Hannah Kenway, Liveris Undergraduate Scholar, has recently returned from San Yet-sen University in Shenzhen, China, participating in an International Summer school; Hannah reflects on her time away.
From July 7-11th, I had the privilege of representing UQ and the School of Mechanical Engineering at the 2025 San Yet-sen University (SYSU) International Summer School in Shenzhen – known as “China’s Silicon Valley”. UQ has a developing relationship with SYSU, and it was an honour to be one of just six Queensland student invited to attend.
The program focused on advanced manufacturing, with a series of insightful and engaging lectures, seminars and workshops. We explored a range of emerging topics such as Artificial Intelligence in Engineering Applications, Advancements of Plasma-based Ultraprecision Machining, and Applications of AI in Advanced Manufacturing. One session challenged us to consider how first-person filmed YouTube videos can serve as a rich and inexpensive dataset to train robots. This is a simple idea with powerful implications. Another lecturer asked us “Why do we trust human taxi drivers” and “What would it take for us to trust a self-driving car”. One of the most rewarding parts of my experience was realising how much I’ve learned throughout my degree. During a round table discussion, I felt confident engaging with complex concepts - a reassuring reminder, especially with graduation approaching, that I am ready for the next step in my career.
At the end of the week, we worked in small teams to pitch a project based on what we had learned. My team developed a concept for a novel electric scooter storage system designed to reduce the environmental and spatial impact of parked scooters while also protecting them from weather damage. It was a great opportunity to bring novel engineering research ideas into a real-world context, and I was proud of what our group produced.
The SYSU campus itself was stunning – it looked like a movie set. One afternoon, we toured the facilities by bus, passing students zipping around on electric scooters and spotting an automated street-cleaning robot. The level of infrastructure in China was incredible. In Shenzhen, most cars are electric, and I didn’t touch my credit card once – everything was paid using QR Codes. A particularly memorable moment came after I accidentally left my shopping bag on a train. I thought it was gone for good, but we were able to find it in just a few minutes the next day. Everyone we interacted with was incredibly helpful and kind.
True to our “tourism” visa status, we also made time for plenty of adventures after class. Our Chinese classmates Zephyr and Luo gave us a warm welcome and were amazing guides throughout the week. We explored shopping malls, tried hotpot and barbeque, went go-karting, hit the gym, and generally soaked up life in Shenzhen. Personally, I loved the chance to speak Mandarin again. I studied Chinese in high school and started revising before the trip with Duolingo. It was very rewarding to learn and use practical phrases – like “It’s too hot, I’m sweaty”. It was also fun to teach Zephyr and Luo some Aussie slang in return. I genuinely feel that the friendships we formed have the potential to last well beyond this experience.
Reflecting on this trip reminded me of another transformative experience – the 2023 New Colombo Plan-funded program in Japan, also focused on advanced manufacturing. At the time, I wrote about my interest in polymer electrolytes, which unexpectedly has become a key focus of my thesis. These kinds of moments – where small seeds are planted that later grow into new ideas – are exactly why I’m so grateful for opportunities like this.
Even from just one week in China, it was easy to see why the country is moving so quickly in technology and innovation. The SYSU summer school opened my eyes to new possibilities – professionally, academically and personally. I’m already looking forward to the next chance to go back.
