On August 20, 2026, the Annual Meeting of the Gansu Provincial Teaching Steering, Accreditation, and Textbook Construction Committee for Geography and Environmental Science Programs and the Annual Conference of the Gansu Geographical Society were successfully held at the Chengguan Campus of Lanzhou University. The conference was hosted by the Gansu Provincial Geographic and Environmental Teaching Steering Committee and the Gansu Geographical Society, and organized by the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University. More than 30 experts and scholars from universities and high schools across the province, including Lanzhou University, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou University of Technology, Longdong University, Gansu Forestry Polytechnic University, Hexi University, and Lanzhou No. 1 Middle School, attended the conference.
Prof. Liu Xiang, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of Lanzhou University, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. On behalf of Lanzhou University, he extended warm congratulations on the successful convening of the conference and a sincere welcome to all participating experts and scholars from universities and research institutions across the province. Liu Xiang noted that geography and environmental sciences are important supporting disciplines for serving regional development and ecological civilization construction. Lanzhou University will continue to strengthen its support for the College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, contributing Lanzhou University's wisdom and strength to regional ecological civilization construction and local economic and social development.
Prof. Gou Xiaohua, Deputy Director of the Geography Teaching Steering Committee of the Ministry of Education and Director of the Gansu Provincial Geographic and Environmental Teaching Steering Committee, also delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. She reviewed the progress of teaching reform and talent cultivation in geography and environmental programs across the province, expressing the hope that this conference would serve as an opportunity to consolidate the collective efforts of provincial universities and jointly explore new pathways for cultivating innovative talent in geography and environmental disciplines in the new era.
The plenary presentation session was chaired by Professors Guan Qingyu and Geng Haopeng, Associate Deans of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University. Six experts—Prof. Zhao Xia from Lanzhou University of Technology, Prof. Li Jingzhong and Prof. Huang Kui from Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Associate Prof. Hu Mengjun from Northwest Normal University, and Prof. Gou Xiaohua and Prof. Gao Hongshan from Lanzhou University—shared their experiences and practical achievements in teaching reform from various perspectives, including talent cultivation models, first-class course development, and professional reform practices, providing valuable references for the construction of related programs within the province.
The centralized discussion and exchange session was chaired by Li Yu. Participating experts engaged in in-depth discussions on topics such as new pathways for developing first-class undergraduate programs and first-class courses in geography and environmental sciences, curriculum system restructuring and textbook construction empowered by artificial intelligence, and experiences from young faculty teaching innovation competitions. They also summarized the current achievements in these areas. The attending representatives agreed that, in the face of new technological transformations, universities within the province should strengthen inter-institutional collaboration, deepen the integration of science and education, promote the deep integration of artificial intelligence with geography and environmental science teaching, improve the innovative talent cultivation system, and promote the high-quality development of geography and environmental education in Gansu Province.
This conference brought together multiple stakeholders in the field of geography and environmental education within the province, establishing a platform for exchange and collaboration among provincial university educators. It further consolidated consensus on teaching reform in geography and environmental programs in Gansu Province, playing a significant role in advancing the construction of related programs, curriculum restructuring, textbook development, and the cultivation of innovative talent.
