This is the fourth time Wu has taken her students abroad for international conferences.

The conference offers researchers a platform to connect with other scholars through lectures and thought-provoking workshops.

"The conference allowed me to engage in discussion with scholars from around the world.

"And it also enabled me to see some emerging and cutting-edge research," says Lu.

Meanwhile, the two students made friends with students from other Chinese universities including Nanjing University and Tsinghua University.

"One of the positive aspects of attending such a conference is social networking. Students can build up networks and see what they can do together in the future.," says Wu Qunfang, a second-year PhD student from Syracuse University in the United States.

Wu and her professor Huang Yun won the Lee Dirks Award for Best Paper for their paper, which is the highest honor at this year's iConference.

Wu says that she is encouraging more Chinese students to attend international conferences.