On September 12, IIIS welcomed the incoming 76 undergraduate and 54 graduate students together with IIIS faculty and other students in an Opening Ceremony held in the Lecture Hall, MMW Technology Building. The ceremony was attended by Prof. Andrew Yao, IIIS Dean, Prof. Gang Peng, Tsinghua Vice President and Prof. Frances Foong Yao, IIIS Chair Professor, and was hosted by Prof. Zhixuan Fang, mentor of the new class.

In his welcome address, Prof. Yao gave a warm greeting to the new class and encouraged them to develop the ability and passion to learn wisely, effectively and creatively for the betterment of the whole society during their study here. He also introduced four new faculty members including two IIIS alumni who joined the institute again as assistant professors.

A final word of advice came from Prof. Gang Peng who first recognized Prof. Yao’s commitment to the education and urged the students to aim for the highest. “The journey you are about to embark on is a bittersweet one. It demands a lot and requires sacrifices and determination to see your way out, but I believe you will find great meaning and satisfaction in having such experiences. ”he said.

The day’s other speakers included Yi Wu, representative of IIIS faculty, Binwei Yan, Zhuoran Li, representative of IIIS first years, and Tianyi Zhang, representative of IIIS students.

During the ceremony, Yao Award 2020 was granted to recognize 12 outstanding Yao Class students. The ceremony was also live streamed, and attracted a hundred of students’ families to watch.