Small Soldier? Big Winner!��

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, February 01, 2002

Small Soldier? Big Winner!��

"Huang Scattering", "Huang Equations", "Huang-Phys factor", these are familiar terms in the world of physics, and the word "Huang" in each term stands for one person.

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"Huang Scattering", "Huang Equations", "Huang-Phys factor", these are familiar terms in the world of physics, and the word "Huang" in each term stands for one person.

That person is Huang Kun, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and a well-known Chinese physicist.

"The Dynamic Theory of Crystal Lattices", a monograph unanimously considered a "bible" in solid state physics, was also written by Huang, at the age of 32, in collaboration with Max Born,a German Nobel laureate in physics.

As important as he is, Huang is still very modest. He even claims he has "only a limited amount of knowledge".

"Some people are born to be marshals, some are born to be soldiers. I belong to the latter group, just a small soldier. To be a solider means you will have to fight at the front."

On Friday President Jiang Zemin awarded the "small soldier" the highest honour possible, the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award 2001. Besides the honor, Huang also receives five million yuan.

Addressing the award ceremony, Huang said his award belongs to every scientist in the country.

Huang said he has done "just a little", and he really hates being in the spotlight.

However, the truth is, what he has accomplished is by no means "just a little".

Zhang Ligang, an American academician, said under Huang's guidance, what the Chinese scientists have achieved in crystal lattice research is no by no means less than their most outstanding counterparts the world over.

From 1977 to 1983, Huang's research group was honored with nearly 40 awards for their achievements. This success can be attributed to hard work and effort.

Huang came back to China from Britain in the early 1950s and taught at Peking University until 1977, when he was appointed director of the Institute of Semiconductors at the CAS.

"I was almost 60 years old in 1977, and that is not an ideal age for one to do research. What's worse, I had been away from that kind of work for a long time. But I was persistent and did everything that I needed to do. After more than ten years, I finally achieved something," He recalled.

Nearly half a century ago, at the age of 36, Huang became a member of the CAS, the youngest academician of the time. He was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1980, and a member of the Third World Academy of Sciences in 1985.

Summing up his life work, Huang said he experienced two peaks of creativity, one when doing post-doctorate research work in Britain and the other when working at the Semiconductor Institute.

"Scientists should be receptive to both problems and opportunities. Remember, creativity is of the uttermost importance," said the 82-year-old award winner.

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