Hosted by the Ocean University of China from 14 - 20 July 2008, the Qingdao Ocean Sciences Summer School was one of the largest gatherings ever held for graduate students in biogeosciences and oceanography in China. Approximately 200 students and 40 speakers participated in the event, entitled “International Advances in Deep-Sea Geo-Bioscience Research.” The Summer School was organized by the National Laboratory for Marine Science & Technology (MNL) in Qingdao and the International Professionals for Advancement of Chinese Earth Sciences (IPACES) and was sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Education, Ministry of Science and Technology, Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), China Ocean Mineral Resources R&D Association (COMRA), and other research institutions and universities. Dr. Zuosheng Yang, Distinguished Professor and Honorary Director of the Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Studies at the Ocean University of China, led the Organizing Committee. InterRidge Chair, Jian Lin (WHOI), was also involved in organizing the event, coordinating the international participation.
Lectures covered a broad array of subjects, ranging from geophysics to physical oceanography to microbiology to underwater vehicle technology. Speakers were from China, France, UK, and USA, with a number of contributions from InterRidge, including:
- Jian Lin gave the opening address and keynote talk, entitled “Oceanic lithosphere geological structure, rheology, and hydrothermal interactions along the global mid-ocean ridges.”
- Y. John Chen (Peking University) and Jiabiao Li (Second Institute of Oceanography, SOA, China) – both are InterRidge Steering Committee members from China – gave talks on “Thermal structure of the oceanic crust and lithosphere” and “Tension cracks on the continental margins and deformation models”, respectively.
- Nadine Le Bris (IFREMER), Chair of the InterRidge Working Group for Biogeochemical Interactions at Deep-Sea Vents, gave a 3-hour tutorial on this subject, entitled “Biogeochemical interactions at hydrothermal vents.”
- Xiang Xiao (Third Institute of Oceanography, SOA, China), member of the InterRidge Working Group for Vent Ecology, presented “Microbiodiversity of deep-sea hydrothermal vent.”
- Stace Beaulieu (WHOI), InterRidge Coordinator, taught the students about “Hydrothermal vent ecology - Larval supply, colonization, and community development.”
- Several other InterRidge members also provided lectures on a diverse range of subjects. Dana Yoerger (WHOI) conducted a 3-hour overview of “Technologies for scientific exploration of the deep-sea floor.” Chunhui Tao (Second Institute of Oceanography, SOA, China) presented recent developments in “Prospecting indicators and investigating methods for discovering seafloor hydrothermal sulfide deposits.” Milene Cormier (University of Missouri), who presented a lecture on “Application of emerging geophysical methods for characterizing volcanism at mid-ocean ridges,” was also embarking on a 5-year, US NSF-funded partnership with China in studying the intra-plate seismotectonics of northern China. Guangxue Li (Dean of Marine Geosciences, Ocean University of China) gave a talk titled "Management system of magnetic data in three oceans."
The Qingdao Summer School is expected to have lasting impacts for the graduate students from throughout China who attended as reflected in comments by the participating students and staff members. Students also became aware of fellowship opportunities including the new InterRidge Fellowship Program to assist with costs such as participation in international research and cruises.
The InterRidge participants would like to thank the Organizing Committee, the Ocean University of China, and the sponsoring organizations for a very successful Summer School and an enriching opportunity to interact with Chinese students and colleagues.
 Fig. 1. Dana Yoerger, Stace Beaulieu, Zuosheng Yang, and Jian Lin at the Qingdao Ocean Sciences Summer School (photo by Leonna Tien, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, USA). |
 Fig. 2. Chunhui Tao presenting a lecture at the Qingdao Ocean Sciences Summer School (photo by Stace Beaulieu, InterRidge Coordinator). |
 Fig. 3. Overlooking Beach No. 1 and the campus of the Ocean University of China in Qingdao (photo by Stace Beaulieu, InterRidge Coordinator). |
 Fig. 4. A poster about mid-ocean ridges and hydrothermal vents is on display at the Qingdao Aquarium! (Photo by Stace Beaulieu, InterRidge Coordinator) |
