KPU Hoping for Horticultural Project Partnership with Beijing University Following MOU
Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s recently launched diploma program in acupuncture has led to the signing of a memorandum of understanding between KPU and the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. The hope with the memorandum is that students striving to gain a degree after graduation in B.C. will transfer to Beijing to further their education.
This month, KPU President Alan Davis snapped a photo alongside Beijing University President Xu Anlong and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to celebrate the occasion.
According to Davis, however, there may be more collaboration between the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and Kwantlen Polytechnic University in the future. He says that he is aiming to support a program that will encourage students from both institutions to learn about horticultural sustainability, an area of expertise that KPU has now become well known for.
Although “it’s just an idea,” as worded by Davis, and the details are not yet hashed out, it could afford students the opportunity to improve their knowledge on sustainable horticulture. In China, where the air quality is notoriously polluted and emissions are more rapidly produced than anywhere else in the world, growth within the industry of sustainable horticulture could reap great benefits. Additionally, it could help those interested in natural medicine hoping to grow their own herbs with their ability as professionals.
As with the relationship between KPU’s acupuncture program and BCUM’s degree in traditional Chinese medicine, Canadian students could travel to Beijing to further their education.
KPU’s Institute for Sustainable Horticulture is a partnership in itself. Academia within the industry and community supports the program, which addresses not only horticulture, but also silviculture, forestry, and urban landscapes.
An example of some of the work they do can be seen within a lab on the Langley campus, where microbial insect pathogens are experimented on in order to understand how to combat pest issues and increase sustainability.
While it is possible that the horticultural partnership with Beijing University may not go forward, it seems that the two institutions have faith in one another. On BUCM’s website, it is written that “the Canadian province of British Columbia possessed the highest quality of education resources,” and Davis believes that BUCM is the best school to be working with in regards to traditional Chinese medicine.
