中国网（2015-12-4）：Professor bridges China and Italy

中国网（2015-12-4）：Professor bridges China and Italy<hr>发布日期:  2015-12-04                            作者： 本站编辑                            阅读： <hr>

Bruno Briseghella is among those foreign experts coming to China to realize their dreams. The 44-year-old Italian bridge engineer was named dean of the College of Civil Engineering of Fuzhou University in July and has been working hard on his reform plans for the college since then.

Bruno Briseghella, dean of the College of Civil Engineering of Fuzhou University, says he can realize his dream in China. [Photo by Huang Shan/China.org.cn]

Bruno Briseghella, dean of the College of Civil Engineering of Fuzhou University, says he can realize his dream in China. [Photo by Huang Shan/China.org.cn]

"Nowadays, I consider [China] to be the center of the world and there are so many chances here," said Briseghella, when asked why he moved to China.

"In other countries, there are so many difficulties to realize your dream, yet here, in some way, you can work hard every day to realize your dream."

Briseghella found it easy to adapt to the life in China, because both his native and adopted lands have long histories, rich culture and exquisite cuisine. However, he still feels the pressure of heading a college and is trying hard to get to know the working style of a Chinese college.

He has mapped out a plan to promote innovation in teaching, advance the internationalization scope of the college and improve the organization of daily affairs. And one of his biggest challenges is to stimulate student creativity.

"It's not easy to teach creativity. Because it deals a lot with the education system," said Briseghella, adding that creativity is closely linked with being free to think without any restraint. In one of the courses he gives to post graduates - Conceptual Design of Bridges, he encourages students to freely express their ideas about bridges and give arguments to support them. He also asks students to draw sketches by hand rather than using computers.

"Sometimes, to open your mind you need to change what you do every day," said Briseghella. That's why he always asks his students to go out of their classrooms to get close to nature.

Compared with teaching and administrative work, Briseghella prefers his job as a design engineer. His works can be found across the world, including a train station in Venezuela, a stadium in South Africa, a bridge in Abu Dhabi and a building in Shandong, eastern China.

By the end of 2012, he had designed 25 bridges in Italy, including the Isola della Scalabridge in Verona. The 414-meter-long bridge is the longest integral abutment bridge built so far.

As director of the Sustainable and Innovative Bridge Engineering Research Center (SIBERC), Briseghella suggests China pay more attention to standard bridges, not focusing on big constructions.

"[The technique of bridge building] is improving very fast in China. New technologies, particularly for long bridges have been developed in the last few years. In the meantime, I think it's necessary to pay attention to standard ones."

"The challenge for China in the next years is not to be longer or taller, but the quality of construction. Quality means a lot of things. It means to improve the life and preservation of a bridge or building. To achieve that, we need new technologies, new materials, but also to improve the knowledge of people involved in the construction."

Chen Baochun, former dean of the college, said: "Briseghella brings different teaching ideas and cooperation opportunities with overseas companies. He also helps our Chinese companies do business abroad."

Chen was the one who invited Briseghella to Fuzhou, a coastal city in southeastern China – first as guest professor. In 2012, Briseghella was listed in the country's One Thousand Foreign Experts Project which aims to lure high-end foreign professionals to help spur innovation and promote scientific research.

Chen recalled Briseghella's contribution when they applied for a project in Mozambique. "We were required to use European standards when we bid for the project. Thanks to Bruno, we could convert the Chinese standards to the European ones."

"Now, we are working together on a project translating the Chinese standards for bridges, which will facilitate Chinese companies in their overseas business. If the Chinese standards can be received more widely, that means a great chance for Chinese contractors and relevant enterprises," said Chen. Taking the example of the railway built from Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa to the capital Nairobi by China Road and Bridge Corp, he explained that the standard gauge railway was built under the Chinese standard, and was able to use Chinese-made equipment and be operated by Chinese companies.

Chen sees the "Belt and Road" initiative an opportunity for China's civil engineering industry. The initiative, planning to promote the connectivity along the routes, has infrastructure as its top priority. He hopes the college can seize the chance to reach the rest of the world by introducing more foreign talents.

Attracting more talents, especially young ones, is also part of Briseghella's suggestions for the college and for China.

The ambitious Italian wants to achieve his goals in the following four years of his term – and maybe another four, if his work is acknowledged by the college.

Follow China.org.cn onTwitterandFacebookto join the conversation.

LINK:http://china.org.cn/china/2015-11/25/content_37155524.htm

<hr>原文地址：https://news.fzu.edu.cn/info/1014/15579.htm