In September 1988, a piece of news from across the ocean caused an uproar in the entire Chinese academic community.
Gao Huajian, who was 25 years old at the time, announced that he had become an American citizen.
Gao Huajian was admitted to Xi'an Jiaotong University at the age of 15 and obtained a bachelor's degree at the age of 19.
With the support of the national grant, he went to Harvard University in the United States to study for a doctorate, and has high attainments in the field of engineering mechanics.
"The country has spent so many resources to cultivate a white-eyed wolf!"
His behavior has attracted the criticism of many scholars in China.
Almost all of them were ashamed of his "treasonous pursuit of glory".
What's more, the hat of "traitor" was directly buttoned on Gao Huajian's head.
The path of a "child prodigy".
In December 1963, Gao Huajian was born in Chengdu, Sichuan.
His childhood coincided with a time when the country was in turmoil, but Gao Huajian, who was deeply influenced by his parents, was always full of enthusiasm for learning.
In September 1977, the Ministry of Education announced the resumption of the college entrance examination.
This news was like a dawn that pierced through the darkness, illuminating Gao Huajian's heart and giving him the idea of giving it a try.
Since then, he has devoted all his attention to preparing for the exam.
In 1978, the year after the college entrance examination was resumed, 6.1 million people across the country entered the examination hall with hope.
Among the many young and middle-aged people, there is one teenager who stands out in particular.
This person is 15-year-old Gao Huajian.
Looking at him as a young man, everyone thought that he was just here to experience the college entrance examination.
Unexpectedly, he was admitted to the engineering mechanics major of Xi'an Jiaotong University in one fell swoop with excellent results.
Among the students of Xi'an Jiaotong University at that time, Gao Huajian was the youngest, and the title of "prodigy" spread far and wide.
You know, 6.1 million people took the college entrance examination that year, and only 200,000 were admitted.
After entering university, Gao Huajian showed extraordinary talent in this professional field.
He did not become fame at a young age, but devoted himself to the study of mechanics.
Many teachers and professors favored him and often provided him with some foreign academic journals for him to study.
After four years of college, at the age of 19, he graduated with honors and received a bachelor's degree.
In 1982, after graduating from Xi'an Jiaotong University, Gao Huajian saw the difference between mainland and international mechanics technology and decided to further his studies.
He turned down invitations from a number of domestic research institutes.
With the help of professors at Xi'an Jiaotong University, he received state funding and applied to Harvard University in the United States, where he was successfully admitted.
It took only two years to earn a master's degree from Harvard University.
He then went on to pursue a PhD.
During his time at Harvard, Gao Huajian, who was only 25 years old, published nearly 400 academic papers, shocking the entire American academic community.
Therefore, he is called a genius boy from China.
Naturalized in the United States
In June 1998, Gao Huajian received his Ph.D. in Engineering Science from Harvard University.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Stanford University, and the German Institute of Research have successively issued invitations.
On the one hand, it needs its own motherland, and on the other hand, the United States, which has better scientific research conditions, how will Gao Huajian choose?
Three months later, Gao Huajian announced that he would remain in the United States and become a U.S. citizen.
He also officially announced that he would become an assistant professor at Stanford University in the United States.
When the news reached China, one stone stirred up a thousand waves.
It immediately caused an uproar, and many people scolded him as a "traitor" and a "white-eyed wolf".
In the face of the scolding that poured in like a tide, Gao Huajian only said: "Science has no borders, and I will serve the motherland in my own way." ”
After that, Gao Huajian continued to climb the peak of science, and successively served as a professor at Stanford University and a tenured professor at Brown University in the United States.
After years of hard work, he is now a top expert in the field of international mechanics.
Gao Huajian has won the highest honor in the world of mechanics - Rodney Hill Solid Mechanics Award;
the William Prager Award, the highest award of the American Society of Engineering Sciences;
The NADAI Award, the highest award in the materials category of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers;
He is the only scientist in history who has won these three top honors in mechanics at the same time.
His academic papers have been ranked first in the world in the field of solid mechanics citations for 20 years.
In the United States, far away from his homeland, Gao Huajian, who has achieved such achievements, does not stop for a moment, he knows his original intention and pursuit.
He knows that the country needs to be built, and the most lacking thing is always cutting-edge talent.
Since he became a professor, he has attached great importance to Chinese students and has done his best to impart knowledge to them.
"I will teach you all the knowledge I have, and I hope that you will be able to return to China in the future and make your own contribution to the motherland. ”
Gao Huajian's words are not only a discipline for the students, but also an eternal and firm belief in his heart.
In addition to his teaching work, Gao Huajian also holds some so-called scientific exchange activities from time to time.
In fact, this is his careful arrangement, and its intention is to indirectly pass on and share his research results in the United States with the scientific research field of his motherland.
As he expected, more than 20 PhDs have resolutely chosen to return to the motherland for development, playing a pivotal role in the fields of scientific research, education, and industry in the motherland.
Among them, Wang Xiang, the commander-in-chief of the space station system of China's manned space project, is a doctor carefully trained by Gao Huajian in Max Plank.
Not only that, Gao Huajian has always devoted himself wholeheartedly to the academic exchange activities between the two countries for many years.
In fact, there is a disconnect between the two countries in terms of academic standards in related fields.
Because of this, the active participation of Gao Huajian, a scholar at the top of his field, undoubtedly contributed to the evolution of this symposium into a one-sided activity to instill knowledge in Chinese scholars.
As Gao Huajian's behavior gradually spread, the United States was helpless, after all, Gao Huajian had become an American, and they were reluctant to expel such an excellent scientist.
It was not until 27 years later, in 2015, that the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced that Gao Huajian had become another foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
At this time, people suddenly realized,
It turned out that this "white-eyed wolf", who was regarded as ungrateful, not only did not "commit treason", but performed a real "Infernal Affairs".
The curve saves the country for national security
Although science knows no borders, scientists have a homeland.
In reality, the interests of the state and the nation are closely linked to scientific research.
At that time, the gap between the mainland's scientific research field and the international advanced level was too large.
Because of his status as a "Chinese", Gao Huajian is restricted everywhere in the United States, which seriously restricts the development of his scientific research career.
Only by becoming a U.S. citizen can he step into the world's most advanced laboratories and access the most cutting-edge research results.
In order to better access and use these resources, he chose to become a naturalized American.
For this reason, Gao Huajian has borne the infamy for many years.
And the domestic people who knew the truth also woke up, and only then did they realize that they had been wrong for more than 30 years.
In January 2024, Professor Gao Huajian officially joined Tsinghua University as a full-time chair professor.
The scientist, who is well-known in the United States, Europe and Asia, will open a new chapter at Tsinghua University, contributing to China's scientific and technological innovation and talent training.
The gentleman does not care about his deeds.
Professor Gao Huajian has proved his loyalty to scholarship and his country with his actions and achievements.
Resources:
Baidu Encyclopedia - Gao Huajian
Official website of the Chinese Academy of Sciences - Gao Huajian