On May 14th 2017, the TED x SUSTech 2017 Conference, which was hosted by the Student Union was held at the first scientific research hall of the university. Eight speakers from inside and outside the university shared stimulating thoughts in the fields of science and technology, humanities, design, education, and many other topics.
On the site of the conference
Han Wei‘s speech
Han Wei, Director of Residential College told the audience that SUSTech is on the road to greatness, with the first batch of experimental class students from SUSTech going on to universities such as Oxford, Yale, Caltech’s, as well as the importance of building a community of friends. She said: “everything here is just budding, let us reach out and grow together.”
Xue Bo‘s speech
Shenzhen City Urban Transportation Planning and Design Institute Director Xue Bo delivered a talk on traffic structure, urban development and road network density, three aspects of a simple analysis of the question “What kind of city will we grow into?” and put forward basic solutions to ease traffic congestion. He also said that in urban development, cultural and social values as well as technology is of equal importance. Finally, Xue Bo, indicated that traffic in the city affects everyone’s life, and that urban transportation faced some key challenges. He advocates a return to common sense, cohesion and consensus, with a city bus plan as a core city development strategy to improve on in order to fundamentally solve the traffic problem.
Liu Ke‘s speech
Professor of Engineering and member of the Australian Academy of Engineering, Professor Liu Ke gave a talk on “Haze and Fertilizer” to introduce the environmental challenges our planet faces, such as the excessive use of fertilizers which cause soil degradation, food safety problems, nutrient loss and other issues. “Asking the question is half of the success”, he said while presenting the micro-sodium separation technology, an innovation which allows one to separate clean coal and organic nutrient fertilizer. Liu Ke said that he hoped to inspire the younger students and talent, and that SUSTech and the city of Shenzhen would help them forge an innovative business vision.
Huang Weiwen‘s speech
Harvard School of Design Loeb Fellow scholar and director of the Shenzhen Municipal Public Art Center, Huang Weiwen’s speech led to a “Who transforms who” debate. He worked in the Fukuda central area of Gangxia Village, for example, and illustrated the urban planning of the city and the relationship between it and the local villages. At the same time, he showed the harmonious symbiotic relationship between Shenzhen University and Guimiao Village, and the public plan of Lake Pui Village, which raised the audience’s deep thinking about the role of city-village dynamic in urban planning.
Dr Ge Lisa‘s speech
Dr. Ge Lisa, a former member of the Institute of Innovation at the Sea, tells the story of chasing social justice. What exactly is public welfare? It is a valuable concept, it is about respecting the identity of the individual, but also self-healing and helping those around you, it allows everyone to be equal and safeguards dignity. She said that she hopes college students can look more into the public welfare undertakings, as a way to build links with others and in society.
Li Fujun‘s speech
“If you want to be irreplaceable, it is necessary to always think different.” Yan Chen Design (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. founder and director of art and design Li Fujun intervened to talk about his design process. He said that for most clients his agency does all-round art designs, from initial research through to transposition thinking, guiding the demand, focusing on elements such as digital image, fonts, colors and other details, and from the systematic point of view of the viewer, so as to seize business opportunities.
Wen Xiaoxiang’s Speech
Traveler, independent photographer with her own photographic works and humorous language, she explains how from the personality, dress wear and composition she defines her artistic style and gives tips to the audience on how to build their own. When she said, “If the people are not good-looking, tell them to not look at the lens”, the audience laughed and half-heartedly agreed.
Yan Jinhong‘s speech
Professor Yan Jinhong from the School of Psychology and Social Sciences of Shenzhen University has analyzed the phenomenon of “laziness” in depth, from the perspective of evolution and development, to clarify the importance of movement for our brains, in contradiction with our modern society which increasingly demotes physical activity in the daily life. Computers, cars and mobile phones are all tools which could encourage laziness. Exercise can improve brain functions by promoting brain cell creation, improving blood flow to the brain, and thereby improving physical and mental health. Yan Jinhong said he hoped everyone would begin to pay attention to the details of daily life from today, take the stairs, cycle more, or walk more.
Background information
TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a non-profit and non-political media who’s slogan is “Ideas worth spreading”. Despite its name, TED’s topics are not limited to technology, entertainment and design, but have come to cover a wide variety of topics from scientific to social and cultural talks. People with excellent ideas from all walks of life can find a place on the TED stage.
TEDx events are localized and self-organized conferences organised by TED license holders, and so in accord with certain guidelines. Under the guidance of “delivering good ideas”, the events aim to bring people together to share experiences similar to TED talks. X = independent managed TED event
TEDxSUSTech is approved by the official TED official organization, and hosted by SUSTech and the Students Union. They are committed to the spread and sharing of ideas, and firmly believe that good ideas can change people’s views on the world and can lead people to reflect on their own behavior. At the heart of this young and vibrant platform which is SUSTech and to a broader extent the city of Shenzhen, they are the voices of today’s world.
