Two top Chinese scientists have been officially granted the
honor of becoming foreign associates of the National Academy of
Sciences (NAS) in the United States in recognition of their
outstanding achievements in their fields.
Yuan Longping, director-general of the China National Hybrid
Rice Research and Development Centre in central China's Hunan
Province and Bai Chunli, vice-president of the Chinese Academy of
Sciences in Beijing were formally introduced to the academy last
Saturday at a global meeting of US academy members and foreign
associates.
Foreign associates are nonvoting members of the academy, with
citizenship outside the United States.
Bai and Yuan were among 72 members and 18 foreign associates
from 16 countries to be named for "one of the highest honours in
American science and engineering", which was announced in April
2006.
Yuan, 77, dubbed the "father of hybrid rice" for his
extraordinary contributions toward developing high-yield rice, is a
household name in China.
With more than half of China's paddy fields growing Yuan's rice,
his scientific breakthrough has fed millions of people in the
world's most populous country.
His "super rice" has also been introduced to more than 20 other
countries.
An online poll last November showed that the majority of Chinese
believed Yuan deserved a Nobel Peace Prize for his immense
contribution in fighting against hunger.
Bai, 52, is considered to be a leading expert in China's
molecular nanostructure and nanotechnology studies.
Many Chinese scientists have been named to the elite US
academy.
The late renowned bridge expert Mao Yisheng (1896-1989) was
named as a NAS foreign associate in 1982, the first Chinese
scientist given the honor.
Rather than speaking of personal achievements, many scientists
attribute the honor to an overall enhancement of China's science
and research strength.
"I think the fast development of Chinese science has drawn
increased attention from the US academy," Bai said in an interview
with China Daily last year shortly after he was elected.
(China Daily May 2, 2007)