THE 2023 Putuo District Science and Technology Festival aims to showcase the vitality of the newly established Wuning Innovation Community, which includes the city’s major scientific innovation parks.

A promotion video about the 10 major achievements of the Wuning community made its premiere at the opening ceremony of the festival at the Shanghai Children’s Library on May 22.

The Wuning Innovation Community, along the Wuning Road thoroughfare, aims to become a preferred destination for innovative enterprises and a new highland for innovative talent in Putuo.

The community brings together two universities, 16 research institutes, nearly 100 innovation platforms and thousands of technology enterprises along the road. It will play an active role in serving regional economic development and the construction of an innovation-driven demonstration zone, according to the Putuo government.

According to the blueprint, the community will further expand westward and collaborate with nearby cities to build an integrated regional innovation system.

The expanded Wuning Innovation Community will develop the Yangtze River Delta region into a highland for scientific and technological innovation, the district government said.

At the opening ceremony of the science festival, Chen Hang, the first prize winner in the Shanghai Science Popularization Contest and a researcher from the Institute of Forensic Science, presented a lecture on how to use science and new technologies to defend justice.

The theme song of the festival was also released at the event. Created by the Putuo Science Commission, the song praises and promotes the spirit of scientists who dedicate themselves to research and innovation.

Following the opening ceremony, a popular science salon called “Future Talk” was held, featuring discussions on the era of artificial intelligence and the impact of trends such as ChatGPT.

Renowned speakers including Professor Jiang Xuefeng from the East China Normal University; Yang Haibo, director of the Science and Technology Department at East China Normal University; and Zhang Yun, founder of Psylife Education. They discussed how to maintain a calm mindset, enhance self-improvement and foster a culture of scientific and technological innovation in this era of AI.

The festival consisted of five main sections: “Public Welfare,” “Science and Innovation,” “Youth,” “Forums” and “Competitions.” Various scientific organizations, research institutes and subdistricts and towns of the district have hosted nearly 100 popular events to promote scientific spirit and knowledge, creating a strong atmosphere of scientific innovation across the district.

In the “Public Welfare” section, popular science activities such as scientific experiments, LEGO competitions and online exhibitions and quizzes on fascinating knowledge were held. Participants were encouraged to enjoy the games, while gaining knowledge.

‘Invaluable Silk’ show

Various major science popularization bases in Putuo also launched a series of innovative and interesting activities during the festival. The Shanghai Textile Museum, for instance, hosted the “Invaluable Silk” scientific experiment show.

The Putuo District Library launched an online exhibition and science popularization quiz, while the Shanghai Changfeng Ocean World unveiled its “Shark Detective” exploration activity.

The “Science and Innovation” section featured the 2023 Yangtze River Delta Innovation Challenge competition to attract the top scientific teams and professionals to Putuo. Key research institutes in Putuo, such as the Shanghai Chemical Research Institute and Shanghai Special Equipment Supervision and Inspection Technology Research Institute opened their key laboratories for the competition.

A forum themed “Activating Industrial Engines, Embracing the Future of AI” was held along with a public lecture about charging new energy vehicles safely.

These events aim to provide a diverse and exciting experience of technological innovation, allowing the public to witness the latest achievements in regional scientific and technological innovation, according to the organizers.

As one of the highlights of the festival, the “Robotgo” Youth Robot Science Challenge competition was launched during the festival as key part of the “Youth” section. The event targets primary and secondary school students across the city, with the primary goal of enhancing students’ scientific literacy.

The competition features robot battles, offering high interactivity, entertainment and visual appeal to the audiences. It aims to promote youths’ hands-on skills and imagination. The event encourages local teenagers to keep learning and practicing to foster a vibrant atmosphere for innovation and creativity among youth.

In addition, a science exhibition, presented by Hengniu Culture, delves into interesting scientific phenomena on physics and chemistry. It combines scientific knowledge with various forms of art, enriching the after-school lives of young people, inspiring innovative thinking and promoting their comprehensive development.

The Putuo District Youth Education Activity Center, Putuo District Library and Yichuan Road Subdistrict launched a series of activities for the festival. These included the “Fascinating Science Trends — Unveiling the Wonderful World of Little-Known Cool Facts” online exhibition and science quiz, as well as the “Children’s AI Knowledge Popularization Salon.” These activities provided a feast of knowledge for young people.

The Science and Technology Festival is not only a celebration for scientists and technologists but also a festival for the general public, according to the Putuo District government.

‘Scientific feast’ to all

Through a diverse range of activities, the festival will offer a varied “scientific feast” to people of different ages and backgrounds. It aims to promote the spirit of science, popularize scientific knowledge, and comprehensively showcase technological innovation achievements, allowing the public to better experience the allure of innovative technology, the government said.

It is part of the annual Shanghai Science Festival which ran through May 31, with more than 1,500 events on offer across the city. During that period, 131 science venues opened for free or offered special rates on tickets.

Putuo, formerly known for its chemical industries, now focuses on scientific innovation with four major parks within the district — the China Israel Innovation Hub, the International Innovation Center of Tsinghua University Shanghai, the Wuning Innovation Community and Haina Town, a pilot zone for Shanghai’s digital transformation campaign.

With its dependence on scientific innovation firms, the district-level fiscal revenue of Putuo increased by 47 percent in the first quarter of this year, ranking the first among local districts, said Jiang Dongdong, Party secretary of Putuo.

Ten major scientific and technological achievements of the Wuning Innovation Community were unveiled during the festival. The achievements included software security technology for core control software of major industrial equipment, core components of LCD display panels and a domestically developed isotope project for medical diagnostic reagents.

Putuo is currently promoting innovation-driven development with the four major innovation parks, aiming to boost the regional innovation powers, Xiao Li, deputy director of Putuo told the opening ceremony of the festival.

“Through various activities during the science festival, Putuo aims to fully showcase its digital transformation and achievements, allowing the public to truly benefit from scientific and technological innovations,” Xiao said.

Several science popularization bases, on public health, maps and network security, were launched during the festival, providing professional science popularization services to the public, especially to primary and secondary school students.

The district will leverage the advantages of universities and research institutes within the Wuning community to host more than 10 key events this year.

They will include the 2023 World Artificial Intelligence Conference Governance Forum, the 2023 CCF China Software Conference Technical Sub-Forum and the 5th Yangtze River Delta Robot Industry Innovation Conference.

To showcase the innovation achievements in Putuo and ignite public interest and innovative vitality, the “Innovation Experiment Field” was held at the Shanghai Children’s Library as part of the festival.

More than 10 leading research institutes, universities and enterprises from Putuo’s Wuning Innovation Community showcased cutting-edge research results and products, focusing on areas such as healthy living, urban safety, and digital transformation.

One of the showcased projects aims to help patients with conditions such as stroke or brain trauma to retain hand functionality. Shanghai AI Care Intelligent Medical Tech Co has designed a “Brain-Hand Interaction” exoskeleton, which uses active motion nerve signals to drive a mechanical hand, assisting patients and improving their daily activities.

The project is expected to become China’s first neurologically assisted medical device for the hand.