November 1^st, 1999 marked the 50^th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. To celebrate the occasion, CAS organized a series of seminars, reports and recreational activities.

In the past half century, CAS has made outstanding contributions to the advancement of new China's economy, science and technology. At the turn of the century and still imbued with the happiness of the 50^th founding anniversary of the People's Republic, CAS staff are celebrating their red-letter day by redoubling their efforts to implement the strategy of rejuvenating China through science and education, the strategy of sustainable development and the Knowledge Innovation Project.

A gala party was given at the Great Hall of the People, which was attended by Premier Zhu Rongji, leading figures of various ministries, CAS and CAE Members, and representatives of CAS staff. In his speech, Premier Zhu expressed congratulations and paid tribute to all the staff of the Academy on behalf of the central government. He said that the Pilot Program of the Knowledge Innovation Project, which was initiated one year ago, has yielded significant results, and noted that scientific discoveries are critical to elevating the country's economy. To celebrate the occasion, exhibits were organized, and forums held which were attended by the Academy's friends, major collaborators, female specialists, returned students, senior cadres and young scientists. Foreign envoys and specialists were invited to a gathering to strengthen the friendship between CAS and foreign scientific institutions. As a major component of the celebration, academic seminars were organized featuring reports on the latest scientific advances by Nobel Prize laureates who have been CAS's collaborators or are its Foreign Members, and CAS and CAE Members. These activities constitute a showcase of CAS as the nation's highest academic institution. The media has been giving wide coverage of the event.

To add to the festive atmosphere and the happiness of the whole staff, an asteroid first discovered by the Purple Mountain Astronomical Observatory has been named as Zhongkeyuan (meaning the Chinese Academy of Sciences) with the approval of the IAU.

Accompanied by CAS President Lu Yongxiang, Chinese President Jiang Zemin inspected the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, one of the experimental units within the framework of the Pilot Program of the Knowledge Innovation Project. President Jiang held genial conversations with scientists and engineers to learn in detail about the progress of their research activities, and emphasized the importance of enhancing research on application & development for the State's economic and social advancement. As economic construction relies on science and technology, so scientific research should be oriented towards the primary arena of economic construction, and research on application and development should adapt to the demands of the market and society.

Jiang said basic research is vital in that it is the source of all scientific progress and innovation. When conducting basic research, however, scientists should stick to the principle of placing stress on key issues instead of on everything. They must be encouraged to make audacious efforts in scaling new heights of science. When basic research is conducted with satisfactory results, our scientists will have laid a solid foundation for sustainable scientific creativity in China.

President Jiang spoke highly of the achievements already scored by CAS and the Dalian Institute in implementing the Knowledge Innovation Project. He was delighted to learn that the average age of the 15 leaders of the institute and its laboratories is only 41 and that the average age of the institute's 43 group leaders is 38. He said that the key to the success of knowledge innovation is to strengthen the training of scientists and engineers, especially young scientific talents, because they embody our expectations to carry on the country's future scientific endeavor. While greatly reinforcing our knowledge, and scientific and technological innovation capacity, we must make great efforts to widely disseminate scientific knowledge and go all out to raise the level of education in both science and culture of the whole nation.

The Dalian Institute was established in 1949. Now it has become a comprehensive research center of excellence specializing in chemistry and chemical industry, with considerable capability in both basic and applied research and in undertaking State-level major research projects. So far, 10 scientists from the Institute have been elected as CAS Members.

China needs innovative capacity of its own

"China needs to foster its own innovative capacity while taking an active part in international scientific exchange and cooperation", CAS President Lu Yongxiang, head of the Chinese delegation to the World Conference on Science (WCS), made the remark in Hungary while speaking of China's strategy for developing science and technology. Lu Yongxiang said it was strongly felt at the WCS that science has been expanding the knowledge of man's subjective world and the development of mankind itself. With the development of modern science and technology, more and more emphasis has been placed on the interaction and combination of science, engineering and technology and on the rational utilization of new scientific knowledge. Conference attendees concurred that people should learn from the past experience of scientific development in the industrial era and avoid abuse of scientific knowledge. Lu Yongxiang pointed out that scientific development follows its own objective law. As China has its own actual conditions, cultural tradition and resource characteristics, science development in China should take an approach with Chinese characteristics and keep abreast with global trends. This is a historical responsibility of all Chinese scientists. The industrialization of the United Kingdom was featured by the steam engine and textile industry, while Germany was characterized by the gas engine, and the USA by electrification. Lu stressed that although China is still on its way to industrialization, the world in general has entered the era of knowledge-based economy. In the late 1980s, the global industrialization process entered its most recent stage -- the information era. China's industrialization process has since incorporated some features of the information era. Chinese scientists should not repeat the old approaches taken by developed countries, but should create their own unique approach taking into account China's own resource characteristics and future development for the generations to come.

Lu Yongxiang said: “The future world will be one where knowledge-based economy plays the leading role. A nation without its own innovative capacity or unique strategic technology would find it difficult to maintain its position in the global economic system." China has the world's largest human resources with a population of 1.2 billion. It is of vital importance for the nation to raise the level of science and education among its people and to turn its population pressure into a powerful human resource. Lu Yongxiang said that a series of measures have been taken by the Chinese government in this respect, such as measures to enhance input in science and education, to develop quality education, to deepen reform in scientific institutions and to encourage innovative activities. “These measures will transform the tremendous human resources in China into incomparable creative power.”

As one of the first pilot units of the Knowledge Innovation Project, the Changchun Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics has been striving for reform and innovation with initial results. Meanwhile, it is also faced with great challenges of survival and development. The Changchun Institute of Physics has great academic advantages in theoretical research, especially in luminescent materials, liquid crystal displays and related fields. The liquid crystal project being carried out in the Institute is a good example of successful cooperation between CAS institutes and local governments, and has yielded fruitful social and economic benefits. Taking into consideration the current conditions and the needs of research, CAS management has decided on the amalgamation of the two institutes, which has gained the understanding and approval of most staff members.

CAS Vice-President Chen Yiyu recently pointed out that the merger and streamlining is conducive to deepening and strengthening research and stimulating more growth points, to the perfection of the goals of innovation activities, and to the optimal composition of resources. The amalgamation has met the requirements of CAS as well as the overall national innovation system. It has also set up an example for the reform of other CAS institutes.

CAS has announced that the Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and the Shanghai Institute of Entomology have been amalgamated. This constitutes a key step in the structural adjustment to launch the Shanghai Academy of Life Sciences. Within the framework of the Knowledge Innovation Project of CAS, the eight biological institutes and two research centers located in Shanghai have embarked on the substantive stage of structural readjustment. Immediate reform measures taken in the two above-mentioned institutes include, based on their research orientations, the determination of disciplinary areas for development, development goals, as well as establishment of the new research system, the new management system and operating mechanisms.

Specialists concerned point out that the merging of the two institutes is beneficial to the relative focus of research resources on molecular physiology, genetics and ecological studies. It will also promote the combination and infiltration among disciplines, increase the comprehensive effectiveness of the institutes, and enhance the innovative ability in fundamental theories in the fields involved.

Founded in 1944, the Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology has mainly carried out national or local key projects in the fields of plant physiology, molecular genetics and microbiology. The Shanghai Institute of Entomology was established in 1959, focusing on fundamental and applied fundamental research in entomology concerning natural resources, the environment, ecology and agriculture. The two institutes boast six CAS Members and 102 high-ranking researchers.

After a series of reforms in its operational mechanism, management and distribution system over half a year, the Beijing Academy of Mathematics and System Science has recently made public a plan to enrol visiting professors and scholars, as part of the academic innovation activities.

Director Yang Le announced that the Beijing Academy will enlist 45 one-year term visiting professors and scholars and 120 three-month term visiting professors and scholars from domestic and foreign institutions. Most of the scholars invited will be from within China and will be under 45 years old who can conduct active research and have innovative potential. The invited visiting professors and scholars will participate in the Academy's academic activities and seminars, and enjoy generous allowances.

Yang said that constant visits and exchanges between scientists are needed in mathematics. CAS has provided good resources and excellent conditions for the Beijing Academy, hoping satisfactory progress will be made in mathematics in China by sharing of talents and resources.

It is said that the visiting professors and scholars will assume their posts at the beginning of the new academic term.

Face-lifting of herbaria and museums of animals

Most of the more than 20 fauna and flora museums affiliated to CAS institutes now are in difficulty economically, their premises and surroundings are in poor condition, and sometimes they cannot even afford sufficient reagents to protect the samples. Some samples, which are rare and precious resources of the country, are getting lost. During his inspection of the Institute of Microbiology, CAS President Lu Yongxiang disclosed that the Central Government would allocate a special fund to facelift the museums. He said that the fund is intended not only to improve the preservation conditions of these museums, but also to make better use of the precious resources. He hoped that the Institute of Microbiology make constructive suggestions on the preservation of the samples as well as how to enlarge the collection. He pointed out that the fund should be used in a planned and scientific way.

There are over 14,000 vivo bacterial strains in the Institute of Microbiology, which is the biggest collection in Asia. The development and application of these vivo bacterial strains will be a big industry and bring in huge economic profits. Thus, the sample museums not only are the basis for fundamental research, but also should provide industrial service. The Microbiological Sample Museum should take advantage of this opportunity to better serve education, research and development of the economy.

Professor Lu hoped that after classification, amalgamation and reform, the museums in different fields in CAS would be transformed into open and internetted bases for research and development.

Young scientist prize conferred on 40 young scholars

CAS Young Scientist Prize for the year of 1999 has been conferred on 40 young scholars who are outstanding in fundamental research and high-tech development.

First prize winners for fundamental research are Cao Daoming of the Institute of Applied Mathematics, Sun Changpu of the Institute of Theoretical Physics, Ma Shengming of the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Guo Zhengtang of the Institute of Geology, Sun Hang of the Kunming Institute of Botany, Cheng Huiming of the Institute of Metallurgy, and Chen Jianmin of the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics. The high-tech development first prize winners are Sun Ninghui of the Institute of Computing Technology, Liu Junfei of the Institute of Software, and Fu Chao of the Institute of Corrosion and Protection of Metals. Thirty other scientists have won second prizes for fundamental research and high-tech development.

The 40 young scholars have altogether published 1,498 papers and won 52 prizes issued by the central government, CAS, various provinces and ministries. The average age of the 10 first prize winners is 35, with the youngest being 31 years old. The average age of the 30 second prize winners is 33, with the youngest being 30. Three females are among the winners: Hu Zhihong of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Yu Yuan of the Chengdu Institute of Biology and Cheng Xin of the USTC.

Since the establishment of the Prize, 205 scholars have been awarded.

CAS President Lu Yongxiang attended the prize-conferring meeting and delivered a speech, encouraging young scientists to work hard to make new contributions to the already launched Knowledge Innovation Project. As for the importance of fundamental research and high-tech development, he said humorously, "Who is more important, Bill Gates or Einstein? I think they are both great. Einstein's achievements have been publicly recognized, while Bill Gates also has contributed a lot to the development of the information industry." He spoke highly of the work of industrialization of software done by one of the first-prize winners -- Liu Junfei of the China Science Software Company.

With CAS Member Gu Guobiao in the lead and tens of years of arduous work, the Laboratory of Evaporative Cooling at CAS Institute of Electrical Engineering has scored a breakthrough in the theory of evaporative cooling hydro-generators and the development of industrial generating sets. The technology of evaporative cooling for generators was first conceived by T. Ec. Koing, Holland in 1955. Research was then successively carried out in Canada, USA, the former Soviet Union and Japan, while various experimental facilities were set up, and many papers published and patents secured. But so far no industrial prototypes have been put into use. China is one of the countries that first carried out research on the evaporative cooling technology. Chinese scientists have proved that the evaporative cooling technology is a better interior-cooling technology, which has attracted much attention in the field of generators and electricity production in the world. Specialists concerned are of the opinion that this technology would become the trend of large-scale hydro-generators.

Gu Guobiao said that the non-pump self-circulation evaporative cooling technology first developed in China involves electro-mechanics, thermo-dynamics, and relevant cross-disciplinary subjects. The technology is based on the structural characteristics of hydro-generators, applying a cooling medium with a suitable boiling point (50° C) and high-insulation properties and employing a green cooling liquid – neo-fluorocarbon, which does not damage the ozone layer. The cooling process is successively carried out during the operation of the generator. It is said that evaporative cooling hydro-generators adopting this technology can save materials, improve the efficiency and reliability, and prolong the insulation lifetime of the hydro-generators. The operating time can be extended 2 to 3 times, and the aggregate technical and economic index increased, thus providing powerful technological backing for the production of hydro-generators for large-scale power plants.

New type of affinity membrane separator developed

With the cooperation of the First Hospital attached to the Dalian Medical University, the Zhongshan Hospital attached to Shanghai Medical University and the Military Academy of Medical Sciences, the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics has, after 10 years of creative work, developed three different kinds of affinity membranes and two types of affinity membrane separators, and has assembled a membrane affinity chromatic spectrum system which can carry out continuous purification separation of biological macromolecules. This achievement has been commercialized preliminarily and has been popularized in medicine, pharmacy and biological engineering. The technology has been licensed with 5 patents. One patent has been authorized.

The technology of affinity membranes and the relevant separation is a newly developed purification technology of this decade, which is characterized by its high speed, high selectivity and high specificity. The technology does not denature or inactivate the macromolecules during the process of purification and separation, which is especially fit for the separation and purification of target products from complex compounds in biological engineering and the pharmaceutical industry. The affinity membrane and separator developed by the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics take an active dye, amino acid or protein as the ligand base, and can conduct purification and separation on macromolecules of albuminoid, interferon, alkaline phosphatase and trypsin. The one-time purification multiple may reach several dozens or even a hundred times. The technology has been popularized in over a dozen institutions or firms in Shanghai and Dalian with commendable feedbacks.

Progress in research of quantum computers

The 1999 Seminar on Quantum Calculation and Quantum Communications was held in Wuhan, signifying that new progress has been made in the research of quantum computers in China. It is estimated that micro-electronic technology will reach its limits in 10 to 25 years' time. In 1995, based on the laws of quantum mechanics, American scientists proposed a quantum algorithm that could break the above-mentioned limits. In 1997, CAS Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics initiated research at the frontiers of the field. A quantum is the smallest energy unit in matter. Quantum information is stored in the micro-quantum system. Four schemes have been proposed so far for the quantum computer, which is supposed to control the states of atoms, electrons or photons to realize calculation. The Institute has conducted experiments on the proposed scheme of “nuclear magnetic resonance”, and experiments on schemes of “ion traps” and “atoms in a light cavity” are also underway.

A researcher at the Institute said there is still a long way to go to put these schemes into practice, and that it is very difficult to tell which scheme would be adopted to actually make the quantum computer. But compared with the birth and development of the electronic computer, research on quantum computers is surprisingly quick. The estimate is that the heart of the quantum computer, the processor, will be developed in 5 years and the first quantum computer may materialize within 10 years.

Second Sino-American Symposium on Frontier Sciences

The Second Sino-American Symposium on Frontier Sciences was held in Beijing. More than eighty brilliant young scientists from scientific institutions and colleges of China and the USA participated. Vice-Premier Li Lanqing attended the opening ceremony and made an address saying that the Chinese government has decided to augment its support for science and education.

The Sino-American Symposium on Frontier Sciences is a new measure taken by CAS to bring up scientific elite and to foster international academic exchange. The symposium will promote the development of frontier and cross-disciplinary areas in China, raise the innovation capability of young scientists, and facilitate the process of closing the gap between China and advanced world levels in science. At the same time, it will strengthen cooperation among scientists, especially young scientists, of China and the USA. The symposium is a high-level, inter-disciplinary conference launched jointly by CAS and the US National Academy of Sciences to bring up trans-century scientific talents who have broad views and innovative spirit. It is also a measure to implement the CAS Pilot Program of the Knowledge Innovation Project.

Participants of the symposium are top scientists conducting front-line research in their corresponding fields. The attendees from the USA are select young scientists who have been awarded important national prizes (such as the Presidential Award for Young Investigators). The Chinese attendees are also select young scientists who have made remarkable achievements in their research fields, have been awarded prizes of the National Fund for Outstanding Young Scholars, and/or elected into the “Hundred Talents Program”. Quite a few attendees are either CAS Members or Members of the US National Academy of Sciences.

The Sino-American Symposium on Frontier Sciences is distinguished from other academic meetings in the selection of its themes and arrangement of its program. The symposium is composed of 8 sessions whose themes are carefully selected by the Organizing Committee from a variety of subjects and are designed to reflect the frontiers of science development. Each session is given plenty of time for discussion. As each attendee is from a specific professional background which may be different from others’, in order to make himself (or herself) understood, the speaker must use a popular language to introduce his or her research status, frontier direction and difficulties or challenges he or she has met. All presentations and discussions are made in English, which is an opportunity of practice as well as a challenge for Chinese scholars.

The 2^nd Sino-American Symposium on Frontier Sciences not only reflected the international development frontiers of science, but also incorporated the hot and hard issues China has been confronted with in its economic construction and social development. During the three-day meeting, heated discussions were centered around themes including the evaluation of climatic influences, study on functional genomes, high-temperature superconductivity, biological diversity, study and memory, material assimilation, new polymers and numerical celestial study.

In accordance with the agreement between the two Academies, the Symposium is to be held annually and the venue is to be rotated between the USA and China. The first such symposium was held in California in August 1998. The symposium has received high attention from the CAS management and great support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China since the outset.

CAS-DOE seminar on climate change induced by CO₂

In the face of the global warming problem caused by green house gases, CAS and the US Department of Energy sponsored cooperative studies on green house effects and global climatic change in August, 1987. The studies involved the following four subjects: analysis and comparison of various atmospheric circulation models; preparation, proof and analysis of regional climate data; relative analysis of regional climate and large-scale climate; and measurement of methane. Fruitful achievements have been made. Hundreds of papers have been published, some important achievements cited by IPCC, and a group of outstanding scientists trained. Some 50 scientists took part in the cooperative study, which has provided a desirable opportunity for climatic information sharing.

On the occasion of the 50^th anniversary of the founding of CAS and the 12^th anniversary of Sino-US cooperative studies on climatic changes induced by CO₂, CAS and DOE convened their 10^th seminar in Beijing. Mr. Chen Banqing, Deputy Director-General of CAS Bureau of Natural Resources and Environment Science and Technology, and M. R. Riches from DOE co-chaired the event. Science Counselor of the American Embassy Mr. David Bleyle attended. CAS Vice-President Professor Chen Yiyu met with the Chinese and American scientists who have conducted the studies. He spoke positively of the achievements in the study, and pointed out that in the new round of cooperation the institutes concerned should include studies on green house gases and global climatic change in the Knowledge Innovation Project.

The gathering is of the opinion that the increase of CO₂ and other green house gases in the atmosphere has resulted in global warming and has affected regional climate. The two key problems in the studies of climatic changes induced by CO₂ are to develop the necessary climatic model and to provide necessary materials for model proof.

At the opening ceremony, CAS Member and special advisor Ye Duzheng encouraged the scientists to meet the challenge of the global warming problem and work in cooperation to provide reliable data and necessary knowledge for correct decision-making.

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