Given the decades of continued growth inspending on research and development and huge investments in buildings and equipment, it is no wonder that Chinese scientists, officials and the general public are expecting great advances in science and technology. Yet the reality is that an increasing number of young researchers, including graduate students and postdoctorates, are choosing to escape from research — a situation that has become a topic of heated national debate. Many recruitment notices for senior research positions require a candidate to have a good publication record,impact factor and citation metrics. Young scientists strive to have a paper published in Cell, Nature or Science — elite, peer-reviewed journals known collectively in China as CNS. A paper in a CNS journal is an unwritten requirement for a better salary or a promotion — especially in China’s top universities and institutes. A CNS paper could change a young researcher’s academic career — or even his or her life. Focusing evaluation on such inflexible terms leads us, as scientists at the beginning of our careers, to adopt utilitarian ratherthan academic motives. Rather than follow our natural curiosity for research, we choose small, straight forward projects so that wecan obtain results quickly. We need a flow of publications to ensure continued financial support. But every researcher also wants the opportunity to make a CNS splash. HOWTO RETAIN TALENTED SCIENTISTS The irony is that although investment inscience is rising in China across the disciplines, there are few funds or fellowships for newly graduated PhDs. The largest is the Young Research Fund,which represents about 20% of the budget of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). However, each project receives only 240,000 yuan(US$38,000) over three years. The second option is a grant from the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, in which a successful applicant can secure50,000–80,000 yuan for two years’ work. Neither amount is sufficient to purchase the necessary laboratory reagents and consumables to conduct research.For this reason,many young researchers apply for overseas postdoctoral positions,giving some of their best years of research to other countries — and often staying there. As a consequence — and in contrast to most Western countries — research projects in China rely on graduate students ratherthan postdocs. Exacerbating this trend, many Chinese universities and institute shire as faculty only those candidates who have overseas research experience.China is, in effect, outsourcing the training of its young researchers. But the reality is that most scientists who graduate with a PhD from a Chinese university will not receive overseas offers; their choice is to stay at home and find work in a domestic laboratory and be paid a low salary with little hope of promotion, or give up their academic career entirely to seek alternative employment. Thirty years ago, Ray Wu, a molecularbiologist at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, initiated the China–United States Biology and Biochemistry Examinations and Applications (CUSBEA)programme, which allowed for the first time large numbers of young graduates from China to pursue PhDs at leading universities in the United States. Many CUSBEA students have since become leading biologists in the United States as well as in China. Following Wu’s death in 2008, the Ray Wu Memorial Fund established a prize in his honour to inspire and reward PhD students who wish to further their education at universities in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan orSingapore. Unlike China’s typical evaluation system, the Ray Wu Prize — anaward of US $ 3，000 plus the opportunity to apply for up to $5,000 to attendinter national conferences — does not focus on a student’s history of journal publications, overseas experience or examination results. Instead, the prizewinners, of which there could be ten or more each year, are determined by peer review by a selection committee consisting of eminent Chinese biologists who assess each candidate’scapacity for creative ideas, independent thinking and dedication to his or her field of interest. Applicants submit a statement describing why they chose to study science, the academic projects they would like to pursue at university,and their intended future career. They also have a face-to-face interview with the committee. In the years, or even decades, after the prizes have been awarded, the committee remains available for advice as the researchers develop their scientific careers. The Ray Wu Prize is a comprehensive and impartial evaluation process that also offers advice and support. Moreover, it i s starting to be recognized by Chinese universities and institutes as a factorin faculty appointments. In 2014, a scientist who was awarded the Ray Wu Prize was appointed as assistant professor (tenure-track) at Shanghai Tech University, despite not having overseas research experience. For decades, the minds of Chinese studentshave been shaped by passive rote education. But scientific progress requires not recitation of known concepts, but new ideas. The capacity to break the mould and truly innovate — the features that the Ray Wu Prize emphasizes — are crucial for the Chinese scientific community to deliver the results that the government and the people expect from their investment. The potential of new graduates cannot be fully reflected by publication metrics or overseas experience and as a consequence, China is currently losing their contribution.China must invest more in its promising young scientists, and in more effectiveways of measuring their achievements. 附原文链接： http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v520/n7549_supp/full/520S36a.html
《古植物学的故事》诚谢科学志愿者 ----Ben. D. Wang 古植物学是基础中的基础、冷门中的冷门，它是自然历史研究中的“冷美人”。显然，古植物学是十足的“小众文化”。 中国的古植物学研究完全是舶来品，因为具有现代科学意义的古植物学主要是从欧美逐渐传入中国的。 经过近一个半世纪的发展，中国古植物学研究从无到有，逐步兴起，但尚未完全发展起来 ---- 尚未根植于中国社会的历史与文化土壤，也尚未进入世界古植物学研究的大国与强国之列。 中国的古植物学 在学科之林 已被严重边缘化，似乎成了后娘养的“冷美人”：它一直在混沌中挣扎，一直在昏暗中摸索。然而，古植物学不是任人打扮的“冷美人”，因为古植物学有其内在的学科自身发展之规律。我们关注中国古植物学的未来，实际上是在关注世界古植物学的未来。 《古植物学的故事》的编写工作是一项长效公益事业，也是一种天然历史责任。我们要努力推动古植物学研究的“ 小众文化”大众化，努力推动中国古植物学的全面崛起。在工作中，我们不仅得到了海内外众多学术机构及其研究人员（包括一些研究生）、管理人员的大力支持，而且得到了科学志愿者 Ben D. Wang 的热情帮助。科学志愿者非常给力，彰显公益精神的活力与魅力。在此，我们诚挚地感谢科学志愿者 Ben D. Wang 对本项公益事业的无私奉献！ 我们期待更多的科学志愿者热情支持 《古植物学的故事》的编写工作，也大力 支持中国古植物学的发展事业。 孙启高 2012 年 5 月 27 日
今天早晨，收到加拿大王睿教授的三封电子邮件，内含一组照片，讲述了一个雪人的故事。 为了让佳作共欣赏，我将他的信件连同照片一起展示在大家的眼前： Changqing, I took some photos of a snowman in front of my house. Putting them together in chronicleorder makes me laugh and think -" 质本洁来还洁 去" (Each photo has its own title). Life... Rui A total of8 photos. I send them in 3 groups. 1.start 2.arrive 3.enjoy 4.soon 5.near 6.leave 7.end 8.start again 看见Dr. WANG寄来的这组照片，他用照片这种形体语言向我们讲述了一个生动的雪人故事。这个故事告诉我们许多耐人寻味的道理：（1）大自然的规律是不可抗拒的，春夏秋冬，花开花落，我们办任何事情都不能违背自然规律；（2）生活是美好的，生命是宝贵的，我们要热爱生活，珍惜生命；（3）我们要洁身自爱，热爱本职工作，有一热发一分光，绝不虚度年华，为国家为社会为家庭竭尽自己的一点菲薄之力。
Rui WANG 教授是加拿大雷克汉大学科研副校长， H2S 生物医学研究领域的国际领军人物，加拿大 生理学会前任理事长。 Rui WANG 教授和我是相识10多年的老朋友。 昨天我收到他的一封电子邮件： Changqing, I see many photos on your blog. So, I send you some photos I took around my house and hope they can bring your memory back. To avoid jag your email, I send them to you group by group. Cheers Rui 去年我在他的实验室做访问学者，曾和实验室的全体到他建在湖边的新居做客。 他在这里有一大 片绿地、果园和小码头，景色十分优美。从他寄给我的照片中，大家可领略异国他乡的自然风光。 在征得本人同意的情况下，现将照片上传供大家欣赏： (The key point for the first photo is the Bear who is running across our lawn. -Dr.Wang ） (注：上图远方的动物，有的博友认为是狗或狼，有的博友认为是鹿，实际上是熊。为了让大家看清楚，特把放大图片放在下面。） （上述照片由Dr.Wang 提供） 博友 shatan （2011-10-30 05:46）在评论中说：“ 这么漂亮的照片，徐老师咋没配诗呀？” 谢谢博友的支持和鼓励，特赋诗一首： 观王睿教授拍照有感 天蓝水碧浑一片，小鹿凝目朢湖边， 罕见霓虹天边挂，激浪拍岸熊悠闲。 晚霞如鳞布满天，雪封千里狗奔欢， 冰凌码头迎暮色，昂首阔步永向前。 附：百度百科对“霓虹”的解释： “霓虹”还可以指“霓”。“霓”是与“虹”相对应的一种自然现象。 虹俗称“彩虹”是下雨天以及在雨后天晴之际，阳光照射在还残余在空气中的水珠发生折射，散射出七彩的光芒。彩虹形状多为弧形，出现在和太阳相对着的方向，从外（半径大的）弧至内弧的颜色依次为红、橙、黄、绿、蓝、靛、紫。 霓是大气中有时和虹出现的一种光的现象，也叫“ 副虹 ”形成与彩虹原理大致相同，只是光线在水珠中的反射多了一次，彩带排列的顺序和彩虹相反，红在内，紫在外。
标签: wang
