SESS held its opening ceremony and first lesson for the 2026 incoming cohort on September 12, welcoming 27 new undergraduates, 109 graduates from across the country, together with faculty representatives.
In "The First Lesson", Liu Congqiang, dean of SESS and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, noted: "Humans and Earth have entered a new geological epoch—the Anthropocene. How will the Earth system change in the coming decades? How will these changes affect humanity? How should we respond to future changes? What kind of 'planetary engineers' should we cultivate?”
As their new journey began, students were urged to stay curious and humble—reading both Earth's grand changes and its smallest stories.
