From October 24 to 28, 2022, NU (NU) will host the international Asian University Alliance (AUA) Youth forum on the theme: “Building a Meta Silk Road: Integration of Asian Cultures in the Real and Virtual Universe”. As part of the Forum, NU hosts international students from eight Alliance member universities for an opportunity to share knowledge and immerse themselves in the cultural environment of NU and the country. They will attend scientific workshops and seminars, visit the Burabay resort area and take in the capital city’s sights.
The AUA Youth Forum is an annual flagship platform dedicated to jointly addressing developmental issues in the Asian region, enhancing youth empowerment, and promoting cultural and academic exchanges among AUA students.
Each Forum focuses on a particular theme that corresponds to the concept of the AUA year. Artificial Intelligence & Data Science, Asian Civilisations, and Future Habitats are at the center of discussion this year.
“We are happy to host students from our sister institutions in the AUA family as participants in the Forum on Meta Silk Road. Artificial Intelligence and Smart Systems have become the infrastructure of life; this Forum will examine their intersection with the areas of business, finance, and environment and their impact on culture in the heart of the Ancient Silk Road,” said NU Provost Ilesanmi Adesida.
The Youth Forum program includes master classes by NU professors on topics such as “Research in AI, AR/XR/VR, data science, and computer graphics”, “AI in Environmental Health”, “Cyber Security and Blockchain”, “Data as the new oil: Alibaba’s multi-billion business model building on data analytics”, “Preserving Silk Roads Heritage: Challenges and Solutions”. Cultural Center “Rukhani Zhangyru” offers Kazakh art workshops.
NU is the only CA region university in the Asian Universities Alliance, which was established at the initiative of Tsinghua University in 2017. The Alliance consists of 15 universities, including Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology, National University of Singapore, Peking University, University of Tokyo and others.
AUA’s mission is to jointly address regional and global challenges, especially those related to higher education and economic, scientific and technological development, by strengthening cooperation between partner universities.
“Kazakhstan is in the heart of Eurasia, between East and West, so I think it’s important to develop cooperation not only with Western universities but also with Asian universities,” NU President Shigeo Katsu said in 2017 at the first AUA Summit in Beijing. He noted that the established Alliance would benefit the universities and their students.
In addition to the Youth Forum, the AUA conducts a wide range of cooperation activities: student exchanges, study abroad programs, short courses in selected disciplines, cultural and sporting events, and academic conferences. An AUA scholarship program for increasing mobility among AUA member universities provides financial support for up to 60 scholars each year. For instance, three NU’s scholars have won scholarships for 2020-2021 under this program.
AUA Members
NU, King Saud University, United Arab Emirates University, Indian Institute of Technology, University of Colombo, University of Yangon, Chulalongkorn University, University of Malaya, National University of Singapore, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Tsinghua University, Peking University, Seoul National University, University of Tokyo, University of Indonesia.
