"A Thousand Academicians Doing Science Popularization" is a Leading Model Report | Academician | Current Review
Guangming Review
Author: Guo Mingfei
Recently, the 20th Anniversary Conference of "Science and China" and the "Thousand Academicians · Thousand Science Popularization" campaign were launched in Beijing. At the first report meeting held on the same day, eight academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, including Wu Xiangping, Ding Kuiling, Shao Feng, Yao Tandong, Mei Hong, Gao Deli, Jin Yong, and Sun Ninghui, gave science popularization reports in the fields of astronomy, geography, life, information and environment, digital and computing, which attracted widespread attention.
Academicians are the highest academic titles in science and technology and engineering science and technology in China. Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering are the winners of this highest honor and enjoy high reputation and prestige in society. At present, the total number of academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Sciences is around 1700. Excluding those who are older, unable to go out to give presentations, and unable to be separated for other reasons, "having a thousand academicians doing science popularization" means that almost all academicians will participate. The high standards, intensity, and wide scope of the activities are evident.
Since equal importance means equal attention should be given, and one cannot favor one over the other. In recent years, party committees and governments at all levels have attached increasing importance to science popularization work and vigorously encouraged scientists to participate in science popularization. The reason why relevant departments attach so much importance to science popularization is that in today's China, science popularization has become the key to improving the scientific literacy of the whole population, and even the key to the rapid transformation of scientific and technological achievements in China.
Science popularization is a lever to improve citizens' scientific literacy and create a scientific and technological innovation atmosphere. Without the popularization of science, there can be no improvement in citizens' scientific literacy; Without the improvement of citizens' scientific literacy, technological innovation lacks sufficient mass and social foundation. Science is not a game of small circles, but a member of the social system. For scientists, science popularization is not just about neglecting their professional duties, on the contrary, it is about "adhering to the right profession and fulfilling their duties", which is a clear manifestation of leveraging their professional strengths and advantages. So, it is within the scope of scientists to engage in science popularization, and it is an unshirkable responsibility that should be fulfilled. It can be said that scientists are the "regular army" and "ace army" engaged in science popularization work. Especially for some popular pseudosciences and false sciences in society, scientists should lead by example, timely popularize scientific knowledge to the public, answer questions, clarify fallacies, and use sound and sound to prevent false knowledge and false science rumors from rampant, so that true knowledge and true science can be widely spread and popularized. Relevant departments, research institutes, and universities should comply with the requirements of the times of placing science popularization in the same important position as scientific and technological innovation, focus on establishing and improving institutional mechanisms, improve assessment and evaluation systems, and lay institutional guarantees for scientists to engage in science popularization work.
From Academician Wang Pinxian, an octogenarian academician, became a "popular science TV" attracting millions of fans on the Internet platform, to the "Academician Popular Science" program participated by five academicians, Ouyang Ziyuan, Tan Tianwei, Zhang Fusuo, Gao Fu, Ouyang Zhongcan, and so on, which received more than one billion hits across the network; From the recent joint initiative of seven academicians, including Chen Xiaoping and Gui Jianfang, in Wuhan to prioritize and take action on science popularization work, to the recent "Thousand Academicians · Thousand Science Popularization" campaign, which has sparked a wave of science popularization and received public welcome... The fact has repeatedly shown that making science closer to life and the public is more popular and influential.
Scientific research seeks true knowledge, and science popularization strives for excellence and beauty. A thousand academicians doing science popularization is a leading example and a positive guidance. Not only academicians, but also all scientists and researchers should focus on studying and overcoming difficult problems, while striving to spread the new knowledge, ideas, and technologies they have mastered through simple and understandable language, in order to maximize the utility of scientific knowledge.
Guangming Daily