UPWr students took part in a summer school in China

• The students say that the trip to China had a positive impact on their perception of the world and people of different cultures, and helped them gain experience and confidence.
• The trip was an opportunity to expand their knowledge and experience in technology and biochemistry.

According to one of the students taking part in the summer school, Karol Lewoniec, The Belt and Road Baking Competition for International College Students is a project of the Jiangnan University Wuxi in China, held in cooperation with, among others, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences. It concerns innovations in baking and cereal technology. – The project focused on baking technology, innovation in baked goods and new methods used around the world – adds Nikola Lecka.

The students spent 10 days in China. Their stay began with an opening ceremony, during which they listened to speeches by university authorities and lecturers. – The following days were filled with interesting lectures. Among others, we listened to Professor Jaroslav Zelenk from the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague on probiotics, parabiotics and functional foods, and Professor Chen Weining from Nanyang University in Singapore on food safety. We then participated in a baking competition. Our task was to design an innovative baked product containing functional additives. Our entries were judged by chefs from China. The experience resembled Masterchef – says Nikola with a smile, while Karol emphasises that the Polish bakery project was represented by a pastry garland with raspberries. The innovative additives were raspberry seed oil and raspberry juice, containing antioxidants, among other things.

On the other side of the world

According to the students, the trip to China had a positive impact on their perception of the world, people, different cultures and personalities, and helped them gain experience and confidence. The lectures and baking competition also brought them theoretical and practical knowledge related to their field of study. They made new friends from Thailand, Cambodia, Uganda and the neighbouring Czech Republic, with whom they got to exchange experiences. – The stories about their cultural customs were extremely interesting. In just ten days we gained fantastic friendships that I hope will last – Nikola stresses and says this was her first trip this far away from home.

– I have to admit that I watched a lot of vlogs about China before I flew out, in order to best prepare myself for the trip. Nevertheless, I experienced quite a culture shock. China is a unique place. At first I felt a bit strange – everything was different and foreign. However, after the first day, I was fascinated by everything around me. Even a simple journey on the metro was interesting. The city was divided into many districts, and I was most impressed by the modern part, where I admired skyscrapers like in New York. I will remember walking along these streets at night for the rest of my life. What surprised me most, however, was the enthusiastic reaction of the people to us. The people of Wuxi were very eager to greet us on the street and asked us to take photos together – Nikola recalls.

Karol joins in, saying that for him the trip to China was also quite a culture shock. – Everything around seemed new and unfamiliar, and the language barrier was also surprising. Nevertheless, it was an excellent cultural and social experience – he adds.

– We spent the last day of the project on a joint excursion to the Ancient City of Huishan. It was a beautiful end to our experience, during which we admired the ancient Chinese architecture and the beautiful green gardens. We also had a closing ceremony at the end of our stay, where we had a festive dinner consisting of traditional Chinese food. We received certificates and souvenirs, and had the opportunity to watch artistic performances by Jiangnan University students – says Nikola.

Summer schools offer knowledge and experience

The students admit that they found the trip inspiring. It was a great opportunity to acquire new knowledge and experience in the field of technology and biochemistry. – The lectures were held on a variety of topics, ranging from technology to biochemistry and sensory methods. We will certainly use the knowledge we gained in both our studies and our master's theses – says Karol, who is majoring in meat and animal products. In the future, he plans to link his career path to this industry.

– The subject of fermentation is particularly close to my heart, so the lectures on it complimented my knowledge nicely. I also really enjoyed the way the classes were held, in the form of an open discussion with the lecturers and other students. It was an opportunity to exchange observations and experiences – adds Nikola, who, thanks to Professor Joanna Chmielewska, the supervisor of her master's thesis, became interested in the subject of alcoholic fermentation, more specifically grape fermentation. She sees her future in the alcohol industry, most likely in wine production, which is why she chose to specialise in fermentation technologies and grains during her second degree studies.

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