He is a globally recognized scientist, having made outstanding contributions to particle physics, statistical mechanics, condensed state physics, etc. By virtue of the theory of parity nonconservation, he became the first Chinese scientist winning Nobel Prize; he is a charming scholar people are delighted to talking about. He is the well-known scholar and distinguished physicist Chen Ning Yang.
On the afternoon of November 5, 2015, Professor Chen Ning Yang visited the 41th “SUSTC Lecture” on invitation, speaking glowingly of his learning and research experience. The event was chaired by President Chen Shiyi,Chairman of the university council Li Ming and other university leaders, teachers and students of faculties and departments, and students of several middle schools of Shenzhen attended the lecture.
Prof.Chen Ning Yang
The Lecture Scene
This lecture aroused intensive response among teachers and students of SUSTC. In the week prior to the event, the teachers and students launched a heated discussion on the visit. On the noon of November 4, students formed a long queue at the admission ticket pick-up location, which revealed the attractiveness of the event. On November 5, before the event began, the main venue (the Lecture Hall of first floor, Research Activities Building No. 1) and two extra venues (the first Lecture Hall of Library and Function Room of Zhiren Academy) had been packed. Inside the main venue, people were crowded onto the steps and beside the doorway. Journalists from many provincial and municipal media were there to cover the event. This was the warmest “SUSTC Lecture” since it was commenced three years ago.
At 3:45 pm, Professor Chen Ning Yang and his wife Ms. Weng Fan entered the lecture hall, the audience burst into thunderous applause.
In his opening remarks, President Chen Shiyi extended a warm welcome to Professor Yang. As the first Nobel Prize winner visiting our university, Chen Ning Yang noted, “South University of Science and Technology of China is the youngest university I have ever visited. It is the fastest growing university for the past few years in China, as well. It is all to nothing that it will succeed in twenty or thirty years.” The whole report lasted for one and a half hours. The 93-year-old Chen Ning Yang showed his strong memory, quick mind and extensive knowledge. The attendees burst into applause again and again to show their satisfaction with the strict logic, profound insights, and humorous words of Yang’s report.
Schooling Experience: Prof. Wu Ta-You and Prof. Wang Zhuxi have influenced him most
Professor Chen Ning Yang spoke of Professor Wu Ta-You (1907-2000) and Professor Wang Zhuxi (1911-1983), the two who influenced him most when he was a student
In the autumn of 1938, he passed the examination and was enrolled as one of the freshmen of the National Southwest Associated University (SWAU). In the spring of 1942, in order to prepare a thesis for bachelor’s degree, Chen Ning Yang asked Professor Wu Ta-You to be his tutor. Professor Wu gave him an issue of Reviews of Modern Physics, and asked him to study one of the articles, which discussed the relation between molecular spectroscopy and group theory. So, Chen Ning Yang grasped the splendid group theory and its in-depth application in physics, which played a decisive role in his subsequent work. This realm is the principle of symmetry, which has occupied two thirds of his research work.
In the autumn of 1942, Chen Ning Yang passed the examination and was enrolled as a doctoral candidate at Tsinghua University Department of Physics (At that time, those who were admitted by SWAU were students of SWAU, while the postgraduate students were that of Peking University, Tsinghua University and Nankai University, respectively.). His doctoral supervisor was Professor Wang Zhuxi, whose expertise was statistical mechanics. He led Chen Ning Yang to the research realm of statistical mechanics. Almost one third of Yang’s research work was occupied by statistical mechanics.
Research experience: Trilogy of interest-preparation-breakthrough
Professor Chen Ning Yang spoke of his experience of study and research with profundity and an easy-to-understand approach. He said, “In my middle- and high-school years, I used to read The Mysterious Universe magazine, the explanation for relativity theory and quantum mechanics aroused my huge interest on social phenomena and the rules behind them, which helped me choose physics as my life-long research orientation.” Professor Yang shared his experience in deducing basic steps for Onsager Solving Process, and summarized the trilogy of “interest-preparation-breakthrough”. He thinks that interest should come first, then come the research, but usually it’s hard to achieve results. Nevertheless, some structures will come into being in your mind till the due time when some new ideas and new insights will come out all of a sudden. He thinks all his studies have close relation with this trilogy. He believes the trilogy of “interest-preparation-breakthrough” is the only way leads to success. He let us know if there is a good idea, never give up easily. Wait the due time, and then the thinking will naturally burst into bloom.
Research results: The theorem of parity nonconservation is a result of questioning
When speaking of his research on the theorem of parity nonconservation, he noted that this theorem overturned those people had confirmed for dozens of years. They found that the predecessors hadn’t proved conservativeness of the beta decay. So they proposed a new experiment to test this. Due to the complexity of the experiment, many experimental physicists refused to do at that time. But Professor Chien-Shiung Wu (1912-1997) thought the experiments were of importance, although she didn’t think the experiment would prove parity nonconservation. So, she didn’t mean to bring about revolution, but she thought this experiment ought to be done. Dr. Yang spoke highly of Professor Wu, and thinks she could see what others couldn’t.
Comparison of education between China and the US: Both have their advantages and disadvantages, encouraging individualized teaching
As a scholar receiving higher education both in China and the US, Professor Yang Zhenning compared educational methods between China and the US. China’s education advocates “knowing you know nothing is the beginning of wisdom”, paying attention to theory-phenomena diversion, which makes the students show irresistibility against those they don’t understand or are not quite clear. They education system in the US is not as perfect as some people think. The students of the US mix the knowledge they understand with those they don’t understand, and fail to shape a clear knowledge framework. Professor Yang Zhenning stressed, it’s no need to blindly pursue the education system of the US, for both have their advantages and disadvantages. Heuristic and inspiring knowledge should be instilled into the mind of the Chinese youth; for the American youth, they should do more exercises, advocating “knowing you know nothing is the beginning of wisdom”.
Learning methods: Eight suggestions
Professor Chen Ning Yang proposed eight suggestions for learning and study:
1. Institution and book knowledge conflict is the best learning opportunity. Grasp this opportunity.
2. Discussion with you classmates is a good in-depth learning method.
3. Theory-phenomena deduction and phenomena-theory induction are two kinds of research spirits.
4. Focus on new phenomena and new methods, rather than book knowledge.
5. That postgraduates feel depressed in seeking research topics is common, for they are creating something new.
6. Three steps of interest, preparation and breakthrough are inseparable for research.
7. Never give up good ideas easily.
8. Solve the most basic problem during daily study.
President Chen Shiyi presides over the lecture
Chairman Li Ming grants commemorative certificate of SUSTC Lecture to Professor Yang
Q&A
During the interactive activities, many questions were raised by teachers and students, which included “how to lay a good foundation for scientific research”, “what impact the latest research results of neutrino will have”, etc. Professor Yang Zhenning answered them with swift mind and vivid words one by one.
The wonderful lecture ended in the warm applause of the students. Many students saw Professor Yang Zhenning off in front of the first research activities building.
(Students’ News Agency of SUSTC)
