Your topic should address this year's theme, "Think Globally, Engage Locally: Knowledge Economy and the Future of Work."
We invite teams to explore how changes in knowledge, technology, education, and the workplace are shaping communities in both the United States and China. Topics may focus on economic, social, educational, technological, cultural, or policy dimensions, but should connect a broader global challenge with concrete local impacts and opportunities for collaboration.
Questions to Consider
The following questions are intended as examples to help you brainstorm. Teams are not limited to these topics and are encouraged to develop their own ideas within the overarching theme.
- How are AI, automation, and emerging technologies reshaping jobs, skills, and workplaces in the U.S. and China?
- How can universities, employers, and governments better prepare students and workers for the future of work?
- What approaches to reskilling, lifelong learning, and workforce development could the U.S. and China learn from one another?
- How can the benefits of the knowledge economy be shared more broadly across urban, rural, and underserved communities?
- How are remote work, digital collaboration, and global talent mobility changing where and how people work?
- What role do entrepreneurship, innovation ecosystems, and new industries play in creating local economic opportunity?
- How can communities respond to job displacement and economic transition while supporting workers and local industries?
- What kinds of U.S.-China collaboration could connect global innovation with meaningful local impact?
Use your imagination and discuss ideas with your teammates. Strong projects should connect a global trend or challenge with its impact on a specific community, industry, institution, or group of people, and propose a practical way for the U.S. and China to learn from or work with one another.