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Paolo Vincenzo Genovese: Scientific Research Calls for Int'l Coop

Global

“The eyes of flies, the wings of dragonflies, the shape of jellyfish, and the construction of hives, what inspiration does these creatures bring to human architecture?” During the national science and Technology Week,Paolo Vincenzo Genovese, an Italian professor from Tianjin University’s School of Architecture, Tianjin University, came to Beijing Planetarium, unraveling the secret between nature and human architecture.

Since he came to China and worked at Tianjin University in 2004, Prof. Genovese has participated many architectural design projects including high-rise building designs, and urban and village planning, and has developed a special interest in the research of rural architectures in China.

This September, he led his research group to a poor village in the southeastern area of Guizhou province to upgrade the living condition there. Based on the principle of ecology sustainability and practicability, they helped the local people to carry out toilet reconstruction and build artificial wetland to improve water quality, protecting village environment and improving the living condition.

Tianjin University Bionic Architecture and Planning Research Center presided by Professor Genovese has an international research team consisting of 15 master and doctoral students from different countries and regions. All members work closely together.

“Knowledge knows no borders. Scientific research requires international cooperation, so does the construction field.” Prof. Genovese considered it an effective way of sharing knowledge and scientific methods to cooperate with students from different countries to do academic researches and public welfare programs.

Thanks to Prof. Genovese’s role as a go-between, Tianjin University has signed more than 30 cooperation projects with Asian and European universities, setting up joint studios, fostering innovative research and supporting inter-university exchanges.

"Tianjin Municipal Government and Tianjin University have injected a lot of resources in the internationalization of education. More projects were introduced and completed in a favorable environment. "

Prof. Genovese has participated in the protection and renewal of Fujian Anhai Shijing Academy as well as Tsinghua Environmental and Energy-saving Building between China and Italy. "There are quite a few international cooperation cases like this, generally involving three to four countries and regions. Some projects need more than 50 people only in the design stage," he said.

“Without international cooperation, scientific advancement can hardly make headway. That is a global tendency.” Prof. Genovese said that China was upholding an open and cooperative attitude towards educational field and paying close attention to international cooperation and inter school exchange. For example, there are more than 100 foreign students at Tianjin University’s School of Architecture alone.

"We are witnessing China becoming a leader in some areas of science and technology." Said Prof. Genovese, adding that China responded to the novel coronavirus epidemic with amazing efficiency and power, which ensured the normal operation of factories, companies and schools ahead of other countries, and lay a solid foundation for scientific and research cooperation in the future.

By Cheng Sheng in reference to a Chinese article published on People’s Daily

Editor: Eva Yin