2018 Symposium

7th International Symposium: Global Challenges for Today’s Research Universities

OCTOBER 11-14, 2018

In October 2018, Washington University in St. Louis organized the 7th International Symposium of the McDonnell Academy in Beijing, in collaboration with one of its longstanding partners in China, Tsinghua University.

35 Premier universities united to address the world’s most critical problems of the 21st century. The meeting created space for joint investigation on complex global issues, drawing on a diversity of perspectives from multiple countries and disciplines. It offered a unique opportunity to engage and connect with leading scholars and experts from around the world.

Symposium in the news

The Symposium convened presidents, faculty and graduate students from the Academy’s partner institutions to discuss new approaches to research and education in three thematic areas: Public Health & Aging, Agriculture, Food & Water, and Energy & Environment. Attendees were invited to actively participate in thought-provoking plenaries, workshops, and competitions.

Opening Keynote

John Holdren, former science advisor to President Obama, professor of Harvard University and Tsinghua Distinguished Visiting Professor, delivered the opening keynote address on “The energy-climate challenge and sustainable well-being.” Holdren stressed the critical interplay between economic, sociopolitical, and environmental conditions for sustainable development during his keynote address. He highlighted the alarming evidence of climate change, such as rising CO2 emissions and intensifying natural disasters, urging immediate mitigation and adaptation efforts. Holdren emphasized the crucial role of research universities in addressing these global challenges through interdisciplinary research, public outreach, and strategic partnerships.

Engaging Workshops

During the executive workshop sessions, presidents and representatives of partner universities explored ways to collaboratively address important challenges and shared best practices from each institution. A key outcome of this dialogue was a joint University Campus Sustainability Declaration, committing the 21 signatories to working collaboratively to exchange ideas, identify approaches and metrics, and implement measures that help reduce their carbon footprint. By using the campus as a “living laboratory,” they hope to further strengthen research and educational programs in energy, environment and sustainability.

3MT® Competition

Among the highlights of the 7th International Symposium was the opportunity to hear fifteen presentations by graduate and professional students from the McDonnell Academy’s partner universities, who competed against each other in the symposium’s Three Minute Thesis competition (3MT®) developed by The University of Queensland in 2008. It challenges students to communicate the significance of their projects to a lay audience in just three minutes. In each session, a $1000 prize was awarded by a panel of judges while the audience voted to determine the people’s choice winner, awarded $500 in each theme. The winning presentations were announced at the closing dinner.