On September 2, AI-HSS held an orientation meeting for the 2025 cohort of master’s and doctoral students, warmly greeting the institute’s first cohort of graduate students. In attendance were leaders of the institute, graduate supervisors, all new students, and relevant staff.

Professor Zeng Yong, Dean of the institute, first extended a warm welcome to the 2025 cohort on behalf of the institute and provided a detailed introduction to its founding background, vision, mission, goals, and future plans. He encouraged the new students to cherish their valuable time for study, devote themselves to academic pursuits, be innovative, and embrace diversity, urging them to both engage with cutting-edge technology and cultivate their humanistic qualities. Zeng expressed his hope that the students would focus on frontiers, think independently, maintain curiosity, broaden their horizons, dare to cross boundaries, and commit to lifelong learning in their future academic journeys.
New students from diverse backgrounds introduced themselves in turn, sharing their educational backgrounds, research interests, and aspirations for their future academic lives. During the free exchange session, the students broke the ice and engaged in lively and in-depth discussions with the institute’s leaders and supervisors on topics such as course selection, research directions, and campus life. Drawing on their own experiences, the supervisors offered valuable advice and expressed their high expectations for the new students.

This orientation meeting built a solid platform for interaction between faculty and students and enhanced the newcomers’ sense of belonging. It is hoped that the 2025 cohort will take this as a starting point to thrive and grow in the fertile ground of the institute, writing a new chapter in their lives!