The 2024 Winter School (Short Stay Program) at Yokohama National University (YNU) for participants from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) was successfully held in Japan from February 11th to 24th, 2024. At the same time, three students from SJTU also finished their three-month exchange program in Japan from December 2023 to February 2024.

There were nine master and doctoral students from Department of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering and Department of Civil Engineering, together with Professor Xinliang Tian, Associate researcher Yuchao Yuan, Ms Qingxue Liang from Office for Student Affairs, Ms Pengping Li from Postgraduates Office at School of Ocean and Civil Engineering (OCE) SJTU, participating in the Winter School.

Eight YNU professors from Department of Systems Design for Ocean-Space and Department of Civil Engineering, including Takanori Hino, Yoshiaki Hirakawa, Takayuki Suzuki, Yoshiki Nishi, etc., delivered academic lectures to Chinese and Japanese students. The topics covered introduction and frontiers of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), digital twins for the offshore industry, and traditional and modern structural optimization methods.

Chinese and Japanese students collaborated in six groups to explore the theme of “Concept Design for Ocean Utilization in 2050”. They engaged in detailed discussions, developed design outlines, described engineering problems and difficulties, proposed solutions and expected scenarios, and organized presentations. They all enjoyed themselves in the group work.

In addition, the exchange students reported on their recent scientific research and presented their hometowns. The reports were rich in topics and diverse in content, which brought an in-depth and warm discussion. They also had a chance to talk with YNU students about their garduation posters and career prospects. All the student sessions improved the students’ oral expression and broadened their horizons.

There were several technical and cultural excursions, and social events during the exchange period. The SJTU exchange students visited Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) to learn about Japan’s research progress in the field of underwater vehicles and deep-sea exploration. They also went to National Maritime Research Institute (NMRI) to observe various laboratories of the institute and learn about the latest research results of the institute, and explored the exhibitions of aerospace-related achievements and experienced the fun of flying an airplane at Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

The exchange students were also led by YNU volunteers for a city walk to the Yokohama port area to experience the city’s urban history and shipping culture. The Landmark Tower Sky Garden was climbed to overlook the Yokohama cityscape, and the Tokyo skyline and Mount Fuji were viewed from afar.  

The 2024 Winter School ended in a happy and relaxed farewell party. All the paticipants enjoyed the program and got acquainted with new friends from other countries and universities. They extended gratitude to the exchange program facilitated by Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Yokohama National University, which provided invaluable opportunities for academic collaboration and cultural exchange, contributing to the advancement of knowledge and fostering global cooperation in the field of ocean and civil engineering.

The Winter School in its current form started in 2011 based on the previous year’s agreement between YNU and SJTU for promoting further collaborations. Since then, both universities exchange students in the fields of naval architecture, ocean engineering and civil engineering every year. SJTU and YNU have had a close relation for a long time and many students and faculty members were exchanged for the collaboration in the education and the research activities in the past. In particular, several professors in SJTU graduated from the Department of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering of YNU, who keep carrying out scientific research cooperation and contributing to the internationl exchange.