By Shawn Kelly
7 July 2023 – Six master’s students hailing from Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand and Malawi had never crossed paths while studying at the Asian Institute of Technology. Indeed, gathering in the early hours at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport on June 26 to catch a red-eye flight to Hong Kong International Airport, anticipating a connecting ferry to Shenzhen, China – they were largely strangers.
Later, arriving back to Thailand on July 4, after completing a specialized ten-day summer study sojourn at the Georgia Tech Shenzhen Institute (GTSI), the students had transformed into a tightly-knit lot, bounded together as friends from a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience China’s ‘Silicon Valley’ from the inside.
Nyein Aye Thu, Duyen Lam Thi My, Rungrot Tatiyawongwiwat, Pattranit Teerakoson, Wipaporn Saweangwit, and Talengi Kasambara were all accepted as members of the inaugural batch to participate in the AIT- Georgia Tech Shenzhen Institute, China, Summer Program 2023, a new initiative spearheaded by Ms. Danielle Duan of the Office of International and Public Affairs (OIPA) together with cooperation officials of Georgia Tech’s international campus.
Located in the urban heart of Shenzhen, Georgia Tech Shenzhen Institute is an American degree-granting campus within the global network of Georgia Institute of Technology, a world leading technological and research university based in Atlanta, United States.
GTSI enrolls qualified students from China, the U.S. and other countries around the world and serves as a platform for graduate study abroad programs for all Georgia Tech students. Each year, GTSI runs its China Summer Program (CSP) that attracts American students keen to experience life and learning in the world’s second largest economy.
As part of the program, the participating AIT students gained exposure to the academic and cultural environment of the host university, taking part in their actual for credit classes, being mentored by Georgia Tech faculty, and interacting with their peers from China and the United States.
“This opportunity enabled AIT students to immerse themselves in Shenzhen for the first time. In particular, they gained a true appreciation of the enterprise success, innovative abilities, and entrepreneurial spirit that defines the city as a global technology hub,” Ms. Duan said.
For Talengi Kasambara, nicknamed ‘Tally’, a 27-year-old who majors in Water Engineering and Management, the summer program was a boon for her academic and professional prospects. She immediately connected well with a like-minded Chinese professor who is currently overseeing a sanitation project in Mpitirira Primary School in her native country Malawi.
“The ‘Fundamental principles and approaches used in modeling environmental systems’ class I attended at Georgia Tech really helped me to understand the concept behind the models used in the ‘Modeling of Water Resource System’ course I took in my first semester at AIT,” Tally stressed. “As a person with a climate science background, I was impressed with the way Shenzhen is so well planned and practices nature-based solutions to climate change.”
Workshops on marketing and environmental issues at Georgia Tech also struck a chord with Wipaporn Saweangwit, known as ‘Grace’, from the ‘Environmental Engineering and Management program. Topics and problem-solving scenarios related to current market needs and innovation for the future, and was mostly student-centric in approach, she said.
Duyen Lam Thi My, a Vietnamese student of Information Management who goes by “Joyce” added: “I was also truly impressed with the ‘human – computer interaction’ class taught by Professor Fandi Peng who approached the subject in a highly practical manner by presenting real problems that GTSI is facing and asking students to brainstorm together. Furthermore, he also conducted extracurricular activities to help students connect the lectures with real-life scenarios.”
The AIT group was united in their praise of GTSI’s variety of labs, including a hydroponic lab for environmental students, creative maker’s labs for computer science majors, and professional mentorship for industrial design students.
Introduced on arrival in Shenzhen to an ideation group project at Georgia Tech, Nyein and Pattranit Teerakoson, or ‘Leaw’ to her friends, had to come up with a viable product for college students who are impacted by busy schedules and unable to eat at their school’s cafeteria. “The team came up with an idea for a specialized food delivery app where friends and community network to help deliver meals to one’s doorstep,” Nyein explained. “It was a good exercise to imagine a minimum viable product, and I gained some solid new ideas about market-driven application and design,” Leaw, 23, added.
Commenting on his unique academic experience, Gender and Development Studies student Rungrot Tatiyawongwiwat – who is known universally as ‘Bond’, recalled: “In one class I took, the emphasis was on group problem-solving. I was thrust into a group with five Georgia Tech students and we had only 30-minutes to work on a product design and presentation. We completed the task right on time and delivered a smooth presentation because we worked together.”
Bordering Hong Kong, Shenzhen is sometimes called China’s Silicon Valley due to its pedigree as a leading global technology hub. Experiencing phenomenal population and economic growth since the early 1980s, the city’s entrepreneurial, innovative, and competitive-based culture has resulted in it being home to numerous small-time manufacturers or software companies. In recent years, Shenzhen has made a name for itself as a magnet for technology startups. Today it is home to Chinese high-tech giants Tencent and Huawei Technologies, as well as drone maker DJI and smartphone manufacturer OnePlus.
Guided by Georgia Tech, the program-goers were taken to local high-tech companies and gained first-hand knowledge of the R&D and production of Shenzhen’s vibrant technology sector. “Everything we learned was born out of ourcuriosity and inquiries with local people, Leaw added. “We were always gathering new knowledge, whether it is about Chinese culture or navigating the city.”
Bond emphasized Chinese people’s intrinsic kindness as an important factor for his fellow students gaining a quick sense of belonging. “The clean and organized cities in China also assisted us to be mentally and physically strong,” he said. “The trip inspired me to visit China again,”
For Grace, a memorable takeaway was the marvel that the uber-modern metropolis presents to visitors. The 27-year-old Thai national gushed that Shenzhen is a fundamentally smart city that has been designed for all generations to benefit equally. “It functions with such a high degree of technological application for efficient, non-polluting and clean living, all the while saving space for public greenery,” she said. “I have never seen such modernization.”
“Despite the advanced technology, the entire city is very well planned, with dedicated lanes for cyclists and numerous trees planted in the middle of the city. And there are many electric vehicles on the streets, which significantly reduces emissions from gasoline-fueled automobiles. As someone who deeply cares about sustainable improvement, this aspect really impressed me,” Joyce emphasized.
Urban Innovation and Sustainability student Nyein concurred, calling Shenzhen a model for other smart cities. “I’ve learned about it through readings but I was amazed to see that the city plan was so well thought out.” Shenzhen has all the elements that a smart city should have – well-connected road networks, smart transportation systems, cashless transactions, IoT and AI usage in infrastructure and green and open spaces for recreation. “It helped me connect the concepts I have learned from my UIS courses.”
At the same time, Shenzhen is also a place where fine art, culture and entertainment are really valued, Grace added. “The city hosts regular art exhibitions and cultural festivals. We were able to learn traditional Chinese arts such as Kung Fu, traditional dishes and study at ancestor shrines and museums.”
“Importantly, the students formed valuable understanding and friendships with GT students from China, Georgia Tech students from the United States and with local residents of Shenzhen,” GTSI Director Prof. Tong Zhou said. The director warmly greeted AIT’s participants and expressed how impressed she was by their level of politeness, friendliness and self-discipline. “We really hope that our students can have the chance to visit AIT and experience the welcoming and diversified community themselves!”
AIT President Prof. Kazuo Yamamoto said: “Being a regional research institute, AIT is fulfilling its unique mission by delivering an international, open and innovative platform to address the sustainability issues facing the regional community. Our students are encouraged and supported to be exposed to the world’s relevant technologies and ideas, like our valuable partner at GTSI, and we also commit ourselves to achieving the SDGs by providing the AIT platform to the world.”
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Shawn Kelly is Executive Director of the Office of International and Public Affairs, AIT
