Academician Shi Yigong, the winner of the Zhejiang Science and Technology Awards in 2021: Leave the name of the Chinese in the history of science

"As a Chinese scientist, it is my motivation to make a unique contribution to human scientific and technological civilization and leave the Chinese name in the history of science." Shi Yigong, an academician and president of West Lake University, said this award -winning speech.

Provincial Party Secretary Yuan Jiajun presented awards to Academician Shi Yigong

"Research in the field of structural biology leads the world;" the explorators of China's higher education reform have founded West Lake University to make effective attempts to build world -class world -class and modern universities with Chinese characteristics ";" attach importance to education and care about young people The growth of people has made a huge contribution to the construction of the talent highland of Zhejiang "... People have evaluated his various evaluations, outline the outline of the life of the highest personal honor of Zhejiang's technology.

Since the establishment of West Lake University in 2015, the "New Zhejiang People" Shi Yigong and the principal, teacher, and scientists have several posts, only to realize the dream of a strong science and technology country that has never been changed in his heart.

Entrepreneurs break through themselves for the mission

The principal's opening speech is customary, but compared with previous years, Shi Yigong this year has more responsibilities and expectations -on July 30, the first batch of undergraduates of West Lake University is about to enter the school, and the eyes of major media have already focused.

"Frankly, I have a little 'afraid of the public, and I am worried about being misunderstood by the society." From giving up the lifelong teaching position of Princeton University to return to China, from Tsinghua's resignation to establish West Lake University, Shi Yigong's every move has always been the focus of public opinion attention. Under the exposure of large flow, there are inevitably some solutions. For a scientist, the most comfortable place can be laboratory and classrooms, but not in front of the camera.

However, in March of this year, when Shi Yigong conducted a live broadcast of the first undergraduate enrollment of West Lake University, a person talked endlessly for more than an hour, and he stood most of them, and even netizens couldn't help but screen screen: Tai Tired, sit and talk.

On the one hand, it is courageous to appear and cheer in enrollment; on the other hand, it is to overcome the embarrassment and raise money for the establishment of a school.

West Lake University is held by social forces. Shi Yigong always remembers the scene of "the only rich entrepreneur he knew at the time" -Wang Donghui, the chairman of Rong Zhilian. For a whole and a half hours, he talked about yesterday, today, and tomorrow of West Lake University, and he was embarrassed to raise money. In the end, Wang Donghui was picked up to donate money.

It is the mission and responsibility of Shi Yigong to break through himself.

In his opinion, higher education in New China has made great progress. "But the current status and predictable future development of Chinese universities cannot fully meet the public's thirst for high -quality education resources, nor can it meet China's sustainable development of China's sustainable development. With the demand for cutting -edge technology, the overall level of basic research still lags behind Western developed countries. "

"The core of the dream of a strong science and technology country is higher education. Founding a first -class university is a way to realize dreams." More than once, he expressed his mission in public in public. "I did one thing in the first 40 years of my life. After another ten years, I did the second thing, which was to help me my beloved alma mater Tsinghua University quickly develop the subject of life. The biggest thing in this life was to establish West Lake University. "

On March 11, 2015, Shi Yigong and seven West Lake University proposals submitted the "Suggestions on Pilot to create new private research universities" to the country. On February 14, 2018, the Ministry of Education officially approved the establishment of Xihu University. Shi Yigong said in a speech at the establishment of the conference that the goal of running a school in Xihu University is to strive to become the explorer of China's higher education reform and the leader of the world's cutting -edge science and technology.

In just a few years later, the young West Lake University has obvious achievements.

It introduced more than 200 world -class scientists, recruited 921 doctoral students and more than 400 post -doctors, and created the academic atmosphere of free exploration that made many peers envy. , West Lake University is the first to reveal the moment when the new coronary virus invades human cells, and the first to analyze whether the new crown mild patient will be transformed into severe illness through protein big data. Scientific research problems were cracked in the laboratory of West Lake University.

"The breakthrough of this series of major original basic research can represent China's wisdom and China level on the world stage." Shi Yigong said with relief and confidently.

For scholars because of love and love

The rapid development of West Lake University inevitably occupy a lot of time for Shi Yigong, which affects his scientific research. In 2020, Shi Yigong encountered the "article shortage" for the first time in his life, and the number of high -quality papers published that year hit a new low since 1995.

Someone persuaded him: Forget it, give up scientific research and do the principal. But Shi Yigong believes: "In essence, I am a scientist. This is my favorite and most love job. No matter how busy, I will stick to it."

Shi Yigong adjusted the focus of scientific research, abandoned some relatively ordinary scientific research topics, and concentrated on attacking the original and challenging direction. After some choices, he led the team to refresh his record again.

Since the first person's first analysis of the first person's sink structure in 2017, in 2021, the first analysis of the high -resolution three -dimensional structure of the edge of the bodies and the first disclosure of the nuclear pore composite nuclear ring in 2022 ... Some colleagues lamented that Shi Yigong's most important scientific research achievements so far are one of the classics of structural biology -the structure and mechanism of the edge -cutting body -almost developed simultaneously with West Lake University. Behind these achievements is engraved with the motto of the scientific researchers -diligence.

As early as the post -doctoral period in New York, Shi Yigong did an experiment every night to 3 am, and he was often 4 o'clock when he returned to his residence to lie down to sleep; returned to the laboratory at 9 o'clock the next day. Laboratory solution. At that time, he lived near 65th Street and the largest intersection in Manhattan District, New York City. It was close to the famous Central Park in New York and rich cultural and entertainment activities. But for two years in New York, Shi Yigong never stepped into the Central Park.

Today, in the eyes of teachers and students of Xihu University, Shi Yigong is still a "very hard -working person". Lectures, lectures, meetings, fundraising ... I only slept for four or five hours a day. When they are quiet at night, they are hiding in the office to write papers.

But he never thought of suffering, nor was it moved by the values ​​of "worldly".

In the United States, he had become Professor Princeton. He drove a Toyota car with a 1.3 -liter four -cylinder and two -cylinder, but he didn't feel worse than the "big gallop" than others drove. Because of his ambition, he is easy to satisfy in material life; but in the professional field, he warns himself and students again and again: "Never be satisfied, this is the enemy of innovation."

Shi Yigong once admitted that the pleasure after each major breakthrough was maintained, and many of them maintained for one or two weeks, less than one or two days. Go up and there is a north slope. "

Taking Alzheimer's disease that he has focused on in recent years, it is expected that by 2050, Alzheimer's patients will increase to 152 million. The incidence of the elderly over 80 years old is more than 30%, and more than 50%of the elderly over 85 years old. Once diagnosed, patients' lives usually have only a few years. So far, the pathogenesis of the disease is unknown, and the effective treatment drugs are "zero".

"If we look forward to the average life expectancy of human beings exceeding 100 years, then scientists must find the direction of breakthroughs, and all this has just started." Shi Yigong, who has cultivated in this field for more than ten years, dare not relax at a moment. He often encourages himself: "We have taken a long way, maybe it is almost ending in the tunnel."

Build the future spring and rain for the teacher

Compared to the name "principal", Shi Yigong likes people to call him "teacher".

When you meet a student in the coffee bar, he is often the one who treats the guests; the discussion of the subject is long, and he will prepare a biscuit snack. Not long ago, Shi Yigong recommended a news to the teachers and students of the school, not scientific research, but a community news about the school's water sports club to participate in the Dragon Boat race, on the grounds that "the attitude of being enjoyed by them was deeply infected." He loves running, and often organizes campus "running group" activities to run with students.

Shi Yigong never minded self -deprecation to comfort young people. In the post -doctoral association of West Lake University, he mentioned his view of "inner volume": I don’t know who can balance the family, health, and entertainment in this world, just like my words are poor Everyone is unwilling to listen to singing, so only can I do some research; if the money is gone, you can earn it again, and you can buy it again if the things are broken. The time is gone.

Scientific research pays attention to independent thinking, and Shi Yigong encourages students to sing "anti -tuning"; scientific research is not a matter of overnight. When enrollment answering questions, he respects the choice of social graduation after graduation, but he will repeatedly expressed regrets, because West Lake University "cultivates cultivation The primary goal of undergraduate students is to allow students to further study and explore the future "...

Education is spring. "There is only one way to cultivate students, that is, the ears are sturdy, and there will be many communication. A student did not communicate and train with the mentor for hundreds of hours during his Ph.D., and it is impossible to come out." Shi Yigong said. To this day, as long as he is in Hangzhou, he will participate in the weekly laboratory meeting, and will communicate with each member of the laboratory every two weeks to help judge the direction and research value of the project, and even teach students how to change the paper expressions Essence

In 2014, Shi Yigong won the "Wu Jieping -Paul Yangsen Medical Pharmacy Award", known as the "highest honor of Chinese medicine". There is such a sentence in the awards: "He has cultivated a large number of outstanding young scientists to provide fresh blood for the study of membrane protein structure biology in my country."

From Yan Ning, a foreign academician of the National Academy of Sciences to Chai Jiejie, a national outstanding science and technology worker from the half -way, from the paper specialty, from Wan Ruixue, who was selected as the "Future Women's Scientist Program" selected as the "Future Women's Scientist Program" Later Bai Rui ... Many students brought by Shi Yigong have become famous in the scientific community.

Today, Shi Yigong is extremely expected to have a group of social responsibility with a sense of social responsibility and the future leaders in the field of science and technology that can go out of West Lake University.

"The core competitiveness of China's future development is talent. I hope that in 5 or 10 years, I can cultivate the best young students for the country, and use their wisdom to explore the forefront of scientific knowledge and promote human progress."

Content source: "Zhejiang Daily" July 12, 2022 edition 03 (reporter strict grain).Photography: Zhejiang News Client (Reporter Hu Yuanyong) Part of the picture is provided by the respondent

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