On the afternoon of May 27, Professor Gary Wilson, Vice President of the University of Waikato in New Zealand, who came to the university to participate in the 2025 International Sea-related University Alliance Conference, was invited to visit the School of Oceanography and Atmosphere and communicate with Lin Xiaopei, Dean of the School of Ocean and Atmosphere, with Prof. Huang Fei and Prof. Zheng Xiaotong.

The two sides had in-depth discussions on the joint establishment of the Marine Science Research Center between Ocean University of China and the University of Waikato, exchanged views on the direction, focus and specific implementation steps of future cooperation, and expressed their willingness to cooperate in the fields of polar research, marine environment and climate change, especially in academic personnel exchanges, joint research projects, student exchanges and academic conferences.

Wilson also visited the Oceanography Experimental Teaching Center, the Baguanshan Meteorological Observatory, and the Key Laboratory of Polar Ocean Processes and Global Ocean Change, and expressed his appreciation for the college's strong accumulation and outstanding achievements in experimental teaching and research, on-site observation and analysis.

Wilson was elected chairman of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) in August last year, and this visit deliberately set aside time to help promote the work of the International Antarctic Institute (IAI) Secretariat. On the 28th, Wilson had a meeting with Professor Shi Jiuxin of the School of Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences, Professor Liang Yantao of the School of Marine Life, and Professor ************* of the University of Tasmania, Australia, who were responsible for preparing the IAI Secretariat. Wilson affirmed the efforts and contributions of the University to the reopening of the IAI, and said that he would do his best to help the University successfully complete the work of the IAI Secretariat.

This visit effectively promoted the progress of the joint establishment of the Marine Science Research Center between the two universities and the work of the International Antarctic Academy, and further strengthened the cooperation and exchanges between the two universities in the field of marine science and polar research. Gary Wilson said that the University of Waikato looks forward to achieving more results in future cooperation with Ocean University of China and making greater contributions to the development of global marine and polar science.