From April 13 to 17, 2024, Professor Changying Zhao, Dean of the China-UK Low Carbon College of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, paid a trip to the U.S., attending the 27th Harvard China Forum and visiting US Universities including MIT, University of Michigan, University of California, Berkeley, and Northeastern University.

On April 13-14, Prof. Changying Zhao attended the 27th Harvard College China Forum as an invited panelist at the Sustainable Development Technology Panel. The other panelists include Robert S. Kaplan, Senior Fellow and Marvin Bower Professor of Leadership Development, Emeritus, Harvard Business School, Robert Hertzberg, Former Speaker of the California State Assembly, and Jing Li, Member of Supervisory Board, Director of ESG Management and Sustainability Department, Sustainable Officer - JA Solar. Each of the panelist shared innovative solutions to climate change from different perspectives.

In Boston, Prof. Zhao visited Prof. Gang Chen from MIT, Prof. Yi Zheng from Northeastern University, and had a meeting with Dr. Salman Asim, Senior Economist in the Education Global Practice at the World Bank, exploring collaboration opportunities with different parties.

On April 15-16, Prof. Zhao visited the University of Michigan and had productive meetings with Prof. Valeria Bertacco, Vice Provost of the University of Michigan, Prof. Jonathan Overpeck, Dean of the School for Environment and Sustainability, Prof. Jennifer Haverkamp, Director of the Graham Sustainability Institute, Professor Volker Sick, Director of the Global CO2 Initiative, etc. Both sides agreed that Shanghai Jiao Tong University and University of Michigan will strengthen collaborations in the low carbon related areas and jointly explore solutions for climate change and sustainable development in China and the United States.

On April 17, Prof. Zhao visited the University of California, Berkeley. He met with Prof. Chris Dames, Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and had a lab tour in UC Berkeley as well as the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

This visit expanded the international cooperation between the LCC and top universities in the United States, and greatly enhanced the international reputation of the Low Carbon College.