Source: People's Daily
Teachers and students of Zhejiang University carry out scientific research in the ultra-clean laboratory.
Photo by Lu Shaoqing
A corner of Zhejiang University's Zijingang Campus.
Photographed by Wang Lei
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that improving the ability of independent innovation and breaking through key core technologies as soon as possible is a key issue in building a new development pattern. Mainland colleges and universities should bravely shoulder heavy burdens, release the potential of basic research and scientific and technological innovation of colleges and universities, focus on national strategic needs, aim at key core technologies, especially the "card neck" problem, and accelerate technical research.
In this issue of education, we take Zhejiang University as an example to present the practice and exploration of scientific and technological innovation in colleges and universities in recent years, and look forward to more colleges and universities to be brave in innovation, strive for first-class, make greater progress in talent training and scientific and technological innovation, and make greater contributions to the country's modernization construction.
- Editor
Professor Li Tiefeng of the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics led the team to develop self-powered soft machine fish, successfully "punched" the Mariana Trench, and realized deep diving drive at the 10,000-meter seabed; Feng Jiandong, a researcher in the Department of Chemistry, led the team to develop a new chemical microscope to observe, manipulate and measure microscopic single-molecule chemical reactions... Nowadays, in Zhejiang University, a group of young scientific and technological talents have emerged in the fields of basic research and original innovation, and have increasingly become a new force for scientific and technological innovation.
The data shows that in recent years, mainland universities have undertaken more than 60% of the country's basic research and major scientific research tasks, won more than 60% of the three major awards of national science and technology, and contributed important university strength to the realization of the "two hundred years" goal.
The performance of Zhejiang University in scientific and technological innovation reflects the high-spirited appearance of mainland universities aiming at the forefront of science and technology in the world, focusing on national strategic needs, and fighting in the front line of research and development of key core technologies.
Loosen the burden on talents
"The school has full trust in the exploration of the frontiers of science and technology, giving us enough time and space"
In 2013, Feng Jiandong graduated from Zhejiang University with a bachelor's degree, then went to Europe to directly pursue a doctorate, and returned to his alma mater after completing postdoctoral work in 2018. Talking about the feeling of deepening scientific research at his alma mater, Feng Jiandong said: "The school provides us with the soil to carry out independent research, and young scholars can build laboratories according to their own academic plans, which is very attractive to me. ”
The study of the new chemical microscope stems from Feng Jiandong's doubts about chemistry during his middle school years. "Why can't chemists observe chemical reactions directly through a single molecule, as equations do?" The question had been buried in his mind. After years of interdisciplinary research in different disciplines, he returned to Zhejiang University to pursue his original ideas.
When he met a tutor who was only 3 years older than himself, Dong Jinrun, a doctoral student in the Department of Chemistry, admitted that this made him more relaxed in scientific exploration, and the communication with the tutor was also smooth, "Teacher Feng Jiandong taught us to establish a 'scientific research aesthetic' and helped us find our own interests and directions." ”
The water accumulates and the fish gather, and the wood is thick and the birds are gathered. In recent years, through the implementation of the "Hundred Talents Plan" for outstanding young talents, Zhejiang University has optimized the implementation of the pre-employment long-term employment system, continued to build an excellent ecology for the growth of young talents, maintained more than half of the full-time teachers under the age of 45, and focused on cultivating young teachers to become the protagonists of service scientific and technological innovation.
The emergence of scientific research achievements not only stems from the persistence of teachers and students to "sit on the bench for ten years", but also requires the courage of colleges and universities to "loosen the shackles and reduce the burden" for talents.
Sheng Feng, who graduated with a doctorate last year, joined the research group of Zheng Yi, a researcher at the School of Physics, in the summer vacation of his junior year to carry out research on the physical properties of two-dimensional materials. Around one direction, the research group has been working for 5 years. "There have also been times when we are confused, and teachers will always stand with us and look for breakthroughs in research." Sheng Feng said, "What I want to do is 'dig a well deeply', do every experiment, and measure every data." ”
Through the study of electronics, Sheng Feng and his mentor Zheng Yi achieved high-speed and precise control of spin in the two-dimensional electronic state of black arsenic for the first time, and discovered new physical phenomena, which will provide a solid foundation for the development of high-efficiency, low-energy spintronic devices in the future, and the research results are also published in the internationally renowned academic journal "Nature".
"The school has full trust in the exploration of the frontier of science and technology, giving us enough time and space. It also inspires us to climb to the heights of science and produce original basic research. Zheng Yi said.
The reporter learned that in recent years, colleges and universities across the country have accelerated the elimination of the stubborn and chronic disease of only scores, only advancement, only diplomas, only papers, and only hats, constantly improved the talent evaluation, incentive, and flow mechanism, scientifically set up the talent evaluation cycle, and insisted on carrying out classified evaluation, so that the talent energy of colleges and universities has been released.
Strengthen organized scientific research
"What allows us to conduct research without distraction is the high-quality project platform that the school has built for us."
Academician Chen Yunmin, College of Civil Engineering and Engineering, Zhejiang University, led the construction of a major national scientific and technological infrastructure - supergravity centrifugal simulation and experimental device, and the overall civil construction progress will be completed this year. By simulating supergravity, the device constructs experimental environments from transients to 10,000-year-old scales, from atomic to kilometer-level spatial scales.
According to reports, the three centrifuges of the facility host a number of technical indicators in the world leading, the host technology leader is the young researcher Wang Yubing. "To be able to participate in the development of the 'heavy weapon of the country', we feel that the mission is glorious and the responsibility is heavy. What allows us to conduct research without distraction is the high-quality project platform that the school has built for us. Wang Yubing said.
Instead of blindly applying for funds and projects, three or four young researchers like Wang Yubing join the team every year to carry out construction and produce results. The construction of the project platform has realized the deep integration of disciplines, talents and scientific research, and provided a stage for the comprehensive growth and progress of talents.
"In the construction of 'double first-class', the school takes the construction of high-energy platform as the starting point, takes large projects, large teams, large platforms, large achievements, and large contributions as the only way to improve the quality of scientific research, systematically plans to build a major national scientific and technological innovation platform, continuously explores the chief scientist responsibility system and the school leadership contact system, promotes scientific research with innovative mechanisms, and constantly runs out of the acceleration of scientific and technological innovation." Wu Zhaohui, president of Zhejiang University, said.
At the same time, the reporter learned that the school also gave full play to the comprehensive advantages of multiple disciplines, launched the implementation of the "2030-oriented discipline convergence research plan", and focused on the development of a number of convergent disciplines and interdisciplinary research directions.
The "Chinese Painting Series of Dynasties" project lasted for 17 years, through global cooperation and image digitization convergence, panoramic reproduction of the development process of ancient Chinese painting; the first brain-like computer with more than 100 million neurons in mainland China was launched, and it is committed to establishing an architecture that leads the future of new computers... Promote the mutual learning and integration of traditional research methods and new research methods, and in recent years, a number of excellent cross-cutting research results have emerged in Zhejiang University.
"Only by strengthening collaborative innovation between disciplines and strengthening support for interdisciplinary groups and scientific and technological research teams can we cultivate more scientific and technological talents and innovation teams with international standards." According to the relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Education, in recent years, colleges and universities across the country have accelerated the layout and construction of cutting-edge scientific centers and key core technology integration research platforms, strengthened organized scientific research, given full support and trust to talents, and more talents have emerged from the main battlefield of national scientific and technological innovation and grown up from the main force of scientific and technological innovation in colleges and universities.
Promote the integration of party building and business
"From the teacher, I understood the meaning of cherishing the motherland and serving the people."
At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are a beautiful landscape and make positive contributions to the green Olympic Games. The hydrogen storage tank for hydrogen refueling of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles benefits from the technology developed by the team of academician Zheng Jinyang of the School of Energy Engineering of Zhejiang University.
Since 2002, the team has continued to focus on the two world problems of high-pressure hydrogen embrittlement prevention and control and hydrogen safe and efficient storage, and pushed the mainland's large-capacity fixed high-pressure hydrogen storage equipment technology to the international leading level.
After graduating from the School of Energy Engineering with a bachelor's degree in 2006, Shi Jianfeng joined the team of academician Zheng Jinyang to study and work. "Teacher Zheng is a Communist Party member, from the teacher, I understand the meaning of cherishing the motherland and serving the people, and I also deeply feel that the more major scientific and technological innovation achievements are studied, the more we must be able to withstand loneliness and withstand temptation." Taking root in one place, pursuing the truth, not being arrogant and impatient, and never giving up should be the persistence of every scientific researcher. Shi Jianfeng said.
Continuously promoting the integration of party building and business is an important measure for Zhejiang University to guide teachers and students to take root in the land and serve the country. The school regards doing a good job in the ideological and political work of talents as an important part of the party building work and talent work of colleges and universities, actively plays the role of the main channel of the classroom and the role of the ideological and political class in educating people, enhances the confidence of teachers and students in making great aspirations and doing great things, and further promotes scientific research and innovation.
Zhang Jiahao, a graduate student of the College of Agriculture and Biotechnology of Zhejiang University, has been traveling with his mentor Lou Binggan in the fields of Korla, Xinjiang, for the past two years to carry out research and promotion of branch blight prevention and control in the local area.
Shoot blight is a bacterial disease on roses such as pears and apples, and is regarded by fruit growers as a "cancer" of fruit trees. Since 2019, Lou Binggan has been working on the job for 3 years, and together with the team, he has found a solution to prevent and control branch blight, reversing the situation of local diseases.
Zhang Jiahao said: "Only by conducting scientific research in the front line can we truly feel the sense of achievement of applying what we have learned and feel the happiness that our technology is needed by everyone." In order to better "write the paper on the land of the motherland", Zhang Jiahao decided to go to Xinjiang after graduation, continue to engage in the prevention and control of fruit tree diseases and insect pests, and transform his research results into actual productivity.
"In the course of 125 years of running the university, the development of Zhejiang University has always resonated with the same frequency as national development and national rejuvenation." Ren Shaobo, secretary of the Party Committee of Zhejiang University, said that facing the future, the school will continue to have "the great power of the country", strive to "walk in the forefront", and take a firm step towards the forefront of world-class universities with higher quality, more excellence, more respect and more dreams.
"Focusing on the national strategic needs and aiming at key core technologies, universities will continue to shoulder heavy responsibilities, continuously release the potential of basic research and scientific and technological innovation, and strive to form more and more advanced innovation results." In the interview, a number of university leaders talked.
(Ke Yineng participated in the writing)
Typography: Wang Zheping