What can new foreign academicians such as Bill Gates do for China？
China Academy of Engineering and China Academy of Sciences have announced the list of newly-appointed foreign academicians, which has aroused social concern. So, is a foreign academician just a title? What kind of foreign experts can be elected? What role will they play in the development of science and technology in China?
How to be elected as a foreign academician
What kind of foreign experts can be elected as foreign academicians of China Academy of Engineering? According to the Constitution of China Academy of Engineering, foreign experts and scholars who have a high level of engineering science and technology and enjoy a good reputation in the world, and who have contributed to the development of engineering science and technology in China or played an important role in promoting international exchanges in China’s engineering science and technology circles can be nominated and elected as foreign academicians of China Academy of Engineering.
Among the 18 new foreign academicians of the Academy of Engineering, there are a number of international "big coffees" such as Bill Gates, former chairman of Microsoft, An Daolin, president of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Leo Raphael Leif, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Sontsev Constantine Aleksandrovic, executive vice president of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It is reported that this year’s co-option for foreign academicians of China Academy of Engineering, the number of candidates nominated and the number of foreign academicians elected are the largest in all previous co-options for foreign academicians. The 18 foreign academicians elected are all academicians of their host countries, with high international prestige and influence.
According to the requirements of improving and perfecting the academician system, the Presidium of China Academy of Sciences further strengthened the organization and guidance for the election of foreign academicians, and increased the number of official candidates for foreign academicians from 14 in 2015 to 20. After voting by all academicians, 16 foreign academicians of China Academy of Sciences were elected in 2017. Among them, Andre Geim and James Fraser Stoddart are Nobel Prize winners.
In Poland, the Netherlands and Uzbekistan, scientists were elected as foreign academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences for the first time this year. It is understood that under the premise of adhering to the standards of foreign academicians, the Chinese Academy of Sciences has focused on national candidates along the "Belt and Road" this year, and the country distribution of foreign academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has become more reasonable.
It’s a great honor to be elected because of fierce competition.
"The competition is fierce, and there are about 600 competitors," michael hoffman, a newly elected foreign academician of China Academy of Engineering and a famous American professor of environmental science and engineering, said in an interview with reporters at the California Institute of Technology where he works. "I was nominated by Professor Tsinghua University of China, and I feel very honored to be finally elected after screening at different levels."
Andre Geim, a Russian-born Dutch and British physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010 and was elected as a foreign academician of China Academy of Sciences, said in an email interview, "In the past few decades, China Academy of Sciences has developed into a dynamic, relatively young club that gathers truly outstanding scientists … … It is an honor for me to be associated with this institution. " The professor who works for the British National Graphene Research Institute "looks forward to contributing to the further success of this institution".
Leo Raphael Leif, a new foreign academician of China Institute of Engineering and president of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said in a statement to reporters: "I am deeply honored to be elected with 17 other outstanding foreign academicians. I have admired China Institute of Engineering for many years … … I am not only grateful for the recognition of China Academy of Engineering, but also grateful that this opportunity has opened up new ways of cooperation with China Academy of Engineering and colleagues. "
"It is a great honor for Chairman Bill Gates to be elected as a foreign academician of China Academy of Engineering." Lee Mai gentile, CEO of American Tara Energy Company, with Gates as the chairman, said. In a statement sent to reporters, the company said, "Gates’ achievements in the fields of commerce, science and technology have been recognized by the China Academy of Engineering. It’s great to see such diversified contributions of science and technology and commerce to innovation recognized by the China Academy of Engineering!"
Heart is tied to China.
Among the newly recruited foreign academicians, many have already integrated into the tide of China’s scientific and technological development, and are inextricably linked with the academic and industrial circles in China.
In recent years, Gates has visited China for many times as the chairman of Tara Energy Company to cooperate with related enterprises. Tara is a nuclear energy company, mainly devoted to the research and development of the fourth generation nuclear energy technology traveling wave reactor. At present, it has cooperated with China National Nuclear Corporation to jointly develop and promote the landing of traveling wave reactor.
Hoffman spends 60 to 70 days in China every year. Since 2012, he has been an overseas scholar in Tsinghua University. In addition, he has served as a visiting professor at Dalian University of Technology and a member of the Advisory Committee of South China University of Technology.
Hoffman said, "I have many doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers in China, and there are also many China researchers in my team at California Institute of Technology." In addition, with the support of the Gates Foundation, the solar health system he developed landed in Yixing, China, and two manufacturing enterprises were established.
"At MIT, we believe that knowledge-based service society can be promoted through collaboration and academic cooperation." Leif said. According to reports, the school has started a number of projects related to China, such as the establishment of China Future City Laboratory and the signing of "Urban Innovation Agreement" with Tsinghua University.
Make suggestions and expect to contribute.
Hoffman, who was elected as an academician of the American Academy of Engineering in 2011, talked about the different feelings of being elected as an academician of China and the United States. He pointed to the "Academician Certificate of the American Academy of Engineering" placed on his desk and said half-jokingly, "You see, I haven’t found a photo frame for it yet, but it is a great event to be elected as a foreign academician of the China Academy of Engineering. I feel very honored."
When talking about the obligation as an academician, Hoffman said that in addition to promoting scientific and technological progress, discovering talents and nominating new academician candidates are the basic requirements of the American Academy of Engineering.
However, "academician" does not necessarily represent authority. "At the California Institute of Technology, almost one third are academicians, and most scientists will not take the title of academician too seriously. No matter what you do, you always speak with the research results. Even the Nobel Prize winners have been criticized by California Institute of Technology ‘ Cut off ’ Laboratory. " He said.
As a new foreign academician in China, Hoffman’s first suggestion is that more and more China scientists should carry out independent creative work, instead of forming a pyramid-shaped scientific research echelon centered on a few scientists. He said that some scientific research institutions such as Peking University are developing in this direction.
"In the future, I will continue to promote advanced technology research and development, and transfer these technologies to China enterprises through the California Institute of Technology licensing agreement. I will continue to be a visiting professor in Tsinghua University and other schools to provide guidance for China students. " Hoffman said.
Among the newly elected foreign academicians, there are also many Chinese scholars. Kuo-Nan Liou, a professor of atmospheric science at UCLA, has been building bridges between China and the United States in the field of atmospheric and meteorological science since 1980s. He said that China will continue to promote scientific and technological progress, scientific personnel training and scientific and technological knowledge dissemination.
(This newspaper is comprehensive by Xinhua News Agency)