On the afternoon of Nov. 3, 2022, Shanghai High School International Division (SHSID) and Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden signed a cooperation agreement on the cultivation of student innovation and practical abilities.

Attendees of the signing ceremony included Ms. Qin Jun, Chief Engineer of Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden, Ms. Zhang Zhe, Director of Communications, Mr. He Li, Team Leader of Dioecious Plant Research Group, Feng Shi, Achievement Transformation Specialist, as well as Mr. Zhu Zhen, Vice Principal of SHS, Mr. Ma Feng, High School Principal of SHSID, Ms. Liu Min, High School Vice Principal of SHSID, Ms. Liu Qin, Assistant to High School Principal of SHSID and Director of the Students’ Center of SHSID High School, Ms. Gu Ying, Director of School Affairs Center of SHSID High School, and Mr. Liao Hui, STEM Advisor of SHSID High School.

During the ceremony, Ms. Qin and Principal Ma first signed the agreement under the witness of Ms. Zhang and Ms. Gu. Then Ms. Qin Jun briefly introduced the history and achievements of Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden. Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden (Shanghai Chenshan Plant Science Research Center) is a comprehensive botanical garden jointly built by the Shanghai municipal government, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, integrating the purposes of scientific research, science popularization, and sightseeing. Covering an area of 207 hectares, the garden was opened in 2010 as one of the top 4-A (AAAA) scenic areas and the winner of the ecological civilization award for Chinese botanical gardens. At present, the facility owns the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics and Resources, the Eastern China Conservation Center for Wild Endangered Plant Resources, the Extension Center for Urban Phytotechnology, and six germplasm resource banks with a national platform and government support. In addition, Chenshan Botanical Garden is qualified as a key national science popularization and education base, forming a science education and practice system of science popularization + nature research + professional training.

Principal Ma Feng stressed the significance of this cooperation for the improvement of students’ academic abilities and expected that the research platform at SHSID will be stronger due to this partnership. Then, Principal Ma briefly introduced the running situation of SHSID and the school’s various student activities. Students of SHSID have spent time and effort in biodiversity conservation. They have come up with several ways to popularize the subject. For example, the botany club at SHSID has made an exquisite calendar by combining plant science with visual art. This coincides with the ideas of an interdisciplinary curriculum on botany and art offered by Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden.

Vice Principal Zhu Zhen again emphasized the SHS mission statement of "Research-Oriented, Innovation-Oriented", and pointed out the importance of "interdisciplinary" for the current talent-development scheme. The interdisciplinary curriculum of Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden shares the same core values as SHS. It not only cultivates students' academic abilities but also brings more wonderful horticultural courses to students.

During the pleasant meeting, both parties affirmed the positive effects of the cooperation. Mr. Qin Jun expresses the botanical garden’s need for assistance from students of SHSID with multilingual advantages in the process of internationalization. At the end of the signing ceremony, both sides implemented the specifications of future cooperation. Principal Ma also hoped that through this cooperation, students of SHSID could have opportunities to work at national key laboratories and receive professional guidance from the experts of Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden, contributing to the science popularization as well as enhancing their abilities to conduct scientific research.

After the conference, experts of Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden visited the new teaching buildings, laboratories, and professional facilities of SHSID. In the future, both parties will make good use of the methods of "bringing in" and "going out" to learn and communicate with each other, providing a better and more diverse platform for STEM education.

(Written by SHSID High School STEM Office   Pictures by SHS Media Center)