Capitol News

Michigan State University's Asia Hub held its annual meeting in Thailand on November 12-13, hosted by Chiang Mai University. The event brought together 15 member organizations and around 200 participants to engage in workshops and presentations addressing the Water-Energy-Food Nexus challenges.

Asia Hub partners aim to solve global issues through collaborative research, offering expertise to strategize research priorities, identify funding opportunities, and strengthen research capacity across the network. Established in 2017 between MSU and Nanjing Agricultural University in China, Asia Hub now includes 34 universities and five organizations spanning 19 countries.

MSU faculty and administrators demonstrated their commitment to international partnerships by actively participating in this year's workshops and sessions. "It was wonderful to have around 20 MSU faculty and administrators at the Asia Hub annual meeting this year," said Jiaguo Qi, director of Asia Hub and MSU professor of geography.

The attendees included faculty from various colleges such as education, agriculture and natural resources, engineering, social science, veterinary medicine, and the Institute for Global Health. They engaged in panel discussions, served as rapporteurs, and delivered keynote presentations highlighting MSU's strengths in collaborative research.

MSU Interim Provost Thomas Jeitschko expressed his honor at participating in a panel discussion with other university leaders on emerging trends in international research. "Participating in this year’s meeting allowed me to engage in conversations about collaborative research opportunities," he said.

Before the annual meeting, a two-day workshop funded by Future Earth and the European Space Agency gathered junior faculty members from various partner institutions along with leading scientists from Canada, Italy, Thailand, and the U.S. for discussions on Earth Observations for WEF Nexus.

"MSU’s continued strength in global engagement is only possible through collaboration," stated Steven Hanson, vice provost and dean for International Studies and Programs. Platforms like Asia Hub enable building networks of partners committed to tackling pressing challenges collaboratively.

Following the meeting, the MSU Asia Hub team traveled to Bhutan to explore new partnerships with institutions such as the College of Natural Resources and Royal Thimphu College. "The last few weeks have been very busy but rewarding," Qi noted regarding new collaboration opportunities.