On the list of 68 new academicians and another nine of foreign nationality announced by the United States National Academy of Engineering on February 8, there were four of Chinese origins. They are Gao Huanmin, President of Garmin Ltd., which produces global positioning system products; Li Zeyuan, Director of the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering of Virginia Polytechnic Institute; Donald Liu, former vice president of Houston American Bureau Shipping; and Wang Youlun, an inventor of arms for surgical robots.

Randy Atkins, the academy's information officer told People's Daily the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), National Academy of Sciences(NAS) , Institute of Medicine (IOM) and National Research Council (NRC) constitute the four major academies in the United States. The National Academy of Engineering is the top academic group in China's engineering circle. Only those who demonstrate outstanding contributions to research, practice and education qualify to be academicians. The United States National Academy of Engineering now has a total of 2,290 academicians, 202 of foreign nationality.

Tangible contributions valued

U.S. President Barack Obama has recently repeatedly stressed the importance of renewable energy, which is exactly Li Zeyuan's research area. Li told People's Daily, his selection as an NAE academician was not only a confirmation of his personal contribution, but also showed the U.S. Government's emphasis on the emerging science of power electronics. As the key technology in wind and solar power, and fuel cells for power generation, the science and its technology has been given much attention in China, but previously no NAE academicians were experts in the field.

Jiang Zhenying, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Chinese Scholars Association, said NAE election results were very realistic, and focused on whether one's achievements had an innovative impact in one's research area. They occasionally seemed to be confirmation of an historical contribution, but were actually recognizing the present impact. "For example, Gao Minhuan, who was elected this year, developed the first GPS navigation system 20 years ago and later he produced systems in collaboration with others. It is confirming a person's outstanding contribution from an historical perspective," said Jiang.

He Zhiming, Director of the Center for Cell Control the School of Engineering of the University of California, Los Angeles, who was elected as an academician in 1997, told the People's Daily half of the NAE's members are from universities while the other half are from the institutions researching industrial society and government departments. Whether one becomes an academician depends on one's contribution to one's industry, whether one has made innovative achievements and whether one is able to reach a new level in a research area. Although it is not specifically defined, in practice for one to become an academician, one must produce creative results different from older research.

A beneficiary of Chinese culture

The title of academician is undoubtedly an honor symbolizing an achievement in research or practice. During interviews with Chinese American academicians, People's Daily found most of them attributed their success to the positive impact of Chinese culture.

"In our behavior and in dealing with affairs, what matters most is attitude," Li Zeyuan told People's Daily. "My success is closely related to the environment and background I live in and teachers I meet. The subtle influence of Chinese culture since I was very young, together with my tutor's influence in the United States where I studied for my doctor's degree, laid a solid foundation for my success in the future." Li said he had been greatly inspired by his tutor's style of doing things and behavior, and even now they are still good friends. "Once a teacher, always a teacher. The integration of the advantages of two cultures brings good results."

He Zhiming is a world-class scientist in the area of turbulence science, micro-nano fluid mechanisms and bio-nano technology. He told People's Daily once they had reached a certain level, scientists' increasingly feel the impact of philosophy, art and their own cultural background. He said the inspiration for research breakthroughs always comes from the cultural elements accumulating in one's heart, instead of equations. "For example, a nano is one billionth of a meter, so to do nano research requires you to think of the whole. Chinese culture does not focus on a single point, but always on the whole. Such a cultural background helps my research work a lot."

Zhang Xiang, a professor from the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Director of the United States National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, was selected as an academician. He comes from the Chinese mainland and said he believes Chinese culture values academic research and the Chinese people are diligent and dedicated.

Although Western countries might have begun systematic research earlier than the Chinese, Chinese culture was in itself a more complete system.

Both important points

Most Chinese American academicians keep in close touch with their relevant fields in Chinese. They have a deep understanding of the difference between Chinese and American cultures and between the two countries' education concepts.

Zhang Xiang said in China parents put strong emphasis on children's education, hoping their children will go on to the country's best universities. Primary and middle schools focus on tests and examinations while in Western countries the focus is on the development of students' creativity.

"If the advantages of the two education systems were combined, we'll see better results," he said. "Some people say, Chinese education is devastating and oppresses the children. The situation is not that serious. In a good environment, students' creativity can be easily inspired. On the other hand, solid basic skills obtained in the Eastern education system are unlikely to be obtained by simply changing to another environment."

He Zhiming, Chairman of the Advisory Council of the College of Engineering under Peking University and special advisor for the President of Nanjing University, keeps in close contact with China's academic community. He says Eastern education is able to train excellent engineers, but unlikely to nurture top engineering talent. "In my laboratories, students from China, the United States and Europe account for one third apiece. Chinese students boast of extensive knowledge while American students boast of imagination. Such a big country as China needs various types of talent, but what it desperately requires is top talent. While maintaining its current advantages, Chinese education should learn from other countries to absorb the good aspects of their systems, too."