More than 70 students from Shanghai Jiao Tong University's School of Oceanography held their graduation ceremony on the polar research vessel "Xuelong 2" which was moored at the Polar Research Institute of China in Shanghai on June 17.

At the same time, 37 students from the class of 2020 embarked on a week-long maritime practice course. During their voyage in the East China Sea, they will participate in emergency drills and engage in various tasks such as CTD operations and plankton net trawling.

The "Xuelong 2" is China's first self-built polar research icebreaker, capable of navigating through 1.5-meter-thick ice. It fills a significant gap in China's polar scientific expeditions.

The school admitted its first undergraduate students in September 2019, and its collaboration with the institute has enabled the development of a practical course covering multiple oceanographic disciplines.

Chen Leyang contributed to this story.