The 2013 China-US Joint Annual Symposium
“Environmental Health and Green Development”
November 18-19, 2013, Gatlinburg TN, USA
INTRODUCTION
The economies of the US and China are the globally dominant drivers of energy consumption,
resources utilization, food production, environmental pollution, and land use change. More than
ever before, these two nations need to exchange perspectives at all levels and develop a joint
agenda to meet the challenges of global climate change, food security, environmental health, and
sustainable development. Currently, China is starting up a much more thorough transformation
of her economic and social structure and innovation of corresponding operation mechanisms
under the leadership of new central government. This world-influencing campaign focus on five
general areas: urbanization, agricultural modernization, advanced manufacture, green industry,
and further opening to the world. With the huge market and large population, all of these
revolutionary actions will influence the functions of human-nature interactions and humanmanaged systems while creating numerous opportunities for other countries. Therefore, it is
highly essential to bring together scientists, program leaders, government officials, and industry
leaders to exchange perspectives, identify potentials risks, and explore opportunities for
collaboration in science, technology and policy.
The China-US Joint Research Center for Ecosystem and Environmental Change (JRCEEC)
(http://jrceec.utk.edu/) was established in 2006 to enhance collaboration among Chinese and US
scientists in (1) ecosystem management and climate change, (2) environmental sustainability of
bioenergy production, (3) water resources and quality, and (4) environmental technology. The
center’s partners include University of Tennessee (UT), Oak Ridge National Laboratory
(ORNL), Purdue University, two research institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
(Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research and Research Center for EcoEnvironmental Sciences), and the University of Science and Technology of China. In May 2011,
a JRCEEC-based new partnership, US-China Ecopartnership for Environmental Sustainability
(USCEES), was approved by the US Department of State and the China National Development
and Reform Commission (NDRC) within the framework of annual dialogue of China-US
Strategic and Economic Development. The overall mission of the USCEES (with a new
member—CAS’s Institute of Applied Ecology) was summarized by the US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton at the 2011 ceremony for the appointment of new Ecopartnership members at
http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/site/entry/us_china_ecopartnerships.
Both
JRCEEC
and
USCEES aim to promote bilateral collaboration to address the interconnected challenges of
environmental sustainability, urbanization, rural prosperity, climate change, and food and energy
security by leveraging and enhancing the capacity of member universities, research institutes,
and industry through the promotion of research collaboration, academic exchange, student
education, technology/business development, and policy enhancement. The partnership also
accelerates information and technology exchange to generate more effective policy, technology
and research solutions for sustainable development.
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SYMPOSIUM GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The symposium will work to develop an agenda that integrate research, policy, and
economic/business for improving environmental health, developing green technologies,
securing food production, mitigating natural disaster, and producing clean energy. Specifically,
conference sessions and panel discussions will address the following topics:
 Identification and Enforcement of Policy and Regulations for Sustainable Development
— with emphases on regional development in secure, sustainable, and healthy manners
 Consequences and Needs in Sustainable Agroecosystem and Re-urbanization
— with emphases on agricultural modernization and ecosystem services
 Technology—Commerce Interfacing for of Environmental Problem Mitigation
— with emphases on economically sustainable, advanced technologies for pollution
control, disaster defense, and waste recycling
ORGANIZER
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The University of Tennessee
o Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment
o Institute of Agriculture
o UT-ORNL Joint Institute for Biological Sciences
o Howard Baker Center for Public Policy
o Center for Renewable Carbon
o Center for Environmental Biotechnology
o UTIA Water and Environment Program
CO-ORGANIZERS
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Purdue University
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
Development Research Center of State Council of China
Institute of Geographic Science and Natural Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences
University of Science and Technology of China
Nanjing University
Zhejiang University
Tsinghua University
China Agricultural University
Northeast Normal University
Shenyang Agricultural University
Nanjing Agricultural University
The University of Hong Kong
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PARTICIPANTS
The symposium will invite approximately 100 recognized scientists, program managers, industry
leaders, and government officials from China and the United States. There will be approximately
50 oral presentations, 3 roundtable discussions, and a number of group meetings.
ORGANIZING COMMITTEES
Chairman:
Dr. Gary Sayler (The University of Tennessee)
Co-Chairman: Dr. Gui-Bin Jiang (Chinese Academy of Sciences)
Dr. William Brown (The University of Tennessee)
REGISTRATION
There is no registration fee for invited guests. The conference will provide local transportation
between airport and hotel at no cost of guests, and most of meals will be covered by the
organizers during the meeting days.
VENUE
All meeting activities will be held in the Park Vista Hotel (http://www.parkvista.com), which is
located at 705 Cherokee Orchard Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738, USA.
HOTEL
A block of rooms for conference participants will be reserved at the Park Vista Hotel with the
payment of participants. The room rate is $102 per night plus tax for a single/double bedroom.
The hotel is located at the top of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm), one of the most awe inspiring mountain ranges in the
United States.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Prof. Jie (Joe) Zhuang
Department of Biosystems Engineering &
Soil Science
The University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996-4531, USA
Phone: +1( 865) 974-9467
Email: jzhuang@utk.edu
Mrs. Sherry Redus
Institute for a Secure & Sustainable
Environment
The University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996-4131, USA
Phone: +1 (865) 974-0721
Email: sredus@utk.edu
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