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Introduction to Experiment and Teaching Center for Gem and Materials Technology of China University of Geosciences (Wuhan)

Jewelry industry is an industry of innovation and creation which not only defines the cultural , social value and economic values of gemstones, but also determines the fate of the industry, therefore, it's the core factor in transformation and upgrading of the Gem industry. Innovation and creation originates from creative thinking, inspiration, new innovative design and processing technology of gem , so world-class lab and teaching environment are indispensible for the training of students’innovation and realization of their designs. To establish an experiment and teaching center for gem and material technology with rich resources, appropriate conditions, complete system, comprehensive contents, orderly organization and efficient operation is both 1) the internal command for carrying on the school tradition of emphasizing teaching practice and specialization in launching school programs and 2) the correct choice for outstanding scholars and talents in gem industry with solid education background, high practice competence and strong innovation awareness.

Experiment and Teaching Center for Gem and Materials Technology (hereafter the center) was established in March, 2010, integrating the Gem School, Jewelry School, labs and off-campus practice bases. The center offers a variety of courses and training services including jade and gemstone synthesis and improvement, jewelry design and production, modern jewelry manufacturing technology, management and marketing of jewelry trade, jewelry inspection and social service, inheritance and innovation of gem culture; in addition, the center undertakes tasks like scientific research and artistic creation of gem field, research and development and products development, as well as scientific service. The Center offers courses for two undergraduate programs including Gem and Materials Technology and Product Design (specializing in Jewelry Design)and for students from all selective courses from other faculties in this university and double-degree students from 7 provincial universities with students totaling 1000 and classes over 30. Besides, the Center also takes the charge of experiments, internship and dissertation of over 150 master and Ph.D candidates majoring in Gemology, Material Science (Gemstone material), Artistic Design and Designing. What’s more, the Center is responsible for the teaching and training of professionals for certification of GIC, FGA, DGA, HRD and AIGS covering basic courses of Gem and technology, core courses of Gem, core selective courses, public selective courses, extracurricular activities, course design, internship, graduation practice, innovation and entrepreneur practice, extracurricular scientific activities and training. Therefore, the Center is a crucial system for Gem professionals with solid educational background, competitive skills, outstanding practice experience and innovative thinking abilities.

The whole teaching and practice system of Gem and Materials Technology of Gemmological Institute consists of four parts: the Experiment and Teaching Center for Gem and Materials Technology, Practice Skill Training Base, Research and Innovation Center and Overseas Teaching and Practice Center, and the specific organization is showed in the following chart. Among the four parts, the Experiment and Teaching Center for Gem and Materials Technology is the foundation for GIC because it undertakes the heaviest teaching tasks with multiple levels of students and is most crucial to students' professional skills.

The Experiment and Teaching Center for Gem and Materials Technology has professors, scholars, management personnel and technicians with rich teaching experiences, dedication to their jobs, expertise in research, artistic design and lab management. And the structure of the whole team of faculties is reasonable for concerning degrees, job titles, discipline/profession,differentiation of graduation school,and age, specifically. At present, there are 49 instructors and lab technicians, among whom, 3 are distinguished professors from “One Hundred Talents Plan of Hubei Province”, 5 Ph.D supervisors, 14 professors and 9 vice professors. There are 21 instructors with Ph.D diploma (accounting for 60 percent of all instructors) .

The Experiment and Teaching Center for Gem and Materials Technology is mainly supported by a special fund issued for central higher education to improve of school conditions. Currently, there are 4,400 sets of equipments, with a total value of over 18 million RMB. The whole lab covers an area of 2,000㎡ which can not only satisfy the needs of course teaching for Gem diploma and innovation activities but also provide equipment for research, artistic creation, technology development and product development. In addition, the decoration of new experiment and teaching building, with an area of more than 15,000㎡, is in process and will be put into operation in 2018 when the whole area and environment of the Center will be largely improved.