As the cold season started, IISE visiting scholars joined the official kickoff of winter holiday celebration in the city of Pittsburgh. Yaqun Chao and Xia Wang, two visiting scholars from China, enjoyed the Annual Light Up Night celebration last November. Light Up Night is the most-waited tradition for Pittsburghers that outsets the holiday festivities in Pittsburgh with free music, entertaining activities, fireworks, food, and more. The event becomes a part of cross-cultural experiences for these Chinese visting scholars during the completion of their academic research programs in IISE.
Yaqun Chao is a second-year Ph.D. candidate at Beijing Normal University, which is in Beijing, China. She is currently serving as a visiting graduate student at the Institute for International Studies in Education (IISE), University of Pittsburgh. Her faculty counterpart at the University of Pittsburgh are Prof. Maureen McClure and Prof. Jean Ferketish, and her current research project is about “Faculty Development in American University.”
Xia Wang is an associate professor in Mudanjiang Normal University, China. She is currently serving as a Visiting Scholar at the Institute for International Studies in Education (IISE) at the University of Pittsburgh. Her faculty counterpart at the University of Pittsburgh is Professor Linda DeAngelo and her current research project is “A Comparative Study of General Education between American and Chinese Colleges and Universities from the Perspective of Pathways, Contents and Policies.”
IISE Visiting Scholar program aims to bring scholars in the field of education, or affiliated fields, to the University of Pittsburgh in order to further their own research. The Program offers opportunities for scholars to collaborate with IISE affiliated faculty members on shared scholarly and research-related interests. It also helps to create an international network for scholars at any stage of their career assisting them in their professional development. Finally, the Program demonstrates the active role IISE plays in generating innovative research through participating scholars from diverse disciplinary, institutional, and geographic backgrounds.
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IISE Visiting Scholars Program