Relying On the “2023 Tongji Summer School”, Prof. Gil Mor from Wayne State University in the United States was invited to give lectures on "The Biology of Human Reproduction" by the Institute of Reproductive Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST). This highly anticipated course got a resounding success, with enthusiastic participation from all faculties and students. The course attracted more than 50 teachers and students from inside and outside the school to participate offline, including more than 20 international students from Iran, Tanzania, India and other countries. In addition, more than 30 students synchronized online learning.

At 9 a.m. on July 31, the international course "The Biology of Human Reproduction" officially started in Middle Classroom 6 of the PBL teaching building in Tongji Medical College. At the opening ceremony, the teachers and students watched the video review of Prof. Gil Mor's teaching history of several international courses in the HUST in the past 8 years. Then Prof. Aihua Aihua, Dean of the the Institute of Reproductive Health, Tongji Medical College, HUST addressed a warm welcome to Prof. Gil Mor's arrival, and introduced academic background of Prof. Gil Mor and his profound friendship established with HUST over the 8 years. Prof. Gil Mor said that he was very happy to meet so many students face to face, and hoped that everyone could enjoy this course.

In this summer course, Prof. Gil Mor explained the biological meaning of "reproduction", "sex", and "reproductive life cycle" in an in-depth manner using heuristic teaching. He skillfully integrated the process of medical development into the classroom, pointing out that the brain is the supreme commander of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, and the core of the endocrine network. He then introduced the characteristics of different reproductive organs of men and women to the students in detail, and emphasized the diverse meanings of gender in both biological and social contexts. During the free discussion session, he illustrated the process of sperm-egg binding and embryonic development. Thereafter, Prof. Gil Mor pointed out the unique challenges of the fetus as a hemizygote to the mother's immune system. During pregnancy, complex brain regulation and immunological regulatory mechanisms work together to ensure that the fetus is appropriately protected and developed within the mother's body. However, an imbalance between the immune tolerance and the immune rejection can result in the immune system attacking either the fetus or the mother, with adverse consequences of the pregnancy. Moreover, Prof. Gil Mor told us the inflammation plays a key role in embryo implantation-the inflammatory and anti-inflammatory phases work together to promote successful embryo implantation and development.

During the lecture, Prof. Gil Mor knew that there were international students from Tanzania in the audience, so he mentioned his experience of climbing Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in February this year. Prof. Gil Mor displayed photos of his trip to Tanzania, and told the students the story of his five-day trek up Kilimanjaro, which is about 6,000 meters above sea level. And then, he explained to students that scientific research is similar to climbing a mountain. Climbing a mountain requires the climber to work hard during the day and rest in the valley at night, and scientific research also requires us to have a balance between work and rest. Oxygen deprivation can be a huge hindrance during the climb, but the joy of reaching the summit and witnessing the sunrise is just as unparalleled as that of a scientific achievement. Prof. Gil Mor encouraged everyone to constantly challenge themselves in life, "If you can drive, challenge yourself riding; If you can ride, challenge yourself walking; If you can walk, challenge yourself running".

        At the end of the course, students and faculty members watched the vlog about the course made by the teaching assistant team and enjoyed the delicious cake provided by them. After that, students expressed their deep appreciation to Prof. Gil Mor and sent postcards written by themselves, since Gil Mor is the teacher who not only imparts academic knowledge to students, but also leads by example in terms of attitude and behavior. His course gave students a deeper understanding of human reproductive biology and enlightened their knowledge and exploration of scientific research. At last, students were overwhelmed with emotion. They expressed sincere gratitude to the Prof. Gil Mor and invited him to continue to give us more wonderful lectures in the future.

The Summer School Course on "the Biology of Human Reproduction" was funded by the "Double First-Class" International Cooperation Program of HUST. (Correspondent: Zhengxin Ye, Zhijing Li, and Jin Wang)