In 2004 Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA, and Tsinghua University, Beijing, The People’s Republic of China, announced the formation of a collaborative relationship to strengthen research and education in engineering and related physical sciences. The agreement facilitates opportunities for collaborative research and the exchange of visiting faculty. One of the highlights of the partnership is a commitment to offer a series of joint Cornell/Tsinghua faculty workshops to facilitate collaborative research.
Cornell University President Hunter Rawlings and Tsinghua University President Gu opened 
the first joint Cornell-Tsinghua engineering workshop on Information Science and Technology on November 17, 2005, in accordance with the academic exchange agreement. The workshop, held at Tsinghua University in Beijing, focused on information science and computer engineering.
The second joint workshop, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, coordinated by Stephen Sass, professor of materials science and engineering, was held in October 2006 in Beijing at Tsinghua University. Following the Beijing workshop, the Cornell delegation attended another workshop at Jiao Tong University in Shanghai called the 2006 SJTU-Cornell Nanoscience and Technology Symposium.
The third joint workshop, Sustainable Development: Water Resources, Energy and the Environment, will be held at Cornell University April 29-30, 2008. A group of delegates from Tsinghua University will travel to Ithaca to present their research findings alongside Cornell colleagues. Faculty, staff, students, and the public are all invited to attend. For more information please contact Clare Zuraw at 607 254-8732.
