On March 8th, China celebrated its 101st International Women's Day. With the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in session for 2024, sparking the innovative potential of female scientists has once again become a hot topic among delegates.
Ms. Wu Lizhu, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, expressed in an interview with China Science Daily: "Women are an indispensable force in scientific research, and their professional growth deserves more attention from society as a whole. This doesn't mean giving them more 'care,' but rather, giving them more 'trust.'"
Ms. Wu's office is just 10 meters away from the nearest laboratory, and she traverses this distance countless times every day. She says that chemistry is a sensual subject that never gets boring. She has been walking these "10 meters" for over 30 years.
Leading her team at the forefront of photochemistry, Ms. Wu endeavors to grasp the "Holy Grail" of chemistry, namely, "artificial photosynthesis."
However, the path of scientific research is fraught with challenges. In Ms. Wu's research on simulated artificial photosynthesis, the initial hydrogen catalysis conversion rate was only 0.1. Through the relentless efforts of her team members, within less than six years, this number increased to 16 million. This signifies continuous improvements in catalyst stability and efficiency, along with a decrease in costs.
Ms. Wu states, "Life is beautiful, and doing research that you love is enjoying the process of life."
They say that engaging in fundamental research requires being comfortable with sitting on the "cold bench." Yet, for Ms. Zhang Jianling, a researcher at the Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, sitting on such a "cold bench" brings joy.
"I am deeply passionate about scientific research, and my happiest moments are when I'm conducting experiments in the laboratory," said Ms. Zhang at the International Women's Day commendation ceremony held by the Chinese Academy of Sciences on March 6th.
Ms. Zhang's research team, specializing in the "properties and applications of green solvents," was awarded the title of "China Academy of Sciences March 8th Red Banner Collective" at this ceremony.
There was once a topic on Weibo: Do you think female scientists are cool? Many netizens expressed that female scientists are indeed cool. Traits like sensitivity, delicacy, and resilience can coexist in them simultaneously.
Ms. Lu Jing is pleased to see that in her field of paleontology, opportunities for men and women are generally equal, and gender has not become a limiting factor for the development of researchers. "Even in fieldwork, female scientists are equally capable," she said.
However, at this year's National People's Congress, Ms. Yi Tong, a deputy to the National People's Congress and director of the Institute of Innovation and Development Strategy of the Beijing Academy of Science and Technology, pointed out that in China's current scientific evaluation system, the proportion of women in academic committees and project review panels is often low. Female leading scientists in technology are still relatively scarce, and in terms of discourse power, women are still in a disadvantaged position.
In response, Ms. Wu Lizhu calls for female researchers in science to receive more attention from society as a whole. "But this attention is not a form of lowering standards through 'care,' but rather through 'trust.'"
Ms. Wu hopes that research organizations, institutions, and even research teams can provide female scientists with more opportunities to "do important things," allowing them to be trained and take center stage in scientific research. "Providing opportunities for female scientists to fully showcase and share their research work at academic conferences would be a great encouragement."
Fortunately, in recent years, more and more policies and measures have been put in place to address the "development needs" of women entering scientific research, create "places for their talents to shine," and alleviate "worries for their future."
For example, documents such as "Opinions on Implementing the Women's Science and Technology Innovation Action" and "Several Measures to Support Women Scientists in Playing a Greater Role in Scientific and Technological Innovation" have been successively released. At the same time, the National Natural Science Foundation of China has taken the lead in explicitly extending the age limit for female researchers applying for the National Distinguished Young Scientists Fund from 45 to 48 years old.
In the careers of female scientists, there often arises the phenomenon of "dropping out midway." Ms. Yi Tong believes that this is because the prime period of career development for female researchers often overlaps with the child-rearing period, leading to difficulties in balancing family and career.
In the hearts of every female scientist, family is always a concern and a guiding light.
"The hardest part of the scientific path is balancing family and work, and my family is my strongest support," said Ms. Lu Jing. Support from her family gives her the strength to advance to the forefront of world science and technology. Recently, she has led a research team dedicated to obtaining morphological data of ancient organisms through new technologies and methods.
Ms. Zhang Jianling said, "Family gives me the powerful drive to move forward. We not only need to have great love in our hearts and contribute to the country's scientific development but also fulfill our responsibilities as mothers, wives, and daughters."
"A home is a tiny nation, and a nation is millions of homes." The mission to overcome challenges and accelerate the seizing of technological high grounds is embedded in the hearts of many female scientists with a sense of family and national pride.
Ms. Wu Lizhu is dedicated to doing "useful" chemistry, focusing on national strategic needs and the forefront of world science and technology. Over the years, she has led her research team to explore achieving efficient and stable "artificial photosynthesis." She hopes to convert carbon dioxide into useful chemicals, realize the application of clean energy "green hydrogen," and contribute to the realization of the "dual carbon" goal. The core focus of the research conducted by Zhang Jianling's team revolves around the properties of green solvents and the conversion of renewable resources such as carbon dioxide and biomass. In their view, chemical innovation is indispensable in advancing the goal of "carbon neutrality". With the establishment of the Carbon Neutrality Chemistry Center at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Chemistry in 2022, researchers are further concentrating on the "dual carbon" objective, striving to generate a series of key, original, and pioneering scientific achievements.
(Source: China Science Daily, March 8, 2024, Front Page)
