In this year's selection of academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Professor Shu Gequn, the current secretary of the University of Science and Technology of China, was once again defeated. Professor Shu Gequn is a special case because he has run for both the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which is very rare in the selection of academicians. Although many people think that the party committee secretaries in universities are mainly engaged in party affairs, in fact, the secretaries of the party committees have grown up in front-line teaching and scientific research positions, and have made certain achievements in related fields. This year, Pan Yishan, Secretary of the Party Committee of Liaoning University, and Li Qingquan, Secretary of the Party Committee of Shenzhen University, were both successfully elected academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, indicating that the Party Secretary was not ignored in the selection of academicians because of a lack of teaching and scientific research experience. Professor Shu Gequn is the party secretary of the University of Science and Technology of China, but he is a very good scholar. He has been named a national candidate for the "New Century Millions of Talents Project", and has long been engaged in the research of internal combustion engine design and internal combustion engine waste heat energy conversion and utilization. He has presided over a number of national, provincial and ministerial scientific research projects, and has been recognized by many important awards. This year, Professor Shu Gequn was nominated and recommended as a valid candidate for academician of the Ministry of Technology and Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, but unfortunately he was not successfully elected as an academician in the end. This is the third time he has run for academician, the previous two times in 2021 and 2017, both of which were for the academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. This is his first candidacy for the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which may be related to the fact that the University of Science and Technology of China is a university directly under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Prior to serving as the Secretary of the Party Committee of the University of Science and Technology of China, Professor Shu Gequn worked at Tianjin University for a long time and held various positions, including Director of the Department of Automotive Engineering, Director of the Institute of Vehicle and Engine, School of Mechanical Engineering, Tianjin University, Deputy Director and Director of the Science and Technology Department of Tianjin University, and Vice President of Tianjin University. In May 2018, he was transferred to the University of Science and Technology of China as Secretary of the Party Committee. This year, not only Professor Shu Gequn was not successfully elected as an academician, but even Tianjin University failed to have any scholars elected as academicians. Originally, 8 scholars from Tianjin University entered the ranks of valid candidates for academicians, but none of them were successfully shortlisted.
Professor Shu Gequn is a scholar with outstanding achievements in the field of scientific research. He has long been engaged in the research of internal combustion engine design and the conversion and utilization of waste heat energy of internal combustion engines, and has achieved remarkable results in this field. He has presided over more than 30 national, provincial and ministerial scientific research projects, and his research results have had a wide impact on the academic circles at home and abroad. Professor Shu's research focuses on the following aspects:
First of all, he made important contributions to the design of internal combustion engines. As an important power equipment, the internal combustion engine is widely used in industrial production and transportation. Professor Shu has studied and optimized the combustion process and combustion characteristics of internal combustion engines, improved the thermal efficiency and emission levels of internal combustion engines, and made important contributions to improving the performance and efficiency of internal combustion engines.
Secondly, Professor Shu is committed to the research on the conversion and utilization of waste heat energy from internal combustion engines. If the large amount of waste heat generated during the working process of the internal combustion engine cannot be effectively converted and utilized, a large amount of energy resources will be wasted. Professor Shu has carried out in-depth research and proposed a variety of methods and technologies to efficiently convert the waste heat energy of internal combustion engines into electrical energy and thermal energy, realizing the comprehensive utilization of energy, which has important economic and environmental benefits.
In addition, Professor Shu has also conducted a series of research work in the field of new energy. He conducted in-depth research on the development and utilization of new energy and proposed some innovative solutions. He paid attention to energy conversion efficiency and energy utilization, and explored the development and application of various new energy sources including solar energy, wind energy, biomass energy, etc., and promoted the progress of new energy research in China.
These research results have not only been widely recognized in the academic community, but also received attention and support at the national, provincial and ministerial levels. Professor Shu has received several important awards, such as the first prize of Tianjin Science and Technology Progress Award, the first prize of Tianjin Natural Science Award, and the second prize of National Science and Technology Progress Award. The application of its scientific research results has also been affirmed and applied by the industry.
Professor Shu Gequn is running for academician for the third time this year, and the previous two times were in 2021 and 2017, when he was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. This year is his first candidacy for academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which is also a moment of special significance. As the Party Secretary of the University of Science and Technology of China, Professor Shu has extensive experience and extensive influence in scientific research. He has served as the director of the Department of Automotive Engineering and the director of the Institute of Vehicle and Engine Research of the School of Mechanical Engineering of Tianjin University, and has accumulated rich scientific research experience and academic attainments. In addition, Professor Shu also has certain experience in scientific research management, and has served as the deputy director and director of the Science and Technology Department of Tianjin University, and the vice president of Tianjin University, and has in-depth understanding and practical experience in the organization, management and development planning of scientific research work.
Despite his outstanding achievements and extensive influence in the academic field, Professor Shu was unsuccessful in this fellowship. We might as well think about this result from multiple perspectives.
First of all, the selection of academicians is a very rigorous and competitive process, and many outstanding scholars participate in the selection every year. Standing out from the crowd of great candidates is no easy task. Professor Shu can devote himself to scientific research and continue to strive for higher academic achievements.
Secondly, the selection of academicians is not only to examine the academic level and scientific research achievements of scholars, but also to comprehensively consider their contributions to the country and society. As the secretary of the party committee of the university, Professor Shu takes care of teaching and research and university management, which may have a certain influence on him in the selection of academicians. However, in the academic world, it is not uncommon for party secretaries to engage in scientific research, and Academician Pan Yishan and Academician Li Qingquan are typical examples. Therefore, Professor Shu's status as party secretary should not be an obstacle to his selection of academicians.
Finally, the University of Science and Technology of China, where Professor Shu is located, is a university directly under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and whether it is of special significance for the party secretary of the University of Science and Technology of China to be elected as an academician of the University of Science and Technology. Regardless of how the factors affect the selection results, we should pay more attention to Professor Shu's academic achievements and contributions.
To sum up, Professor Shu Gequn, as the Secretary of the Party Committee of the University of Science and Technology of China, has outstanding achievements and extensive influence in the field of scientific research. Although he was not successfully elected in this academician selection, his academic contributions and scientific research achievements are still worthy of appreciation. Regardless of their status, scholars should continue to work hard and make greater contributions to the cause of science.