My two-week stay at China Agricultural University for an AI and Remote Sensing Summer School was really a wholesome experience with a mix of lectures, field trips, travel, good food, and above all, new friendships from all around the globe.

The most exciting part about the summer school for me was the poster competition and oral presentation competition, where graduate students presented their research. I also had the opportunity to participate in the oral presentation and I was thrilled to have come third out of more than 30 participants. One key takeaway from those presentations is that academic presentations need not be overly technical and that finding the right story to tell through your science can make them engaging and memorable.

I absolutely appreciate all the guest speakers who joined us from different countries and shared state-of-the-art applications of AI and remote sensing in agriculture, spanning research, industry, and community development. But the summer school was not limited to lectures only. We visited several high-tech innovation centers and farms to witness how modern technology continues to transform agriculture. 

Of course, my experience extends beyond academics. I finally made it to the Great Wall of China and explored Beijing’s rich cuisine, iconic sites, culture, and daily life and bonded with new friends who continue to inspire me.

To close my summer school experience, I'll borrow words from my new friend Gonzalo and leave with three messages:

1. Thank you –  to UC Davis, China Agricultural University, my supervisor Dr. Steven Ostoja, my remote sensing professor Dr. Yufang Jin, and to the wonderful new friends that I met for this experience of a lifetime.
2. Reminder – that AI and remote sensing are great technologies that will go on transforming agricultural research and development, and finally
3. Request –  that in using these tools, we always put     people first and use them well.