There are many stagnant shallow pools in front of residents’ houses. There are also some backwater pools deeper than three meters that can be seen close by. This is the current situation of rural Chongming that often lingers in the mind of YUAN Fangzhu who is a student of our university.

The project, “The Fountainhead of Flowing Water: A Series of Water Quality Research Activities which Examined the Ecological Condition of Chongming Island and also Constructed the Beautiful Shilu Village,” was completed by a research team that was led by YUAN Fangzhu in collaboration with eight other students. This distinguished team was recently honored withThe Excellent Project of the Shanghai College Student’s Summer Social Practice Activity. It was also one of the symbolic results of the first year of the School of Environmental Science and Engineering’s project to help and support the Shilu Village, Xinhe Town, and Chongming County.

Ms. QIAN Xin, Party Vice Secretary, of the School of Environmental Science and Engineering, said the party committee of the school signed a five-year agreement to help with the development of Shilu Village last December. The School of Environmental Science and Engineering will take advantage of its academic results to help Shilu Village find a sustainable development pattern that meets the needs of Chongming County.

Ms. Qian said, “In the first year of this project, the undergraduates of our school used the academic knowledge of water supply and drainage that they had learned to carry out water quality research in Chongming’s villages. They also made a water purifier with their own hands.” The project is important because it not only increases the students’ understanding of the condition of China’s rural areas, but also promotes their understanding and application of the knowledge they have learned. Ms. Qian continued, “We hope that through their constant efforts, several generations of students of the School of Environmental Science and Engineering of Tongji University can contribute to the construction of a livable country in Shanghai by using the Shilu Village as an example.”

Translated by May Language Studio

based uponhttp://news.tongji.edu.cn/classid-13-newsid-45828-t-show.html