May 19, 2008 is the 50th anniversary of the birth of Shanghai University of Science and Technology. /kloc-on 0/8, some early alumni of our school held a commemorative forum in the original campus of Jiading Institute of Science and Technology. At the meeting, the current leaders and the heads of several departments of the former University of Science and Technology have spoken. Due to time constraints, more participants cannot express their feelings freely. Here, I just want to use the space of alumni communication to talk about my personal experience and the early experience of HKUST.
University of Science and Technology Shanghai was founded in the summer of 1958, when I was working in the Institute of Biochemistry, Shanghai Branch of Chinese Academy of Sciences. On one occasion, the branch held a staff meeting of the whole hospital. At the meeting, it was suggested that the branch go all out to build an institution of higher learning in Shanghai, and many scientists immediately responded. Because I heard that Beijing did the same thing, it was also named China University of Science and Technology. If the capital can do this, why can't Shanghai? Besides, the Ministry of Railways, the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Textile can run universities. Why can't the scientific research system run its own university?
During the Great Leap Forward, all walks of life must leap forward, and running a university is no exception. In fact, Nie, Vice Premier of the State Council, arrived in Shanghai on May 19 that year, and together with Ke Qingshi, then secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, decided to establish a new multidisciplinary university-Shanghai University of Science and Technology. Shanghai Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and various research institutes are responsible for the establishment of the school. The specific division of labor is "the hospital runs the hospital, and the department runs the hospital".
However, the preparation for running a school will take some time. By the time it is ready, this year's college entrance examination has passed. But in that era of the Great Leap Forward, what miracle couldn't happen? After the efforts of the city leaders and the leaders of the sub-bureaus, a carriage was finally connected behind the Shanghai University enrollment special train. This year, in the name of "China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai Branch", 488 students were added to the enrollment list of freshmen in Shanghai universities and sent to Fudan University, Shanghai Medical University, Zhejiang University and other schools for training. This is the first batch of 1958 students in our school.
It was in 1959 that the school officially selected the school site and the signboard of Shanghai University of Science and Technology for enrollment. I was a group of teachers assigned to work in the school from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. At that time, people's enthusiasm for running schools was very high, and many scientists took on the heavy responsibility of department leaders. For example, Mr. Zhou Ren, senior vice president of Shanghai Branch and director of Metallurgical Institute, served as president, Mr. Yan Dongsheng, director of Silicate Institute, Mr. Wang You, director of Organic Chemistry Institute and Mr. Wang Yinglai, director of Biochemistry Institute, etc. Even the earliest basic course teaching and research group in our school, the Chemistry Teaching and Research Group, was headed by Mr. Shen, a famous biochemist sent by the Institute of Biochemistry. I was also a member of this teaching and research group. It was summer vacation, and the new campus of Ouyang Road was still under renovation. In order to let us have a quiet and cool environment for preparing lessons, the school specially rented a conference room in Nanchang Road Science Museum as our studio. Later, Comrade Liu Fang, who served as the deputy secretary of the school Party Committee, came to guide our work and arrange our lives. In a word, we attach great importance to the initial work of our new university.
The reason why we attach importance to the establishment of HKUST is not so much the need of the situation as the practical requirements of scientists themselves. Patriotic scientists demand the release of energy. They are not satisfied with the working methods taught by a few people in a small laboratory. They asked young people to take over their classes in batch training. Prior to this, the Institute of Biochemistry has made some explorations. They have held two advanced biochemical training courses, which have effectively trained junior researchers who have not yet started or just started in our hospital or brothers' institute. This is a good example. They want to promote this way of working, so they are particularly interested in running a university. Researchers returning from studying in Europe and America believe that research and education are inseparable, especially academic research in the field of science, which is usually conducted in foreign universities. This is a very effective way for university teachers to engage in both teaching and scientific research. Mr. Ji Ruyun, a pharmaceutical chemist, said at a meeting that it is natural for scientists to study and teach people. For example, a foreign colleague wrote to Wang Yinglai, director of the Institute of Biochemistry, and the envelope said "Professor Wang Yinglai" instead of "Researcher Wang Yinglai". They don't know what a researcher is, and others don't know what your title or position is. They just admit that you are a professor. A word made everyone applaud warmly. Others (I don't remember who it is) said that when researchers engage in teaching, they can always sort out the knowledge in your mind, make your knowledge systematic and logical, find the loopholes in your research and improve your research level. Why don't researchers engage in teaching? These words also attracted the appreciation of the participants.
In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, we learned from the Soviet Union in the 1940s and separated the tasks of the Academy of Sciences from those of institutions of higher learning. Neither side was satisfied. Mr. Guo Moruo, then president of the Academy of Sciences, and Mr. Yang Xiufeng, then minister of higher education, sometimes have disputes when they compete for the employment of international students. Because Guo and Yang are hard of hearing, there is a joke that "two dragons (deaf people) grab pearls". Now the Chinese Academy of Sciences has proposed to run a university of science and technology, and President Guo has become the president. I wonder how he feels about the past "grabbing pearls"? Times always develop in a regular direction. Perhaps the emergence of HKUST indicates that China will take the road of joint efforts of scientific and educational institutions and universities.
Since the emergence of universities of science and technology in Beijing and Shanghai, many universities of science and technology have appeared all over the country. It seems that the word "science and technology" is not enough to express the advanced nature of their subject. Because of the wide adoption of advanced technology, there is no university that does not show its advanced requirements. Therefore, it seems unnecessary to label universities as "science and engineering". Shanghai University of Science and Technology was later merged into Shanghai University under the guise of its name, which was also one of the reasons.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the birth of Shanghai University of Science and Technology, it may be beneficial for us to sum up the past and look forward to the future by remembering the past and talking about the original intention of running a school and the subsequent trend of big waves.
Author: Professor Zhu. 193 1 year. People from Changshu, Jiangsu. 1952 graduated from the chemistry department of Peking University. He has successively worked in Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Institute of Physiology and Biochemistry of China Academy of Sciences and Shanghai University of Science and Technology (now Shanghai University). 1992 retired. Before retiring, he was a professor in the chemistry department of Shanghai University of Science and Technology.