Chinese Scientists Successfully Acquire 270-meter Heavy Crystal Ice

After more than 70 days of investigation on Mustag Ata, the so-called " Father of Glacier", the Glacier-research Team in Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute has successfully obtained 270-meter heavy crystal ice in the area with an elevation of 6300 meters and has drilled through the ice.

Firn core is the best medium for studying the storage process and mechanism of environmental information in snow and ice. The summit of Mustag is the best area for mountainous-ice study in the world. The extraction of Mustag firn core will reveal the changing process of west-wind-zone precipitation. And the long term changing trend, commonalities, differences and possible mechanism of west-wind-zone precipitation and Indian-monsoon precipitation over years can be illustrated. Meanwhile, since the drilling point is above an elevation of 7500 meters and is in the top and middle parts of atmospheric troposphere, it can hardly be influenced by climatic environment in some areas and can reflect the large-scale climatic environmental features; on the other hand, since the drilling point is close to atmospheric stratosphere, it can reflect considerably the features of climatic environmental changes in stratosphere, so it can inform the possible influence of some extreme incidents on climate, and help us make better contributions to the study of global climate change. -7 ----- -----

Sino-German Cooperated: Shanghai Institute for Advanced Studies Established

CAS Shanghai Institute for Advanced Studies was set up and held the Second International Round-table Conference from September 10th to 11th, 2002 in Shanghai. The topic of this conference was " Hi-tech in Ancient China Origins, Achievements and Lessons". The organizer invited more than 20 experts in the fields of scientific history, human science and cranial-nerve science both from home and abroad. The subjects of hi-tech in ancient China, the history of academic exchanges between China and foreign countries, as well as the social and moral issues concerning human science were vividly discussed. The major task of the center is to take human science at its core and to conduct cross-disciplinary perspective and strategic study. The center is aimed at studying new and advanced thoughts and concepts conducive to develop human science.

The report on science history made mainly by scholars from CAS Institute for History of Natural Science aroused wide attention and active discussion. The focal points of their discussions are how to learn from the history of science under the present conditions in order to grasp the opportunities to promote science and technology development and innovation.
The Institute is attached to CAS_Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences and it has been supported by Max Planck Society (MPS) and Volkswagon (VW) Foundation in Germany. Such high-level round-table conference will be held every year by the Institute. -8

Sino-American Academic Exchanges on Research of Middle and Upper Atmosphere Made in WIPM, CAS

Dr. Xinzhao CHU and Dr. Zhuangren LIU from University of Illinois at Urbana & Champaign (UIUC) paid an academic visit to Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics (WIPM), CAS from October 20 to 22, 2002, and gave lectures on the lidar, airglow imager and corresponding researches of the middle and upper atmosphere.
Dr. Chu and Dr. Liu are from the research group led by Prof. Gardner, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UIUC. This is one of the most active research groups with highest academic level on the study of middle and upper atmosphere and of Lidar technology. WIPM has exchanged academic information with this group for several years.
There are almost no researches on airglow imager and its applications in China. Dr Liu delivered a lecture on gravity wave observations with an airglow imager. He explained how gravity waves affect the airglow and the principles of 2D gravity wave imaging by use of the airglow, and showed plentiful observations of gravity wave imaging conducted by University of Illinois at Urbana & Champaign.
During their visit, both sides have not only discussed some advanced lidar techniques and researches regarding the middle and upper atmosphere, but also some fundamental ideas and projects, for example, proceeding techniques of lidar photo counts.-17

5th Conference of A-IMBN Convoked in Shanghai

The 5th Conference of the Asia-Pacific International Molecular Biology Network (A-IMBN) was held in Shanghai from November 2 to 5, 2002. With the theme of "Frontiers of Molecular Biology-- the Challenge and Opportunity in New Era", the conference is aimed at promoting the development of Molecular Biology in Asia-Pacific area through close communication and cooperation between the researchers and institutes.
Present at the conference were CAS Vice President Zhihong XU, Prof. Ken-ichi Arai, A-IMBN Chairman and Director of the Medical Institute of the Tokyo University and Academician Gang PEI, President of Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences.
The 5 sessions include: Proteins and Proteomics, Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics, Molecular Cell Biology, Molecular Medicine, Biotechnology. The activity provided a good opportunity for participants to exchange opinions, and around 200 scientists coming from China, Japan, Singapore, United States, Hongkong and so on attended the meeting. -19