On May 18th, the 2024 MEM freshman team building & outward-bound training was successfully carried out in Putuo Campus of East China Normal University. This activity, as the first module of the freshman outward bound training of "Standing in the New AI Era, Determined to Innovate Leadership" in the freshman Orientation series, covers a variety of activities such as campus orientation, thinking training, and innovative games. 2024 CTO Advanced Class, CTO Elite Class and the Intelligent Innovation Engineering Class, in the dual challenge of mental and physical strength, went to various corners of the campus to search for clues and complete tasks. Despite the scorching sun, they persisted and constantly surpassed themselves, demonstrating the positive and upward spirit of MEMers at East China Normal University.
Before the start of the activity, the 2024 freshmen gathered on the large lawn in front of the statue of Chairman Mao and pasted their photos onto the background board, ultimately revealing the words "ECNU". This photo wall represents students from all over the world, meeting at the pinnacle on the MEM platform of East China Normal University, marking the beginning of a new chapter in their lives.
Subsequently, Teacher Peng Yuxin, Director of MEM Enrollment Department and Deputy Director of Education Technology Talent Innovation Center, gave an opening speech, which brought great encouragement to the freshmen. Under the guidance of the coach, everyone divided into 8 small groups and brainstormed to determine the captain and team slogan, and together drew team flags with unique team characteristics.
After the grouping is completed, the campus targeted task is officially launched. Classmates follow the task book and run around the campus, completing multiple challenges such as "everything flows smoothly", "60 seconds of speed", and "building a tower together". In the ancient and quaint campus of Normal University, there are traces of their youth and struggle left everywhere, including the Qunxian Hall, Siqun Hall, and San Guan.
In the final stage, students get to know each other in a novel way. Everyone sits around the lawn, drawing their own self portraits with paper and pen, and introducing and guessing by randomly selecting the self portraits of others. Linking the characteristics of the people in the painting to a certain classmate not only makes people laugh but also leaves a deeper impression on each other, and the friendship between classmates continues to heat up.
The freshman meeting and expansion training came to an end with the passionate enthusiasm of the students. Through this activity, the students quickly integrated into the MEM family of East China Normal University from acquaintance, acquaintance to familiarity, and gained a new understanding of innovative leadership in the new AI era. Let's listen to everyone's voices together!
After the freshman meeting, as a student majoring in Economics and Management from a finance and economics university, I realized the need to enhance my understanding and knowledge of technology during my graduate studies. I quickly transitioned from a junior manager to a senior manager, and then progressed to become a leader who understands both business and technology. The expansion in the afternoon was unforgettable, and our teammates worked very hard. When we checked in and found a location, we exerted our subjective initiative and asked senior students. We found some difficult to find buildings. In the expansion activities, I felt the charm of teamwork and the advantages of method selection. Good methods can save a lot of time.
——Sun Chen, (2024) CTO Advanced Class
It was a day full of harvest. The morning meeting was a feast of knowledge, and the deep sharing between teachers and classmates not only broadened my horizons, but also ignited sparks in my thinking. Before listening to Professor Jie Yingping's sharing, I had some grudges about the complex and chaotic work I have done in the past decade. I felt that there was no technical accumulation. When I heard him mention the growth of the "zigzag" shape, I was immediately relieved. All the efforts will eventually be rewarded. In the afternoon's expansion training, when our team named "Smurfs" based on the blue vest, it seemed like we suddenly transformed into a group of cute Smurfs. With their unique personality, optimistic attitude, brave and kind behavior, and spirit of unity and cooperation, we happily completed the task. Of course, we did not aim for ranking from the beginning, but enjoyed the joy of the process.
——Wang Rui, (2024) CTO Elite Class
The process of teaming up with classmates from different backgrounds and ages, communicating different ways of thinking, and ultimately reaching consensus is much more interesting than playing games to achieve results. What is particularly unforgettable is that some students came from afar to participate in activities, which greatly increased the weight of a seemingly ordinary expansion activity, which itself is a manifestation of team spirit.
——Zhang Zongzhe, (2024) Intelligent Innovation Engineering Class
