WMU News

Chinese scholars to present views on water resources, agriculture

Sept. 23, 1999

KALAMAZOO -- Two leading authorities on China's agricultural system and water resources will speak at Western Michigan University Wednesday and Friday, Oct. 6 and 8.

Dr. Dengyin Tang, deputy director of the Institute of Geography at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, and Dr. Xianqun Xie, deputy director of the Institute of Geography's Yucheng Comprehensive Experimental Station, will come to the University as part of its Visiting Scholars and Artists Program.

The pair will make three presentations, all in Room 2734 of Wood Hall. Their talks are free and open to the public.

Speaking at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 6, Tang will present his views on China's food supply. His talk will be based on more than 30 years of research and field experience.

At noon on Friday, Oct. 8, Xie will join Tang for a talk that will focus on the water resource changes in China and the impact of those changes on agricultural productivity in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. That talk will describe the serious hydrological, economic and environmental impact of depleted water levels in the lower reaches of the Yellow River.

Also on Friday, at 4 p.m., Xie will give an overview of research projects being done at the Yucheng Experimental Station on such topics as groundwater, surface water, remote sensing and modeling of the plant-atmosphere-soil system. That facility is a leading hydrologic research station and open national laboratory.

"Both of these visitors are well-known scholars and authority figures in China's agricultural ecosystem and water resources management areas," says Dr. Chanseng He, assistant professor of geography, who is coordinating their visit.

The Visiting Scholars and Artists Program was established in 1960 and has supported some 500 visits by scholars and artists representing more than 65 academic disciplines. The chairperson of the committee who oversees the program is Dr. James M. Hillenbrand, professor of speech pathology and audiology.

Media contact: Cheryl Roland, 616 387-8400, cheryl.roland@wmich.edu


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