Some of China’s most promising students were taken on a tour of a nanotechnology lab at the University of British Columbia Wednesday by Moira Stilwell, B.C.’s parliamentary secretary for industry, research and innovation.
Eighten students from China got to see how nanofibres are “spun” into a material used to make car struts.
The tour is part of the Mitacs Globalink internship program, which is sponsored by the B.C. government. Implemented three years ago, the program brings university students from other countries for three-month internships, in the hope they will decide to pursue graduate studies in B.C.
"The Mitacs Globalink program is helping B.C. make valuable research links with two of the world's most dynamic economies: China and India,” Stilwell said.
“By bringing their best science and technology undergraduates here for research internships, we're helping to develop the skilled workers all three of our countries will need in the future, while making B.C. top-of-mind for those considering an international education for their graduate degrees."
The program is already paying dividends, according to the B.C. government.
Following a three-month internship in 2008, Girish Nivarti of Hyderabad, India has chosen UBC over MIT and Stanford University to do his master's degree, and will be starting his studies next month. He recently graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur with the top marks for his thesis in mechanical engineering.
Mitacs is a national research organization that works with the private sector, government and academia to developthe next generation of innovators with scientific and business skills . Globalink is one of several programs developed and run by Mitacs, which has received $14.7 million from the provincial government since 2007.
Nelson Bennett
Twitter: nbennett_BIV