Bulletin Spring‧Summer 2001

CITATION for the University: that Peking University must educate students to the highest quality in both the humanities and the sciences; that Peking University must take advantage of its comprehensive offerings, rich infrastructure and synergy between teaching and research; that Peking University must aim to become a centre for innovation and knowledge-creation, a cultural temple consecratec to the preservation of the best of the past and the present, and a bridge fostering collaboration between the east and the west. These views came from Prof. Chen's heart, and struck chords of resonance in the hearts of many educators. Prof. Chen deeply believes that innovation is the eternal theme of a university, which must at the same time strive to educate the young, to advance knowledge, to disseminate knowledge, and to apply knowledge. The spirit of humanity is the soul of scientific creativity, and to allow scholars to pursue research in quiet and in concentration, a university must first provide a good environment. Genuine science does not mean indiscriminate quantification, bu1 deep understanding of the regularities of nature, leading to lasting influences on human civilization, in theory and in practice. In the 21st century, the internet is spreading its tentacles into every comer, but is hardly the be-all and end-all of human civilization. Education is the uplifting of the human spirit in all its dimensions, and not the mere transmission of knowledge. These penetratin g views from a true scientist contrast with the narrow prejudices of those who value only technology and fail to see the importance of human values. Prof. Chen is currently the president of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and serves on the Executive Committee of the Presidium of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, being the director of its Division of Mathematics and Physics. He is also a specialist consultant to the National High Technology Development Programme on High Power Lasers, the president of the Chinese Physical Society, the president of the Beijing Association of Science and Technology, and the president of the Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies. He was honoured nationally in 1986 for his distinguished achievements, and in the same year was made an honorary citizen of Dallas, Texas, USA . He was elected an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1993 ， and a Fellow of the New York Academy o f Science in 1998. He received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Menlo College in California in 1999 and another honorary Doctor of Science degree from Waseda University in Japan in 2000. Prof, Chen's achievements in science are known to all. He has attended and spoken at numerous scientific meetings, and has published some 140 scientific papers; he is on the editorial board of many academic journals . Prof. Chen has won many awards, including the First Prize awarded by the State Education Commission for Progress in Science and Technology (twice), the First Prize for Achievements in Science and Technology bestowed by the Guang Hua Foundation of Science and Technology, the First Prize of China National Cooperation of Nuclear Energy for Outstanding Text Book, and the First Prize awarded by the State Commission of Science and Technology for Contribution on the State High-Tech Projects. Over the years, Prof. Chen has maintained close ties with The Chinese Universit y of Hong Kong, and has helped to foster close links between Peking University and The Chinese University. In 1998, the Beijing Liaison Office of The Chinese University of Hong Kong was established on the campus o f Peking University. In 1999, Peking University and The Chinese University established a Joint Centre for Intelligence Engineering and a Joint Laboratory for Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. Peking University annually selects a number of first-year students t o come to The Chinese University for their degree course, thus building closer ties and better understanding between the students in the two cities. Mr. Vice-Chancellor, for his unique contributions to higher education and for his distinguished achievements in scientific research, I present Chen Jia'er for the award of the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa. Chinese University Bulletin Spring • Summer 2001 42