Recently, President Liu Bo met with an international expert delegation on mine land reclamation and ecological restoration in the No.1 Administrative Building. The delegation included Eugene Paul Chugh, a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and Emeritus Professor at Southern Illinois University; Brenda Schladweiler, President of the American Society for Mining and Reclamation; Gwendolyn Gedder, Professor at the University of South Carolina and former President of the American Society for Mining and Reclamation; Anna Whitecus, Chief Expert at Laramie Environmental Consulting in Wyoming, USA; Professor Jennifer Franklin from the University of Tennessee; and Christos Sadilas, an agricultural soil expert from the Hellenic Agricultural Academy.

Liu Bo first extended a warm welcome to the delegation and expressed gratitude for the experts' support for the development of our university. He stated that mine land reclamation and ecological restoration are distinctive and advantageous disciplines at our university, embodying our long-standing commitment to the principle that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" and our efforts to serve the high-quality development of the energy industry. Our university's land reclamation and ecological restoration team has collaborated extensively with Professor Chugh's team and other delegation members in areas such as ecological monitoring and land reclamation in mining areas, ecological management of coal waste piles, mine closure, and the transformation and development of resource-based cities. These collaborations have yielded significant practical applications and results. Additionally, we have jointly organized international conferences and offered summer international courses on innovative training for university students, mining subsidence control, and land reclamation, enhancing the effectiveness of international talent cultivation. He hopes that both sides will continue to collaborate closely in the future, working together to build a community of life for man and nature and inject new impetus into green mine development for a clean and beautiful world.

Professor Chugh thanked President Liu Bo for the warm reception of the delegation. He reviewed the 40-year cooperation between himself and Southern Illinois University with our university, which has witnessed remarkable progress in talent cultivation and scientific research, fully demonstrating the friendship and mutual trust between the two parties. Professor Chugh has participated in our university's "Overseas Famous Teachers" project under the Ministry of Education, repeatedly offering international courses to undergraduate and graduate students and jointly cultivating graduate students. He said that there is great potential for cooperation between the two parties in the fields of reclamation science research, professional education, and industrial applications. Experts including Brenda Schladweiler, Gwendolyn Gedder, Anna Whitecus, Jennifer Franklin, and Christos Sadilas shared their insights on key areas and directions for future collaboration.

Relevant officials and faculty members from the International Office and the College of Geoscience and surveying Engineering attended the meeting.