department of Biological and Environmental

sciences. In the following article, he shares his experience of participating in research exchange and delivering keynote speeches at the State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai, China.

After coming back from China, I felt the surge to share my impression of the country with my students, colleagues, and friends. So, here it is.

I came to Shanghai on Nov. 8 upon invitation by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. This was my first visit to the country, and there were three cities to see and a lot to do. I was invited to deliver keynote talks and chair sessions at international meetings in Ningbo and Beijing, China, and also to participate in research exchange at the State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The Annual Meeting and International Symposium of the Committee of Microbial Ecology of the Chinese Academy of Science was held in Ningbo, a 2-million-person city in the south. Besides me, there were three other international professors for the job; Prof. Muyzer (Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands), Prof. Kamagata (Director of Research Institute of Genome-Based Biofactory, Japan), and Dr. Kimura (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan).

My 35-minutes presentation described the origin and environmental fate of antibiotic resistance genes as affected by animal feeding operations, the study that our biology students and I have performed at GCSU with a grant support from the National Pork Board. The meeting ended up with a Microbial Ecology panel where the key note speakers shared their visions on the future of microbial ecology with a few hundred of students, researches, and state officials.

From Ningbo, the invitees flew to Beijing to participate in a research exchange at the State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry and to present their talks at the International Conference on Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control. The State Key lab is a part of the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences and is directed by Prof. Min Yang.

On the way to the Center, we were forewarned with apologies that “the place will likely look to small for you, just slightly above 1000 employees in four buildings”, the scale that impressed me. The lab itself employed more than 120 people including Ph.D. and selected M.S. students. All day long, students, researches, and group leaders presented their research in neatly prepared PowerPoint presentations, and each presentation followed up with logistic and methodological advices from the invitees.

Next, days were divided between more detailed consulting for particular groups and the conference. I worked with the group led by Prof. Yu Zhang whose research interests well matched my own. Together, we worked on developing new approaches to elucidate the mobility of unwanted genes in the environment, their detection and characteristics, and practical measures to limit their spreading through water and food chains.

My presentation at this conference was also dedicated to the mobility of those unwanted genes in aquatic environments and to their bioaccumulation by oysters; the research that my students and I have been doing at GCSU for last few years with the support of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Here is what impressed me the most in China. Science and education in China are on the rise. Availability of research funds has increased four folds during last few years. The quality of students’ projects is up to very high standards, the students have all the state-of-the art equipment in plenty, and they work at least 14 hours a day in their labs. Tuitions are insignificant, and only the scores (similar to our SAT and GPA) determine their education and following careers.

Students are bright and eager to learn. They have high expectations of themselves, and are very scrupulous in their research. Their mentors and current research and administrative leaders, such as Prof. Min Yang, had made good careers abroad and have returned to China being provided with great packages for their labs and their families. Top university administrators and state officials that I was lucky to meet over a lunch or dinner revealed a good understanding of the microbial ecology and molecular biology, and of their role in solving environmental and public health problems. These administrators and officials are eager to invest money into current research and technology and into education of future generation of scientists, mentors, and professionals.

My visit to China coincided with the visit of President Barack Obama. Among other issues, he outlined a tighter scientific collaboration with China and suggested to increase the presence of American students in China’s universities and laboratories. Talking about his visit with my Chinese partners and students, I was happy to hear that they share his vision and look forward for developing better cooperation and understanding between the United States and China. We have a lot to learn from each other.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Dec 4 2009. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry