While the campus of Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) remains quiet, education and scientific research continue unabated. The online teaching platform has connected students, teachers, and faculty members across the globe.

In recent days, the Dean of the School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IE-School) Liu Ke has launched a class on “Advocate the scientific spirit under the epidemic & lessons from Silicon Valley’s innovative spirit.” More than 200 students and faculty members around the world tuned into his class that was chaired by Deputy Dean Shao Liyang.

Dean Liu Ke provided a vivid lecture on the scientific spirit that imbued China during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic and how the culture of Silicon Valley has influenced the innovative genes that flow throughout SUSTech. He spoke about how to implement the mission of IE-School.

He said that the spirit of scientific inquiry was necessary for the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). While keeping track of the outbreak, given the firehose of information from both traditional and new media sources, everyone should try their best to distinguish legitimate sources of information from rumors to ensure that decisions follow scientific principles.

Dean Liu Ke highlighted the history of Silicon Valley to discuss the innovative culture of the Bay Area. The scientific community sees innovation as the transformation of knowledge into useful, value-generating technology. He emphasized the importance of scientific research, regardless of its success or failure, noting that “Success is not obtained overnight. It comes in installments.”

Dean Liu Ke compared Silicon Valley to Shenzhen and pointed out that Shenzhen should continue to create its miracles, adapt to non-technical challenges, and become more competitive on a global scale.

IE-School would continue to inspire students, scholars, and faculty members by providing educational resources and connecting innovative enterprises across Shenzhen to SUSTech-founded businesses. It aims to build a domestic and international innovation and entrepreneurship platform.

IE-School postgraduate student Cheng Yu said that they had a deeper understanding of scientific innovation and entrepreneurship following the class. Fellow postgraduate Li Tie added that an improved perception of the SUSTech spirit of “research, innovation, and entrepreneurship” would help him grow as a person, a scientist, and an entrepreneur.