On September, 2013, the 4th International Academic Consortium for Sustainable Cities (IACSC)* International Symposium/General Assembly was held at University of the Philippines. Active discussions took place on how sustainable cities should be from the perspective of each of the three units: Environment, Urban Planning, and Public Health.
The 5th IACSC International Symposium/General Assembly will be held at Vietnam National University next year, and IACSC continues to expand and enrich its activities.
The International Academic Consortium for Sustainable Cities (IACSC) is a network among universities mainly in Asia, which makes collaborative efforts with cities and international organizations in solving urban issues.
27 students who are in the Environment and Urban Planning units at YCU participated in the International Symposium. Activities such as international student workshops and fieldworks let them interact with students from University of the Philippines, which enhances the academic exchanges between universities abroad, mainly in Asia.
As the main activity, students in Urban Planning unit created 100 cards each of which has an idea to vitalize San Miguel city and presented them to the local community. Students in Environment unit visited environment related institutes and held a student workshop on environmental policy of each country. At the International Symposium, students presented these activities in poster presentation sessions. They explained their activities in English to the visitors, which was a good educational and practical opportunity.
Led by the faculty of “Public Health” unit, 19 nursing students participated the international field work in Iloilo city, and had an opportunity to understand the current situation on health problems and issues in the Philippines. They also hosted workshops and presentation sessions with students participating in SUDP and interacted with students from the IACSC member universities.
Toward the further development of collaboration and cooperation, YCU entered into international exchange agreement (MOU) with University of the Philippines, who hosted the International Symposium this year.
