Source: Office of International Cooperation & Exchange
Written by: Office of International Cooperation & Exchange
Proofread by: Lai Xin
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

On June 21-25, 2018, President Luo Jun visited the United States to promote cooperation between Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) and the University of Chicago (UChicago) as well as Indiana University (IU). He also attended an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of IUPUI and the 10th anniversary of the Confucius Institute in Indianapolis (CI). The visit achieved fruitful results.

On June 21, President Luo Jun visited UChicago and met with President Robert J. Zimmer and Vice President Bala Srinivasan. The two sides agreed that SYSU and UChicago have similar disciplinary strengths, and have conducted closer cooperation in scientific research and faculty exchange in recent years. They expressed the hope to promote cooperation in all fields at all levels, especially in medical sciences, physics and astronomy in the future. After the meeting, President Luo Jun and President Zimmer signed a MOU on behalf of SYSU and UChicago respectively, with the aim to enhance comprehensive cooperation in education and scientific research. In addition, President Luo Jun also held a meeting with representatives from the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics of UChicago to discuss cooperation in space science, and paid a visit to relevant laboratories.
On June 22, President Luo Jun visited IU and met with President Michael A. McRobbie. The two sides introduced their universities and recent developments, and exchanged views on deepening cooperation between SYSU and IU, especially in the fields of physics and astronomy as well as medical sciences. After the meeting, President Luo Jun and Vice President Xiao Haipeng signed the Sub-Agreement for the Cooperation on the TianQin Project with IU President Michael A. McRobbie and Vice President David Zaret.

On the evening of June 22, President Luo Jun was invited to attend an IUPUI 50th anniversary and CI 10th anniversary event, and delivered a speech. He extended warm congratulations to IUPUI and CI. He noted that SYSU has enjoyed a long and successful partnership with IUPUI, and the Confucius Institute in Indianapolis, jointly established by SYSU and IUPUI, has achieved fruitful results in the past ten years, playing a key role as a bridge promoting the flourishing exchanges and cooperation between the two universities, building a bridge of friendship and cultural exchange between China and the US. He also pointed out that SYSU will continue to support the development of the CI to make greater contributions to strengthening the cooperation between the two universities, enhancing the friendship between China and the US, and promoting world peace and development.

On June 23, President Luo Jun visited IUPUI, and attended the Confucius Institute Advisory Board Meeting and the TianQin Project cooperation meeting. He affirmed the efforts and achievements of the Confucius Institute in promoting Chinese language and culture, and hoped to further deepen cooperation between the two universities. Afterwards, President Luo Jun attended the TianQin Project cooperation meeting, and held discussions with representatives from the Department of Physics at IU and IUPUI on relevant research in gravitational waves. After the meeting, President Luo Jun and IUPUI Chancellor Nasser Paydar signed an Addendum to the Sub-Agreement for the Cooperation on the TianQin Project.
At the invitation of IUPUI, SYSU Vice President Xiao Haipeng attended the Confucius Institute Advisory Board Meeting as the Chinese chairman of the Advisory Board, and listened to the 2017 work report and 2018 work plan of the Confucius Institute. During the visit, the SYSU-IUPUI Cooperative Development Committee Meeting was also held, in which the two sides discussed future directions and how to solve the problems in the cooperation.