Recently, Wang Zhizhen, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a biochemist and molecular biologist, had an accident in CCTV's "Let's Talk" program, which touched everyone at the scene.
The place where she was standing when she was giving a speech was surrounded by a lot of black scum, and it was discovered that it was because she was wearing a pair of old slag shoes.
She was embarrassed to laugh at herself for "showing her foreign appearance", but the audience was deeply moved.
Everyone sighed:This is not a foreign appearance, but a scientist who is devoted to research, and unintentionally shows the sincerity and simplicity.
In the program, Academician Wang Zhizhen said that he has always been a "person who doesn't pay attention", and he once wore two different socks because he was in a hurry to go to the laboratory.
Devoted to scientific research, completely forgetting about foreign objectsToday, at the age of 81, she still works in the lab every day.
"In the lab, I feel grounded, happy, and happy. ”This gentle and soft sentence falls in this noisy era, but the voice is exceptionally clear.
Academician Wang once said that she was the lucky one of the times, so she always had a feeling of uneasiness.
When the opportunity came, it was as if the last train was whizzing in front of her, and she hurried towards it without knowing it, climbing up with all her might, and finally climbed onto the train.
no.1
Xi yourself and be ambitious
She used perseverance to go to the road of scientific research
In the book "Interview with Life Science at the University of Science and Technology of China", we were able to get a glimpse of the hardships of Academician Wang Zhizhen.
She was not born into a wealthy family.
In the interview, Academician Wang Zhizhen once mentioned: "The death of my father made us lose our economy for a period of time. I don't have new clothes, I often wear clothes that have been changed from old clothes at home;I don't have pocket money, so I don't eat snacks. ”
But this reality has never dampened her enthusiasm for studying. She said"I never envied the lives of wealthy classmates, but immersed myself in my own academic Xi. ”
And that's exactly what happened. Since elementary school, Academician Wang's grades have been among the best, and junior high school has been the only opportunity to be sent to high school.
However, Academician Wang's academic career was not all smooth sailing.
"After graduating from high school, I almost went to the sports academy. ”
In 1958, Academician Wang Zhizhen was a senior in high school and was a member of the gymnastics team of Shanghai Middle School.
At that time, it was necessary to "put satellites" everywhere. Shanghai Middle School decided to put a "sports satellite" and sent some members of the gymnastics team to the Physical Education Department of Shanghai Normal University for training.
Source: Documentary "My Family, My Country".
However, the third year of high school was a year of preparation for the university, and Academician Wang Zhizhen had to insist on training during the day and self-study at night, and obtained the first-class gymnastics athlete certificate half a year later. Because of this, when she applied for the university volunteer, she was required by the school to apply for the sports college.
But she has liked mathematics, physics and chemistry since she was a child, and she wants to apply for a science major in a famous university, and she is very resistant and afraid of this arrangement.
Fortunately, with the persistence of Academician Wang Zhizhen and the care and help of the head teacher Bai Zaili, she was finally allowed to apply for a first-class (science and engineering) universityIn the end, he was admitted to the University of Science and Technology of China as he wished, and won a valuable opportunity to embark on the road of scientific research on his own.
Source: China Women's Daily.
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Seize the opportunity and forge ahead
She used hard work to penetrate Chinese and Western education
In Academician Wang's view, he is just an ordinary person.
She always believes that what has made her the great era of reform and opening up, the study experience from childhood to adulthood, the excellent research environment of the State Key Laboratory of Biological Macromolecules of the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the many leaders and colleagues who have helped her and the students who have worked with her.
But in fact,The train of opportunity never stopped at the platform and waited for her quietly, but she relied on her diligence and persistence to hold the ticket tightly.
In 1979, the German Humboldt** Society took the initiative to provide scholarships to invite Chinese scholars to do scientific research in Germany. The opportunity to become a public German student was placed in front of Academician Wang Zhizhen, but both the political environment and language literacy prevented her from seizing this opportunity.
At that time, there was a saying that 'you can't take imperialist money'. Academician Wang said, "The teachers at the Goethe-Institut only speak German, and my German is zero, and my English is not good. ”
But she didn't compromise with the two obstacles. Despite the language difficulties, four months later he managed to go to the laboratory and live a scientific life among a group of Germans.
Source: China Women's Daily.
Academician Wang also shared himselfThe experience of becoming a monk halfway through the journey to learn English is now very admirable.
In 1975, I had the opportunity to attend a one-year English speaking course in Hefei. ”
Our group of researchers, all in their mid-35s, had mostly studied Russian before, but most of them had no knowledge of English, and we all cherished this opportunity to learn Xi. ”
We have been learning spoken English Xi Mr. Li Pei for a whole year, and we have made significant progress ......When I was in Hefei, I hardly left school except for a weekend trip to the nearby Qili Station Farmers' Market to buy eggsIt's a lot of hard work.
Letting the flower of idealism bloom in the soil of reality is destined to be a process full of hard work and sweat.
And Academician Wang Zhizhen, let us see:Step by step, the road ahead is long and bright, and every step is also driven.
In the vast starry sky of scientific research, Academician Wang Zhizhen is like a bright star, and his continuous 30 years of hard work have lit up the unknown field of life sciences.
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Because of "disobedience".
Gain the opportunity to do scientific research
After graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1964, Academician Wang Zhizhen entered the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences as a research Xi, and was assigned the task of calibrating the pipette scale.
This work does not require much thought and research, and there is not much demand for this work in the institute, which makes Wang Zhizhen feel bored.
In the mid-70s, despite the difficult scientific research environment at that time, Academician Wang Zhizhen still desperately hoped for the opportunity to do scientific research.
Every day, she went to the secretary of the research room with an unusually resolute attitude and expressed to him her only request: I don't want to have nothing to do, I only ask for a place where I can work.
Source: Documentary "My Family, My Country".
Academician Wang's "soft grinding and hard bubble" finally impressed the leadership, because at that time, the Institute of Biophysics only had the insulin structure group doing scientific research, after some twists and turns, she was transferred to the insulin group to work, and finally took the first step towards scientific research.
Academician Wang Zhizhen recalled"I am basically obedient in the unit, but this 'disobedience' has been exchanged for a valuable job opportunity, and I am full of gratitude. ”
Reading literature, doing experiments, discussing with colleagues, writing articles together, ......Academician Wang Zhizhen made up for the lost time by working hard.
I graduated in 1964, and by about 1974, 1975, I hadn't really done anything in the lab for ten years. She sighed"The days when there is research to do are blissful. ”
Source: Documentary "My Family, My Country".
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Challenging international authority
She has been working in the field of protein folding for 30 years
Academician Wang Zhizhen's lifelong scientific research time is inseparable from protein.
Academician Wang once said, "Breakthroughs and innovations in basic research are more difficult than most people imagineIt sounds like an exciting possibility, maybe in the near future, or maybe it's far away, but that's the beauty of basic research. ”
In 1966, Chinese scientists synthesized crystalline bovine insulin with all biological activities for the first time.
At that time, although Zou Chenglu and other scientists completed the amazing feat of artificially synthesizing insulin, they did not know how the two peptide chains of insulin folded into the correct protein structure.
In 1982, Academician Wang Zhizhen returned to the motherland after completing his study abroad journey. To figure this out,In 1983, Academician Wang's scientific research team began the "study of the interaction between insulin A and B chains", which has been done for ten years.
Academician Wang Zhizhen and his colleagues have done countless experiments, and finally clarified the internal laws of the interaction between A and B chains from multiple levels.
In 1993, Academician Wang proposed the hypothesis that PDI is both an enzyme and a molecular chaperone.
Source: Documentary "My Family, My Country".
However, this hypothesis was contrary to the views of the international authoritative scientists at that time, and the scientists who proposed the concept of molecular chaperones even directly denied Wang Zhizhen's research results.
But Academician Wang Zhizhen did not flinch, and she had the courage to challenge international authority, but more experiments need to be done to prove the hypothesis they proposed.
In the end, she successfully catalyzed the correct recombination of insulin using "protein disulfide isomerase (PDI)", obtained sufficient evidence, made this hypothesis internationally recognized, and also broke through the understanding of protein folding laws by international scientific authorities.
Until now, this article is still being quoted by later generations.
After the nineties of the 20th century, Academician Wang Zhizhen continued to conduct in-depth research on this enzyme, which has lasted for more than 30 years.
There is only one genius in a nation, among millions of people;Millions of idle hours in the world have passed, and a truly historic moment has emerged, the hour of human starry.
Academician Wang Zhizhen has been inseparable from his own persistence and the help of the people around him, and has finally become a shining star in our hearts.
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The motivation to devote yourself to a career in scientific research
Xi and interests
On the road of scientific research, Academician Wang Zhizhen has not had an easy time.
And today's ph., who have been experimenting since the age of twentyd, my training in experiments is very weak. "To make up for the lost decade," she saidEver since I got the opportunity to do experiments, I've been in the lab every day, day after day, going out early and returning late. ”
The reporter then asked: "Then what is the driving force for you to soak in the laboratory every day, day after day, go out early and return late?"”
At that time, we were in the laboratory.
It takes only one or two weeks to get the chance to do an experiment with a fluorescence spectrophotometer, and if you miss this one, the data will have to be delayed.
One or two weeks. Academician Wang said.
Once, in the face of strong wind and rain, I cycled for an hour and a half to the lab, and my whole body was soakedI had to take this opportunity to experiment at the time I had registered, and it was as simple as that, it was my own life Xi and interests.
Academician Wang always believes that the habit Xi of XiXi learning and doing things seriously that she has cultivated since she was a child is related to the education of their time, that is"Be strict with yourself".
"Politically demanding progress, and being strict with oneself in business and life, I think this is the way it should be. ”
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Help from loved ones
They show the way in confusion
Academician Wang Zhizhen is very grateful to those who have given him guidance and support on the road of study and scientific research.
She said that the reason why she chose to major in biophysics was related to her brother and sister.
Before Academician Wang went to university, her sister had entered the Department of Biology of Peking University and was one of the first batch of biochemistry students in New China.
Influenced by his sister, Academician Wang Zhizhen applied for Peking University during the college entrance examination, and also filled in several departments of Tsinghua University in the volunteer column.
Academician Wang's elder brother works at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
In her junior year of high school, Wang Zhizhen's plan for her future was not clear, although she had the dream of becoming a scientist, she didn't know what major to study, and because she was interested in mathematics, physics, and chemistry, and her grades in each course were acceptable, it was difficult to choose between these disciplines.
Academician Wang once followed several students in the class who participated in the mathematics competition to do the competition problems, and she felt good about herself, which once made her have the urge to study mathematics.
However, Academician Wang's brother thought that her thinking ability had not yet reached the level of learning mathematics, so he warned her not to study mathematics.
Source: Documentary "My Family, My Country".
Regarding this, when she later chatted with her classmate Hua Ling, she learned that his father, Mr. Hua Luogeng, once said that mathematics is the hardest mental work.
Academician Wang is absolutely convinced of this. So at the suggestion of her brother, she read the introduction of the admissions brochure of the Department of BiophysicsIt is discovered that biophysics is an interdisciplinary discipline, and it is necessary to use mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and other knowledge to reveal the basic laws of life.
She felt that this subject was really suitable for her, so she gladly accepted her brother's proposal.
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The ability to scrutinize oneself rigorously
Good at reflection and building on strengths and avoiding weaknesses
I think what I received was basically a 'cramming education'I wonder if my classmates have a different opinionAcademician Wang mentioned in an interview.
Influenced by the "one-sided" policy at that time, domestic universities were keen to emulate the "cramming" education of Soviet Russia. USTC teachers are highly dedicated, often preparing for dozens of hours in a class, teaching or "instilling" as much knowledge as possible to students.
Source: Documentary "My Family, My Country".
I remember that my notes were dense and I also created my own 'sketches', and the sorted notes seemed to 'record' the teacher's lectures. It should be said that we have laid a solid foundation of physics and chemistry, but it is basically the product of indoctrination education. ”
Academician Wang Zhizhen recalled the professional education he received and had a new understanding after many years, "Some people sayIt is more important to ask questions and find problems than to solve them, I think so. At that time, we were still more concerned with the problem solved, that is, the answer;Ignoring the process of how problems are discovered and how problems are solved. ”
I was reading Elon Musk's book recentlyI think I'm one of those people who don't have a sense of adventure and have a very poor ability to innovate。Based on his strict scrutiny and calm judgment, Academician Wang gave himself a bold "diagnosis".
Although we all know that Wang Zhizhen, as an academician, cannot be without the spirit of adventure and innovation, this does not prevent us from seeing the important ability that motivates her to continue to move forward on the road of scientific researchRigorous self-scrutiny.
Instead of indulging in the education she has received and blindly looking for "rationality" for her own achievements, she constantly reflects and changes, so as to promote her continuous improvement.
We often say that scientists are the stars we should really chase and the backbone of the country.
Their specific appearance is Wang Zhizhen in his youth, studying hard to Xi and strengthening himself and strengthening the country, and Wang Zhizhen in middle age, unswerving, courageously moving forward, Wang Zhizhen in his old age, working in the laboratory for 30 years, using his life to promote the progress of science;
It is Li Xiaowen, the remote sensing master of "Cloth Shoes Academician", Gao Bolong, the founder of China's laser gyroscope "Vest Academician", Lu Yonggen, the model of the times, Cui Kun, the "Iron Academician" who has worn a jacket for 30 years, and Shen Shizhao, the "big span" academician who has worn a pair of pants for 30 years but donated 3 million yuan, ......
It is precisely because they are ready to burn their lives to science, and with the clarity and purity of the scientific world and the eternal pursuit of correctness, that we wait for the glimpse of the scientific world.
And we who admire them may not be suitable for a thorough run towards idealism, but we also don't need to fully devote ourselves to the merit system, there is actually a wide area between the two poles, and in the limited freedom, we can also see a crescent moon when we look up.
References: 1] China Women's Daily - "In the laboratory, I feel down-to-earth, happy, and happy".
2] How bumpy is the road to scientific research?Three generations of female scientists came forward to say so!
3] Intellectuals-Interview with Academician Wang Zhizhen: Don't forget your original intention, my study era |Spring and Autumn of Science.
4] Jimu News - The academician said that he was "out of the foreign appearance", but netizens shed tears.
5] CCTV - "My Family, My Country".