The preparation meeting and symposium of UM-SJTU Joint Research Center for Smart Connected Systems was successfully held at Longbin Building, Minhang Campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, on May 24 and 25, 2018. The success of this event would not be possible without joint efforts and support from all members of the Wireless Networking and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (Wang Lab).

To ensure smooth opening of this event, all students, led by the Director, Prof. Xudong Wang, had started to make meticulous preparation several weeks before. A mobilization meeting was also held at the laboratory several days ahead of the activity. During the meeting, detailed arrangements regarding the preparation meeting and the symposium were carefully scheduled, and each student was designated with a specific task such as reception, registration, accommodation, coffee break, and food service. On the evening of May 23, all students made a rehearsal of their assigned tasks, testing facility in auditorium, preparing registration desks and badges, and so on.

The preparation meeting and the symposium went really well thanks to the support and corporation of all members of the Wang Lab. Prof. Xudong Wang, the director of the lab, was in charge of the whole event. Apart from overseeing all logistics, he hosted the preparation meeting of the UM-SJTU Joint Research Center for Smart Connected Systems and also served as the organization chair of the Joint Symposium. Under his guidance, all students in the lab served as volunteers to provide all-round help and support to guests, faculties, staffs, and students who attended the event. They worked hard and cooperated with each other to resolve unexpected challenging issues. For example, on the early morning of May 25, despite of heavy rains, volunteers were not deterred to arrive at their respective positions in time. The joint efforts of all the volunteers ensured the success of this important event in UM-SJTU Joint Institute.

Upon completion of the event, Prof. Peisen Huang, Dean of the UM-SJTU Joint Institute, took a group photo with all volunteers. He extended his gratitude to all students in the Wang Lab and highly praised their contributions to this important event.

While Prof. Xudong Wang took a photo with all volunteers, he said he was impressed by their dedication and felt proud of their spirit of cooperation. He admitted that this event would not be so successful without dedication and contribution from all volunteers.