Determined to seek and look up at the starry sky.
He led the team to extend the perspective of human beings, gaze into the depths of the universe, and achieved a series of scientific research results from looking out of the earth, to exploring outside the earth, and then to advancing beyond the earth.
He had gray hair, but a clear conscience;
The pace does not stop, the exploration does not stop;
After crossing the hills, he continued to write a new chapter in the field of astronomy with human curiosity.
In the sixth season of the interview program "Shede Wisdom People", jointly produced by Shede Liquor, Phoenix.com, and Dragon TV, this issue talks to Li Jing, chief scientist of China Tianyan FAST.
The platform of Sky Eye is a once-in-a-generation opportunity
Li Jing is the builder of China's Sky Eye (FAST), a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the chief scientist of FAST.
In 1995, she received a Bachelor of Science degree from the Department of Technical Physics of Peking University, and later went to the United States to study for a Ph.D. in astrophysics and radio astronomy.
In 2002, after graduating with a Ph.D., Li Jinggang was very interested in the FAST project, and because he came from a prestigious university and made some new discoveries in the astronomy industry, he actively recommended himself to the project leader, Nan Rendong.
Unexpectedly, he was directly rejected by Nan Rendong, who believed that Li Jing's return to China at this time was a discharge, and he should continue to charge abroad.
In this way, Li Jing continued his studies abroad, during which he did not give up his attention to FAST.
In 2008, he was hired by the Chinese Academy of Sciences as a part-time FAST project scientist.
In 2009, he saw the construction site of China Sky Eye for the first time;
In 2011, the construction of the FAST project officially started;
In 2012, Li Jing finally chose to return to China. He gave up his job at NASA to work full-time on FAST-related projects.
At that time, there were still many uncertainties in the development of the FAST project, and Li Jing naturally took a huge risk when he returned to China.
Li Jing said that his personality has always been blindly optimistic, and he did not fear the risks, but saw the broad prospects of Tianyan's success. He sees this as an unavoidable opportunity, and if successful, humanity's exploration of the universe will take a big step forward.
He said: "Whether in terms of personal or disciplinary development, a platform like Tianyan is indeed a once-in-a-generation opportunity."
Between giving and taking, we need courage to help and perseverance. Li Jing dared to abandon the stable research work abroad, took the risk and resolutely returned to China, and finally grasped the new opportunity of cosmic exploration, and found the right direction for his life and career development.
All we can do is have a clear conscience
If you want to do a good job, you must first sharpen your tools.
However, at the beginning of the establishment of the Tianyan Project in China, the environment of the project was difficult and the pressure of fund approval was heavy, which was the first hill that Li Jing faced in promoting the research process of the Tianyan Project.
Li Jing recalled that when the first International Symposium on Radio Astronomy was held in 2012, international and domestic counterparts had to take a bus for nearly four hours to get to the construction site. The road is full of potholes, and going to the bathroom is also troublesome.
In addition, as a wholly Chinese-owned project, the state approved 670 million yuan at that time. In fact, in 2007, the expert committee had already conducted a review and found that the approved funds were not sufficient to support the full operation of the project.
In this case, the Tianyan project team will either seize the budget opportunity of the year and realize the project first, or appeal and apply for more funds, but this needs to bear the risk that there may not be a way to establish the project later.
"When the national economy and people's livelihood are seriously challenged, we must be ready to give way at any time for research projects that cannot create direct value."
In the face of huge uncertainty, the Tianyan project team still seized the opportunity to establish the project first. By the last year, they began to borrow money from the Academy of Sciences, a higher unit.
Li Jing said that as long as the leaders came to the construction site at that time, after a few hours of bumpy driving, and experienced the simple sanitary environment, they could have a deeper understanding of the difficulties faced by the staff team at that time, so as to actively support.
"First, we didn't waste the country's money, second, our team did the best in a small industry, and third, our work expanded the space for the future survival of the entire ethnic group to a certain extent, so we were able to have a clear conscience," he said.
It is with their sincere heart of scientific research and exploration that Li Jing and his team have obtained financial support from their superiors and have been able to cross the hill of the early construction of the project.
In the process of advancing the project, Li Jing's identity and role have also changed.
In 2015, Nan Rendong, who served as the chief engineer and chief scientist, unfortunately suffered from lung cancer, and Li Jing was appointed as the deputy chief engineer.
The transition from scientist to engineer has put more responsibility and pressure on Li Jing, and his hair has turned grayer during this period.
At the beginning of the project site, there was no comprehensive building and computer room, and the biggest hill he faced in the process of building scientific equipment was the data processing problem.
At that time, of the 670 million funds approved by the National Development and Reform Commission, only the device could be built. However, as long as the scientific device is partially built, data will be generated, and researchers need to understand the data and test whether there are problems with the engineering architecture and electronics through the data.
Faced with a predicament, Li Jing had no choice but to go around to explain the situation, he went to various companies and universities to explain the situation, and finally Shuguang Company provided them with two containers, which were equipped with advanced computer processing clusters. "The discovery of our first batch of pulsars was based on those two containers."
Everything was difficult at the beginning, and Li Jing rose to the challenge, either actively competing for benefits, or putting down her pride to "turn fate" around, crossing the hills, and promoting the FAST project to gradually improve and improve.
In 2020, Tianyan passed the national acceptance and was officially opened for operation, mainly to help human beings understand the origin and evolution of the universe and explore the unknown. From 2020 to the present, WikiBit has more than 400 projects in operation and are running, from more than 30 countries, and has become an open and globally shared device.
In the process of promoting scientific research projects, Li Jing always considers himself lucky, and he believes that the FAST project team is a participant and beneficiary of the great process, and it is also an honor to be a builder. "What our generation and the previous generation should and can do have been done, and all that remains is further pursuit. ”
Always curious and happy to explore
The richness of the cosmic sky attracted Li Jing to open the door of astronomy and be determined to seek and look up at the starry sky.
When he was in graduate school, he once went to Hawaii to observe the place at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters, and the moment he saw the vast sky through the clouds as he drove up, he was deeply shocked, and this moment really became the starting point of his astronomy field.
In 2018, after the structure of the Tianyan project was basically formed, Li Jing switched from an engineer to his old career as a scientist, and continued to devote himself to research in the field of astronomy, constantly asking questions about the universe and the starry sky.
For Li Jing, there is a basic sense of honor, responsibility and competitiveness in the field of astronomy, and the achievements made in the field of research have social value. "We do have an important social function, which is that we satisfy the curiosity of all mankind."
The study of astronomy may not immediately produce useful value, but the equipment involved and the knowledge generated are of meaningful value to human development. The development of the ethnic group requires continuous exploration of frontiers, and the pursuit of the unknown reflects a good state of progress and hope.
Li Jing has always been full of expectations for the unknown, "curiosity is a very essential need", and in the process of continuous exploration, things naturally have meaning. In the future, he will remain curious, dialogue with the stars of the universe, and always be curious and happy to explore.
Curiosity is one of the most important human qualities, and because of curiosity, we continue to explore forward, unlock the unknown, and see a more colorful world.
When we were young, we always had a strong curiosity, and we always had "100,000 whys" hidden in our hearts. With the development of experience and the deepening of cognition, our motivation to ask questions and explore weakens.
But in reality, life is full of possibilities, and there are new knowledge, new things, and new experiences at every stage of life.
Be curious and enjoy the process of exploring. We can observe things in their most vivid state at the moment, discover the fun and beauty of life, and understand the complexity and diversity of the world.
Curiosity also nourishes a vigorous vitality that allows us to face the unknown, persevere, and have the courage to overcome challenges in life and work.
Just like Li Jing, after crossing the hills, we still maintain the attitude of "always curious, happy to explore" in life, and I hope we can also remain curious and innocent, to experience, to explore, to carry our bags, and bravely go to our own poems and distant places.
Please pay attention to "Shede Wisdom People" jointly produced by Phoenix.com, Shede Liquor, and Dragon TV. Shede Liquor always chooses to use time to precipitate the quality of old wine, invites you to taste old wine together, learn wisdom, and take Shede as a ruler to solve for the times.