By Percy Chen, Art-Science Junior Project Manager (Aug 2019 - May 2020)
In August 2019, I started my work as the Art-Science Junior Project Manager at swissnex China. Today I am close to finishing my internship. I want to share one of my best working experiences step by step to serve as a testimonial for swissnex China and all newcomers who are interested.
The highlight would be the 2020 New Year Café des Sciences: IoT & Organic Waste. One month before the event, the art-science team was notified that the January Café des Sciences will be combined into a New Year Event and it will take place in the office. This gave us a different direction in terms of event planning. Cissy, Head of Art-Science, and I brainstormed three key elements to achieve: ambitious setting, past & future, and gratitude.
From left to right: Stéphane Vernède, CEO of Enwise (Keynote Speaker); Percy Chen, Art-Science Junior Project Manager; Cissy Yiwen Sun, Head of Art-Science; Christopher Salvito, Swatch Art Peace Hotel Residency artist (live performer); Felix Moesner, Science Consul & CEO at swissnex China.
Needless to say, for a New Year Event where we invite core community members, partners, and stakeholders, an ambitious setting is necessary. Since the venue is already set in stone, we focused on other facets to convey the element for as much as possible. We invited Malin Borg, Head of Unit at swissnex Network, as a VIP guest, elevating the event with global vision. Additionally, we hosted Nicoletta Favari & Christopher Salvito, Swatch Art Peace Hotel Residency artists, for a live performance on experimental music. A bold move for sure but one that fits swissnex China’s unorthodox and innovative culture.
Malin Borg, Head of Unit swissnex Network
Christopher Salvito, Swatch Art Peace Hotel Residency artist (live performer)
Moving on to past & future, we wanted to plan something that could showcase the growth of Café des Sciences and swissnex China throughout 2019. We invited all 19 past Café des Sciences speakers for short updates on their projects. As a result, 5 speakers were available to come in real life and 2 speakers sent us a video recap, covering the milestones of this event series. Moreover, collecting data and information on key achievements of swissnex China in 2019, we complied clear and concise slides to share how much the organization has grown. On the other hand, aligning the event topic with swissnex China’s focus on innovation and sustainability for 2020, we invited Stéphane Vernède, CEO of Enwise, an environmental organization working with organic waste digester, as the keynote speaker.
Ying Liu, Assistant Professor Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Alumna HEC Lausanne (Café des Sciences #1: Shadow Banking in China Speaker)
Hao Hua, Associate Professor Architecture at Southeast University, Doctor of Science ETH Zurich (Café des Sciences #7: From Architectural Anthropology to Digital Fabrication Speaker)
Stéphane Vernède, CEO of Enwise (Keynote Speaker)
Finally and most important of all, we are grateful. The Café des Sciences event series started out as an experimental format and has now grown into an open platform for knowledge exchange as well as communication. We wanted to take this precious opportunity to give back to the community, for it has not only established great standards, but also shaped the trajectory of the Café des Sciences series for the better. Thus, tracking back to past attendance data, I compiled a sustainable master Excel sheet to indicate the most passionate audiences and prepared community gifts for those well deserved.
The beloved Jina Zhu attended six Café des Sciences events, getting the third place award.
Zhengyu Peng, attended nine Café des Sciences events, even more than most of my colleagues, getting the first place award.
The event was an astounding success. 80+ attendance showed up, almost packing up the entire office event space. The story was later picked up by Global Times Metro Shanghai section, spreading the mission of swissnex China through news channels.
In closing, I am grateful that swissnex China have the privilege of helping to foster an atmosphere of learning, teambuilding, and camaraderie. Specifically, I want to thank Cissy Sun for guiding me through different events, professional encounters, and life in general. I want to thank Tobias for the interesting discussions we had on chess, UFC, video games, and philosophy. Last but not least, I want to thank the chill Niccolò, the charming Anna, the playful Marvin, the reliable Florian, the entrepreneurial Duy, the cool Nicole, and the petite Nan for the close knitted friendships we have nurtured together. Alongside my professional growth, these will be the experience I take away and value the most.
A trip to Zhangjiajie with my dear friends