From July 26 to 27, the 8th Youth Forum and the 4th Summer Seminar affiliated to China Crisis Management Forum were held in Lanzhou University, with a joint effort of Center for Crisis Management Research of Tsinghua University, Beijing Research Center of Urban System Engineering, School of Management of Lanzhou University, and Research Center for Emergency Management of Lanzhou University.

On Jul.26, the 8th Youth Forum was held successfully. More than 170 experts attended the forum, mainly from Board of Experts of China National Commission for Disaster Reduction, Institute of Automation of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Department of Emergency Management of Gansu Province, Beijing Research Center of Urban System Engineering, Research Center for Emergency Management of Xinxing Cathay International Group, Jining Public Security Bureau of Shandong Province, and research institutes on emergency management in Tsinghua University, Nanjing University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Xi’an Jiaotong University, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Lanzhou University.

Several experts in the field addressed the opening ceremony, including Prof. Sha Yongzhong, Vice-president of Lanzhou University and Director of LZU Research Center for Emergency Management; Prof. Shan Chunchang, Deputy Director of the Board of Experts of China National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the former head of the Emergency Management Expert Group of the State Council; Prof. Peng Zongchao, CPC Party Secretary of School of Public Policy and Management of Tsinghua University and Director of Center for Crisis Management Research of Tsinghua University; and Prof. He Wensheng, Dean of School of Management of Lanzhou University. Prof. Wang Xuejun, LUSM Associate Dean presided over the ceremony.

Keynote speeches were delivered by Prof. Fan Bo from Shanghai Jiaotong University, Prof. Zhang Haibo from Nanjing University, Prof. Wang Ming from Beijing Normal University, Prof. Cao Zhidong from Institute of Automation of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Prof. Zhu Wei from Beijing Research Center of Urban System Engineering, and Assoc. Prof. Ma Jing from LUSM, on topics related to the interdepartmental emergency network, work safety transformation, the technical system and progress of the first national comprehensive natural disaster risk survey, analysis and prediction of COVID-19 driven by big data, safe and resilient communities, and food safety risk. 

42 young scholars shared their research outputs in the afternoon sessions, focusing on 6 topics as risk assessment and communication, theoretical frontier and experience reference, public health emergency management, intelligent emergency data empowerment, specialized emergency response capacity, and safety production and risk management.

On Jul. 27, the 4th Summer Seminar was held at LUSM, with 40 participants mainly from Tsinghua University, Renmin University of China, Nanjing University, South China University of Technology, Shandong University, Chongqing University, China Agricultural University, Ocean University of China, Lanzhou University, and so on. 

During the seminar, 13 lectures were delivered by experts in the field, around topics as ways of strengthening emergency management, emergency management case study, prevention and response of social emergency incidents, prevention and control of major communicable diseases, emergency management system in China, and so on. These experts included Prof. Shan Chunchang, Prof. Tong Xing from Research Center for Social Risk and Crisis Management of Nanjing University, Prof. Xia Chenghua from Center for Social Risk Assessment in China of Tsinghua University, Prof. Peng Zongchao, Prof. Wei Jiuchang from School of Public Affairs of University of Science and Technology of China, Assoc. Prof. Liu Jue from School of Public Health of Peking University, Prof. Zhang Qiang from Beijing Normal University, Prof. Lu Xiaoli from School of Public Policy and Management of Tsinghua University, Assoc. Prof. Ksenia Chmutina from school of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering of Loughborough University, Prof. J.C. Gaillard from School of Environment of University of Auckland, Deputy Director Pan Yingjun from Department of Emergency Management of Gansu Province, Commissioner Third Class Song Zhaojun from Jining Public Security Bureau of Shandong Province, Prof. Chai Guorong and Prof. Niu Chunhua from LUSM.

After lectures, the visits to Lanzhou Emergency Material Warehouse and National Land Search and Rescue Base helped all participants a lot regarding the practical learning.

[Background Information]

China Crisis Management Forum, initiated as a joint effort by Prof. Shan Chunchang, and Prof. Xue Lan from Tsinghua University in 2011, is considered as a significant platform in the field of crisis management. Since 2014, the Youth Forum has been set as a regular part mainly for young scholars in the field, successfully held for 7 times by Tsinghua University, Beijing Research Center of Urban System Engineering, South China University of Technology, Shandong University, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Nanjing University, and University of Science and Technology of China respectively.