CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT STUDENTS
Caroline Bland, a senior at George Washington University, is majoring in International Affairs with a focus on Asia. She’s active in extracurriculars like the Model UN team, District K dance team, and GW THiNK. Caroline also has experience working as an executive assistant at a nonprofit in New Orleans. Her academic interests span nuclear security, great power dynamics, and U.S. relations with China and South Korea, along with Korean language, politics, and history. In her leisure time, she enjoys reading high fantasy novels, karaoke, and sweets.
Megan Delaney is a first-year graduate student at the George Washington University pursuing a Master of Arts in International Affairs. Megan graduated from Chatham University in 2023 with her Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and English with a concentration in Asia. She has interned in the public and non-profit sectors. Megan is interested in conflict resolution and U.S.-Asia relations.
Liangyu Gao (高靓瑜), a freshman at Tsinghua University, is pursuing dual concentrations in history and international relations. Her academic journey includes immersive experiences in the US, Canada, France, and Italy. She previously focused on researching education in underdeveloped areas within the framework of UN SDGs. Beyond academic pursuits, she is adept at Chinese calligraphy and enjoys learning about different cultures.
Shi Mengying (石梦荧), a second-year master’s student, majors in Atmospheric Science at the Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University. With a keen interest in the confluence of technological innovation and climate action, Mengying is currently investigating how emerging technologies can support more robust carbon accounting systems and facilitate effective emission reduction strategies. In particular, she is intrigued by advancements like large language models and blockchain.
Yifan Sun (孙一帆), a fourth-year undergraduate student, majors in Fundamental Science (Chemistry & Biology) and Environmental Engineering at Tanwei College, Tsinghua University. In the fall semester of 2024, she will pursue a Ph.D. degree in Environmental Engineering at the School of Environment, Tsinghua University. Her main research interests are the unequal impact of climate change on society and the protection and utilization of water resources on a global scale.
Yang Haoting (杨皓婷), a senior at Renmin University studying International Politics, will soon pursue a dual master’s in Public Policy on Sustainable Development Goals at Tsinghua University and the University of Geneva. She worked as a research assistant on the project ‘Assessment Model and Typical Mode Study of Innovative Development for Top-tier International Organizations in the New Era’, and participated in the ‘Evaluation of Political Risks for Energy Investment in Countries along the Belt and Road’ program. Her internship at Schneider Electric, focusing on Carbon neutrality, helped her understand private-sector climate policy.
Matthew Willis, a junior at the University of Texas at Austin, is studying International Relations, Japanese, Government, and East Asian Studies. He’s been involved with the Central Texas Model United Nations and JapanLab as a digital humanities intern. His internships include roles at the Wilson Center, East-West Center, and Mansfield Foundation in Washington D.C., with a primary focus on US-Japan and US-China relations. He aims to enhance these bilateral relationships in his future career. For leisure, Matthew enjoys video games, socializing with friends, and reading.
ECONOMICS AND TRADE STUDENTS
Zhijun He, a native of Heilongjiang, China, is a social activist and researcher involved in the World Bank Group Youth Advisory Group, appointed by UNDP. He founded SeeSALT, a non-profit empowering over 500 families with financial education and entrepreneurship. A United World College of Changshu China alum, he’s studying Global Affairs at George Washington University. Zhijun aims to blend grassroots activism with international development for inclusive global policies, striving to combat global poverty.
Hong Xinyue (洪昕悦), a second-year undergraduate student, majors in Economics and Finance at the School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University. She was engaged in the 8th Tsinghua Model Climate Change Conference of Parties and served as a member of the Tsinghua Zero-carbon Student Club. Last summer, she set forth on a student team research expedition to the Tokyo Bay Area in Japan to learn about ESG and sustainable development approaches. Additionally, she has a keen interest in topics like population aging and its impact on consumption, new drivers of the post-pandemic global economy, and so on.
Liu Yuan (刘源), an honors graduate in International Relations from Moscow State University and a Master’s degree holder from University College London’s School of Slavonic and East European Studies, specializes in interactions among China, the US, and Russia, with a focus on energy geopolitics, artificial intelligence, and international security. Fluent in Russian, English, and French, she has interned at the Belt and Road Information Research Center of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, the Center for Russian Studies at East China Normal University, and the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University.
Blake Kravitz, a third-year student in the University of Pennsylvania’s Huntsman Program, is pursuing a B.S. in Economics from Wharton and a B.A. in International Studies, with a minor in East Asian Languages and Civilizations focusing on Chinese Studies. Proficient in Mandarin, he has interned at the American Foreign Policy Council, Trivium China, the American Enterprise Institute, and the Foreign Policy Research Institute, concentrating on U.S. Indo-Pacific policy, U.S.-China economic relations, and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, and semiconductors.
Aidan B. Wisniewski-Campo, a senior at Gettysburg College majoring in Political Science and Public Policy, specializes in international affairs with a focus on China. His recent involvement with the Eisenhower Institute’s Global China Group has led him to explore multinational companies in China. Aidan’s latest paper delves into the Belt & Road Initiative, analyzing China’s export growth and its economic impact in ASEAN and African countries. He is keenly interested in China’s international economic policies and aspires to a career in global strategy and international economics, particularly in enhancing U.S.-China economic relations.
Yixuan Wang (王艺轩), a graduate student, majors in Finance at Tsinghua University. She has an interdisciplinary background that incorporates environment, economics, finance, and international relations, which has helped her develop a critical thinking pattern and a diverse perspective.
Shunwen Wei (韦舜文), an undergraduate at Tsinghua University majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, focuses on international economics and climate issues. He is currently collaborating with Professor Fu Caihui from Peking University on research related to China’s investments in Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries. Previously, as an exchange student at the London School of Economics and Political Science, he actively participated in discussions about climate change and economic challenges with LSE’s youth community.
EDUCATION STUDENTS
Xinqi Hu (胡歆其), a fourth-year undergraduate student at Tsinghua, majors in Linguistics and minors in Journalism & Communication. She has also been accepted as a master’s candidate for public policy & management. Her research endeavors reflect an interdisciplinary approach. She has engaged in research programs such as “media and global economy”, “political attention”, “global communication”, “sociolinguistics”, “digital society”, etc. She participated in academic forums such as “health communication & sustainable development”, and “sustainable waste management.”
Michelle Mei Wang is an undergraduate student at the George Washington University.
Tao Wang (王涛), a third-year doctoral student at the Education Research Institute of Tsinghua University, majors in Educational Economics and Management. His research focuses on educational policy and interdisciplinary research.
Jiayi Shi (石佳怡), an undergraduate student at Rixin College of Tsinghua University, majors in History. She is an intern at the Center for International Security and Strategy of Tsinghua University and an associate editor of the Chinese Group of Intercollegiate U.S.-China Journal. She is also a member of “Youth Voices,” a student delegation from Tsinghua University for people-to-people exchanges that went to the United States from July 26 to August 9, 2023.
Muye Zhang (张牧野), is a graduate student in the Biomedical Engineering program at Tsinghua University. He mainly focuses on medical image processing and artificial intelligence. Muye is not a stereotyped engineering student. Besides his studies, He is also very interested in topics like political issues, education, geography, and liberal arts.
Ziye (Zach) Zhang is a senior majoring in international affairs at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. He is also an incoming Schwarzman Scholar in the 9th cohort of the program. His experience growing up in the US and China gave him a deep personal commitment to promoting exchanges between the two countries. His internships in think tanks in Beijing, Washington DC, and Geneva gave him a nuanced understanding of the global implications of US-China competition. At GW, he is the programming director of the International Affairs Society, organizing events to promote a better understanding of the complicated US-China relationship among students in the US.
Anissa Ozbek is a fourth-year student at George Washington University, where she studies international affairs with a concentration in security policy. Her research areas center around her regional interests in China, Iran, and Russia, which are supported by her skills in Mandarin, Farsi, and Russian. Anissa is a member of the Elliott School of International Affairs Dean’s Scholars Program and has collaborated with various research institutes at GWU over her undergraduate career. She currently serves as a research assistant at the Institute for Middle East Studies.
ENERGY STUDENTS
Xingyu Chen graduated from Shanghai University of Policy Science and Law with a B.A. in Journalism. She is currently pursuing her M.A. in Global Communication at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. She concentrates on international Economics Affairs, with a specific research interest in electric vehicle markets and policies in Southeast Asia. She possesses internship experience working for multinational companies on ESG issues in the realm of public relations in China, including Apple, Merck, and Deloitte.
Yifang Li (李宜芳) is a graduate student at Tsinghua University People’s Bank of China School of Finance. Her bachelor’s degree in information resource management was gained from Renmin University of China. She also earned a double degree in economics at the National School of Development, Peking University.
Yilin Niu (牛艺琳), a second-year undergraduate student from Tanwei College, Tsinghua University, majors in Chemical Biology plus Chemical Engineering and Industrial Bioengineering. The former experience of conducting research on local clean energy as well as talking to leading companies in Australia enable her to have an overview of this field. She hopes to combine artificial intelligence with the development of new energy and the governance of the environment, making practical contributions to the prosperity of all mankind.
Yicheng Pan (潘弈成), an undergraduate at Tsinghua, has excelled in several advanced elective courses, which have helped him to gain a solid mathematical and scientific foundation. Pan has a keen interest in the realm of energy policy. He has participated in the project “Low-carbon Transformation of the Energy System” since December 2022, enabling him to develop strong analytical skills and problem-solving abilities.
Yuhang Yuan (袁誉杭) is an undergraduate student in Tanwei College, Tsinghua University. His major is biochemistry and chemical and biological engineering. His research field is to study lithium-ion batteries with the help of Machine Learning.