New Academician’s “Sketch” | Shen Weixiao’s Smile
"There is a kind of mathematician who is very meticulous in playing chess, and I belong to another kind, who is a complete mess in playing chess." Shen Weixiao, a professor at Fudan University's Shanghai Mathematics Center and School of Mathematical Sciences, finished his words and laughed himself.
48-year-old Shen Weixiao loves to laugh, and since his name is a homophony of "smile", he has a nickname among his students: "Teacher Smile".
On November 23, the newly promoted academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences smiled from time to time during an exclusive interview with a reporter from Liberation Daily and Shangguan News.
When learning mathematics, which is more important, interest or talent? Shen Weixiao's answer is that both are indispensable.
Shen Weixiao grew up in a rural area. He went to school at the age of 5 and went to college at the age of 16. He participated in the junior high school and high school mathematics leagues and won the first prize in Anhui Province respectively. There were no training classes at that time, so the math teacher brought him a tutorial book from the city. Not only could he understand it, but he also found it interesting.
Shen Weixiao mainly studies "dynamic systems". This mathematical theory for studying the evolution of nature was pioneered by the French mathematician Poincaré at the beginning of the last century. "This word actually means 'dynamic system' in English. The system will change over time, and the error will gradually become larger. This is a prediction of probability. Weather forecasting is a typical case of dynamic system research, 'Three-Body Problem' 'It is also a dynamic system. Modern dynamic system theory is concerned with the mechanism of chaotic phenomena represented by the 'butterfly effect'," said Shen Weixiao.
The real Fatou conjecture he and his collaborators proved was hailed as "one of the most important mathematical problems of the 21st century" by Fields Medal winner Smail. In 2009, he won the Chen Shengshen Mathematics Award of the Chinese Mathematical Society as the youngest winner ever, and gave an invited report at the 2014 International Congress of Mathematicians.
The internationally recognized "four top journals in mathematics" only publish about 150 papers annually on average, but Shen Weixiao has published 9 papers, which is a large number and is rarely seen.
"I am a traditional mathematician. A piece of paper and a pen are enough." Shen Weixiao said that sometimes when an idea comes to him, it is time for dinner, and he has to finish the problem even though he is hungry; sometimes he will think while walking on the road. , "It can be said that thinking is everywhere."
When asked about the challenges of artificial intelligence to mathematicians, Shen Weixiao said bluntly, on the one hand, the development of artificial intelligence is indeed shocking. For example, when solving a problem of decomposing prime factors, the thinking is more open-minded than high school students. If it can really help Basic research in mathematics is not only a challenge for mathematicians, but a great challenge. On the other hand, it is not clear whether artificial intelligence can solve important problems in mathematics, but it is still in its infancy due to insufficient computing power.
For Shen Weixiao, is mathematician the most suitable job? His answer was: "One. I was not partial to subjects in high school and was good at arts and sciences. If I studied other majors, I might be able to do well." When he said this, a confident smile appeared on his face.
"This may have the most relaxed research environment in the world, and you can focus on studying mathematics." When he left the National University of Singapore and returned to China for development, he had many "choices" and eventually became the first full-time chief professor of the Shanghai Mathematics Center.
Huang Dazhou, a 2022 undergraduate graduate of the School of Mathematical Sciences at Fudan University, immediately forwarded the news of Shen Weixiao being elected as an academician in his circle of friends, with the following message: My favorite undergraduate course and my favorite smiling teacher. When he graduated, he was randomly assigned by Shen Weixiao to pluck his ears. For this reason, he once used three "super" words to describe his luck.
Shen Weixiao was once named "My Best Teacher" among the school's 2020 undergraduate graduates. He selected and compiled a concise course lecture notes in English for undergraduate students, highlighting key points and difficulties.
"Most of our teachers in the Department of Mathematics like to use chalk to write on the blackboard during class. We deliberately slow down the writing in order to let the students think along with them and teach them the thinking of learning mathematics." Shen Weixiao said.
Independent thinking is more important than receiving knowledge. With a friendly smile, he likes to turn exercise classes into discussion classes and let his classmates explain on the blackboard, because standing on the podium alone is a process of thinking and organizing.
Are there more or fewer people studying mathematics now? “When I was in college, there were no major breakthroughs in mathematics around the world, and few people were willing to learn mathematics. Until 2001, the talented Russian mathematician Perelman proved the Poincaré conjecture, and mathematics gradually attracted attention. Now, it has become a popular major. Our college recruits about 200 graduate students a year, but most of them are not here for pure mathematics. "Shen Weixiao said that the base for studying mathematics is not a bad thing, but they are young. It should not be too utilitarian. Everyone should do what they are interested in or good at. Only in this way can they do their best.
Shen Weixiao once joked with a reporter from Jiefang Daily and Shangguan News that when teaching undergraduates, you can clearly feel that you are still "alive", because the research at hand may not make any progress for a long time, but teaching and educating people is real.
What is the concept of long time? "There is a problem that I have been working hard on for more than 20 years, but I still haven't solved it. I have tried all possible methods, and recently I can only put it aside temporarily." Shen Weixiao said that in more than 30 years of working with mathematics, in fact, most of the time, I feel What I felt was a sense of frustration. “Several times, I dreamed that I had solved a problem. When I woke up, I only remembered the feeling of excitement, but I couldn’t remember the method of solving the problem in my dream.”
Unlike technical processes that can be gradually improved, basic research on mathematical problems is not solved if it cannot achieve 100% completion. However, the time dimension of basic research can also be extended to a very long time, unlike some projects that have strict time nodes. "I'll put some issues aside if I don't have any ideas for the time being. Once I have new ideas, I will pick them up again." Shen Weixiao said.
What would happen if the math problem was successfully solved? "Just be excited for 5 minutes, and then start writing the paper. Mathematicians also need motivation, and that comes from peer review."
The solution of one mathematical problem often leads to more problems to be solved.
It sounds a little lonely, but it's rich inside. Because of this, Shen Weixiao enjoys this process.
For him, a spacious office with a big blackboard is enough. "I can't sit still. I have to walk around the office for up to an hour. The blackboard is the most important, because standing in front of the blackboard and writing mathematical formulas makes my thinking more active."
With a calm smile, Shen Weixiao laughed at himself, "Except for mathematics, I don't have any good hobbies." He is a man who pursues simplicity in life. His wife buys and wears whatever she wants, and he does not have high demands on his two children. "They just do something they like."
Born in 1975 in Chizhou, Anhui. He graduated from the University of Science and Technology of China in 1995 and received his PhD from the University of Tokyo in 2001. He once served as a professor at the University of Science and Technology of China and the National University of Singapore. Winner of the Chen Shengshen Mathematics Award of the Chinese Mathematical Society in 2009, invited speaker of the International Congress of Mathematicians in 2014, winner of the Scientific Exploration Award in 2021, and selected as a New Cornerstone Researcher in 2023.
