联合国专家点赞！宁诺学子用AI应对真实世界难题

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AI-driven sustainability solutions from UNNC students recognised by UN experts.

近日，由联合国可持续发展教育（宁波）专业区域中心（RCE宁波）主办的“人工智能与可持续未来”创新挑战赛落下帷幕。经过激烈比拼，宁波诺丁汉大学的“光伏发电与电网优化调度系统”和“獭潮计划”从近百件参赛作品中脱颖而出，包揽二、三等奖，“獭潮计划”斩获最佳人气奖。联合国大学学术项目主管Jonghwi Park博士出任赛事评委，并对宁诺学子运用AI解决真实社会问题的实践能力给予了高度认可。

RCE宁波是联合国大学认证的中国第10家联合国可持续发展教育专业区域中心。依托宁波诺丁汉大学资源及科研优势，RCE 宁波聚焦推动可持续发展领域的产学研协同创新并形成示范效应，进而助力宁波深度融入全球可持续发展进程，加快城市绿色化和国际化转型发展，将本土实践凝炼为具有全球参照价值的“宁波经验”。同时，RCE宁波也为学生提供实践平台，通过多方合作推动联合国可持续发展目标的落地。

01.

真题真做，AI作答可持续发展命题

区别于传统的概念竞赛，本次挑战赛强调真题真做，鼓励学生探索人工智解决可持续发展议题的方案与路径，引导学生将技术知识用于真实社会议题。

以“獭潮计划”为例，该项目团队将目光投向了宁波金塘岛的一个特殊群体——欧亚水獭。通过多次实地调研，他们发现当地面临着三重困境：水獭种群数量未达遗传多样性安全线，近亲繁殖风险日益加剧；科研保护依赖政府拨款，缺乏自我造血能力；文旅运营尚待提高，未形成规模效应。

“针对这些问题，我们以AI为‘针’，以可持续发展为‘线’，将水獭、当地居民、管理者、科研人员、游客等利益相关方有机地串连起来。”宁诺大三学生、项目领队李语这样比喻道。

据他介绍，团队运用AI打造水獭文化IP、开发文教专属APP，以此重塑当地旅游特色，并通过文旅创收鼓励居民主动参与水獭的保护与宣传，再用收入反哺科研投入，最终形成“文旅—科研—保护”高韧性协同发展闭环。

02.

跨界共创，联合国专家点赞宁诺学子

“入围决赛的几个宁诺项目均展现出了鲜明的跨学科特征——团队中既有负责技术攻关的工程师，也有考虑商业化落地的产品经理。”

现场，Jonghwi Park博士特别谈到了“光伏发电与电网优化调度系统”项目，“该项目的选题源自校园日常运营中的实际痛点。他们运用AI算法，实现了对光伏、储能和电网负荷的实时动态调度优化，在成果验证和成果展示等指标评分中表现尤为突出。我期待该项目能进一步形成规模化效应，从校园试点扩展到工业园区乃至整个城市的电力优化体系中。”

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实际上，这种“跨学科、实战化”，正是宁诺持续创新课程设计、精进人才培养模式的成果体现之一。

以诺丁汉大学商学院（中国）为例，近年来，一方面，学院通过创新教学设计、举办论坛竞赛等方式，将AI和可持续发展深度融入教学体系。例如，RCE宁波联合smart汽车举办跨学科的智能车辆可持续改装竞赛，鼓励学生运用AI与设计思维对车辆进行智能化、低碳化改装，在多学科协作中完成从概念到原型的全流程实践。

联合国大学学术项目主管Jonghwi Park博士

另一方面，学院的负责任商业与创新研究中心带领学生走进全球领先的可持续共益企业，深入了解商业向善、负责任商业的实践足迹。从参观发起1%地球税项目的户外品牌Patagonia，到拜访践行全价值链可持续发展的燕麦奶品牌Oatly，学生们通过真实案例学习企业如何将商业价值与可持续发展深度融合。

戴菁教授进行点评

“通过这次竞赛，我们将不同高校的同学们汇聚起来，动员本区域的青年力量，共同迈向可持续的未来。这些青年项目将前沿人工智能转化为切实可行的解决方案——这正是我们的区域、我们的地球此刻最需要的创新。”宁波诺丁汉大学可持续运营与技术管理首席教授、RCE宁波主任、诺丁汉大学商学院（中国）负责任商业与创新研究中心主任戴菁说。

AI-driven sustainability solutions from UNNC students recognised by UN experts

The “AI for Sustainable Future” Competition, hosted by the United Nations Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development in Ningbo (RCE Ningbo), has concluded. Two projects from the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC)—“Photovoltaic Power Generation and Grid Optimisation Dispatch System” and “Otter Tide Initiative”—emerged from nearly 100 entries to win second and third prizes respectively, with the latter also receiving the Popular Choice Award. Dr Jonghwi Park, Academic Programme Officer and the Head of Innovation and Education at the United Nations University, served as a judge and commended UNNC students for their strong capability in applying AI to real-world challenges.

RCE Ningbo, the tenth United Nations University-accredited centre of its kind in China, leverages UNNC’s academic and research strengths to advance collaborative innovation across industry, academia and research in sustainable development. The centre aims to deliver demonstrable impact, support Ningbo’s deeper engagement with global sustainability initiatives, and accelerate the city’s green and international transition—while distilling locally grounded practices into globally relevant “Ningbo experience”. It also provides students with hands-on opportunities to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through multi-stakeholder collaboration.

A defining feature of the competition was its emphasis on real-world problem-solving. The “Otter Tide Initiative” addressed ecological and economic challenges surrounding the Eurasian otter population on Ningbo’s Jintang Island. Through field research, the team identified key issues including limited genetic diversity, reliance on government funding for conservation, and an underdeveloped cultural tourism sector.

By integrating AI-driven cultural branding with an educational app, the project proposes a sustainable model that links conservation, community engagement and tourism. Revenue generated through cultural tourism is designed to support scientific research and incentivise local participation, forming a resilient cycle of “tourism–research–conservation”.

The competition also highlighted UNNC students’ interdisciplinary strengths. Dr Park noted that finalist teams combined technical expertise with commercial awareness,and highlighted the photovoltaic optimisation project for its potential to scale from campus-based applications to wider urban energy systems. This reflects the university’s continued focus on embedding AI and sustainability within its curriculum and experiential learning.

“Through this competition, we have brought together students from different universities, mobilising regional youth to work collectively towards a sustainable future. These student-led projects translate cutting-edge artificial intelligence into practical solutions—precisely the kind of innovation our region and our planet urgently need,” said Professor Dai Jing, Chair Professor of Sustainable Operations and Technology Management at UNNC and Director of Centre for Responsible Business and Innovation (CRBI) and RCE Ningbo.

图文来源：Patrick Cai，Tony Bao

电子编辑：Suri An

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