On April 2, 2026, faculty and students from the Department of Earth System Science (DESS) at Tsinghua University visited the Beijing Meteorological Service for an exchange tour. Taking part in the activity were Associate Professor Yu Le, head of the department’s Graduate Work Office, Associate Professor Peng Yiran, Yao Songkun, director of the Party and Administration Office, Peng Xiaojuan, student affairs counselor, and doctoral students of the department. Officials from the Human Resources Department of the Beijing Meteorological Service, together with leaders and core professionals of relevant operational departments, received the delegation and held in-depth discussions.

Visiting the meteorological observation equipment display area

The visiting faculty and students successively toured the meteorological equipment exhibition zone, data center, studio and service center. They acquired a comprehensive grasp of the whole process covering meteorological data collection, processing, analysis and application, and directly recognized the vital value of modern meteorological technology in disaster risk reduction and urban operation guarantee.

During the symposium, the Human Resources Department of the Beijing Meteorological Service introduced the key priorities and operational demands of current meteorological research, as well as the foundational strengths and prospective collaboration opportunities for meteorological scientific and technological innovation in Beijing. The bureau expressed its intention to build a long-term cooperative mechanism with Tsinghua DESS. Through student internship and practical training programs, both sides aim to attract more outstanding talents to engage in meteorological undertakings and inject new impetus into the high-quality development of meteorological services in the capital city.

Drawing on the research focuses of the Department of Earth System Science, Yu Le proposed joint research on bird migration patterns and urban biodiversity monitoring. Associate Professor Peng Yiran shared insights from long-term cooperation with the meteorological authority, and suggested fostering students' research enthusiasm via tailored practical programs. Both sides held discussions on establishing joint practice bases and advancing bureau-university collaboration across multiple fields.

Group photo of participants

This exchange visit marks a key move for both parties to advance in-depth integration of industry, academia, research and application, and explore the construction of practical training bases for talents. The two sides reached consensus on refining cooperation plans, building joint efforts in scientific research, talent training and public services. They aim to improve forecast accuracy and service capacity of Beijing’s meteorological sector, and support secure urban operation with collective expertise.

Written by Wang Ziyi

Photo by Zhang Shuwei

Edited by Wang Jiayin

Reviewed by Yu Le and Peng Xiaojuan