On August 11, 2024, the 2024 Future Star Apprenticeship Completion Ceremony & International Symposium took place at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC). The event gathered professors from prestigious universities such as Oxford University, Cambridge University, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, Duke University, New York University (NYU), University College London (UCL), University of Southern California, Boston College, Imperial College London (IC), and the London School of Economics (LSE), as well as doctoral students from around the world. Participants shared the academic knowledge and research methods they had acquired over the past two weeks and showcased their research and artistic achievements.
During the 14-day programme, students received instruction in various disciplines, including Comparative Literature, Linguistics, Physics, Neurobiology, Marketing, Education, Intercultural Communication, Environmental Science, Macroeconomics, Machine Learning, Biomedical Engineering, and Data Science. These courses, taught entirely in English, enhanced students' research abilities and innovative thinking. UNNC's Centre for English Language Education (CELE) provided English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses, guiding students in presenting their research through academic papers and oral presentations.
Students engaged in academic discussions with teaching assistants and professors, gaining insights from different cultural perspectives. They also experienced a fully English-speaking environment, which improved their language skills and helped them adapt to academic life. The internationalized campus and diverse learning atmosphere at UNNC left a strong impression, with many students feeling well-prepared for future studies abroad.
Over the past 20 years, UNNC has been committed to promoting the globalization of higher education, providing students with an authentic English-speaking learning environment, bringing in world-class faculty, and sharing resources across its campuses in the UK, China, and Malaysia. This ensures that students at UNNC experience genuine British education. UNNC also welcomes scholars from around the world to exchange knowledge and culture, allowing outstanding students at UNNC to broaden their horizons. This project was a new attempt at a summer research program by UNNC, linking international resources from Chinese-foreign cooperative universities and top domestic research companies to jointly develop research experience programs for students at different stages. By introducing world-class professor resources, combining UNNC's specialized English teaching model, and supporting doctoral students and UNNC student companions, the program helped more students achieve research results and experience the charm of British education. In the future, UNNC will continue to adhere to its global development strategy, providing students with more opportunities to interact and learn from world-class masters.