Yin Menghao, Ding Chaoyi, Zhang Xiaoyu, China Youth Daily, China Youth Network reporter Wang Yejie
"If I pour the chemicals in the thermos cup into the sea and fish up the seawater a week later, can I still find the original chemicals in the thermos cup?" On December 28, at the fifth Pujiang Science Forum held in the Xianghui Hall of Fudan University, Zhao Dongyuan, Dean of the School of Chemistry and Materials of Fudan University and the first dean of the Xianghui Research Institute of Fudan University, gave a report on the topic of "Seeing the World in 'Hole' - Endless Scientific Frontiers". He walked up to the podium with a thermos cup, which could not only drink water to quench his thirst, but also take it out to popularize scientific knowledge to everyone.
The picture shows academician Zhao Dongyuan holding a thermos cup on the Pujiang podium. China Youth Daily, China Youth Network reporter Wang Yejie/photo
What is the most important thing in doing scientific research? Zhao Dongyuan's answer is only one word: love.
"Curiosity is a human instinct, and everyone has it. But to really make a difference in science, I think the most important thing is 'love'. This love is not a simple interest, but a kind of rational thinking that arises from the heart. This drive is so strong that you're willing to give everything for it. Zhao Dongyuan is well known to the public for his in-depth research in the field of mesoporous materials, but in this lecture, he has taken a broader and farther perspective, starting from the distant ancient Greek philosophy, sharing the tortuous process of chemistry from scratch and from existence to specialization, as well as his thoughts on returning to the basics of scientific research.
Zhao Dongyuan has always been known for his serious preparation for classes. For today's lecture, he spent a week preparing 148 pages of slides on both the development of chemical science, innovative scientific thinking, and the future development of the discipline.
"Chemistry is not as 'precise' as mathematics, nor is it as 'high' as physics, and many times it is impossible to see or touch. Zhao Dongyuan said that chemists spent more than 300 years just figuring out the composition of air.
The picture shows Zhao Dongyuan giving a lecture. Courtesy of Fudan University
"Chemists need to be imaginative, to be explorers. Zhao Dongyuan took Robert Burns Woodward, a "genius in organic synthesis", as an example, and said that the key to doing scholarship is "independence".
He believes that "the right choice of topics", "good scientific methods", "putting aside utilitarianism, deep thinking and bold questioning", "scientific cooperation and scientific ethics" are indispensable.
"There is no holy grail in chemistry. My philosophical temperament does not lie in the study of big questions, but in the study of many small problems in a beautiful chemical garden, focusing on the relationship between them. Finally, he used the words of Roald Hoffmann, the 1981 Nobel laureate, to encourage everyone to do scientific research not to be ambitious, but to be down-to-earth.
Zhao Dongyuan replied: Although chemistry is the closest basic discipline to industry, and many research results can be transformed, basic research should not only consider economic benefits and application value, but should focus on raising questions and answering questions themselves.
"Just as chemistry has existed for a long time in alchemy, alchemy, when people have the purpose of obtaining gold, it is not science. Zhao Dongyuan said that chemistry became a science in 1661, when Robert Boyle wrote the first chemistry "textbook" and began to study the nature of matter and the changes in matter.
The picture shows Zhao Dongyuan giving a lecture. Courtesy of Fudan University
"Once the wings of basic research are plugged into the applied lead, it is difficult to fly high and far. He stressed that when doing scientific research, you should not always ask "what is the use": "For example, if you ask a mathematician what is the application of your research, then I think it is disrespectful to the mathematician". He said that only by answering the basic questions first can it be possible to achieve a wider application around the existing scientific research results.
Previously, in November, Fudan University established the Xianghui Research Institute, and Zhao Dongyuan was hired as the first dean. The institute focuses on tackling forward-looking, challenging and high-value key scientific problems, and strives to create a tolerant, open, active and free academic environment, so as to provide institutional guarantee for talents to "sharpen a sword in ten years".
The scientific spirit of "only asking about right and wrong, regardless of interests and disadvantages" is what Zhao Dongyuan has always advocated. He looks forward to working side by side with more scientists without distractions, "making science an important cultural gene of China in the future, and letting science accompany our dreams to come true."
Source: China Youth Daily client