Genius of the Rules-Style System

Chapter 971: Chapter 489 Absolutely not spending a penny on research institutes!_1

In the 1990s, the National Academy of Engineering was officially established and became the highest honorary and consultative academic institution in the national engineering science and technology community. However, the Academy of Engineering does not have its own research entities, it is merely a "virtual body," which is a clear difference from the research institution, the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

By contrast, the Chinese Academy of Sciences focuses on basic scientific theoretical research, while the Academy of Engineering focuses more on the application of engineering technology.

At the beginning of the Academy of Engineering, the selection process for the first group of academicians determined that there would be around one hundred members. Seventy of them were nominated by relevant departments and commissions under the State Council, and the other thirty were "concurrent" members from the academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

After voting, the Academy of Engineering elected sixty-six individuals from the nominees. Then, another thirty academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences were recommended as academicians of the Academy of Engineering, including internationally recognized top scientists such as Qian Xuesen, Wang Daheng, and Lu Yongxiang. freёwebnoѵel.com

More than a decade passed, and even now many people believe that having academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences elected to the Academy of Engineering at its inception was to expand the international academic influence of the Academy of Engineering and to increase the authority of its academic review process. The following year, only four academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences were newly elected to the Academy of Engineering, becoming bona fide "double academicians."

In the subsequent decade or so until now, there have been no more "double academicians."

An academician responsible for the additional election process at the Academy of Engineering once said in an interview, "The competition for the election of academicians at the Academy of Engineering is very fierce, and pursuing cross-elections has become quite unrealistic. Moreover, some scientists already have a high international prestige, one academician honor is enough for them, and there is no need to hold two academician titles."

That’s the reason.

In practice, being an academician at the Academy of Engineering was merely a superfluous honor for Zhao Yi, to say nothing of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Given his own academic status, he didn’t need the title of ’academician’ to augment his reputation. However, being elected as the first ’double academician’ in over a decade also represented domestic academic recognition.

Zhao Yi was still somewhat looking forward to it.

Of course.

The additional election process for academicians at the Academy of Engineering had not yet begun; it was still too early to consider the timing.

Zhao Yi walked around his office, then visited the Medical Science Center to check on the newly relocated laboratory. He found many people busily working. After inquiring about the research issues, he left to rest.

He still wanted to take a break and relax a bit around the New Year.

Zhao Yi’s mind was idle, and when he had nothing better to do, he would wander the streets and supermarkets, picking up some New Year’s goods and gifts.

This leisurely stroll would occupy his whole day.

Occasionally shopping was quite fun, provided he didn’t think about the security guards and bodyguards that followed him from a distance.

Zhao Yi would occasionally glance back and feel a bit depressed, but there was no helping it—safety was paramount.

On the street.

Zhao Yi stopped and watched a blind person from afar, whose guide dog was loyally leading the way, attracting the attention of many passersby.

Blind people out on the streets alone were still a rare sight, possibly because society was not very friendly to people with disabilities.

For instance, if a blind person caused a traffic accident while walking around, it might provoke complaints from others, "How can you walk around when you’re blind!"

In reality, it is precisely because they cannot see that they should receive more sympathy, not the blame of others.

That is society for you.

Suddenly, Zhao Yi pondered a profound question, "How can one change this society?"

"To ensure that people with disabilities can enjoy the same treatment as others, to receive more compassion and support, instead of..."

"Difficult indeed!"

After thinking in place for a while, Zhao Yi came to the ’difficult’ conclusion that changing social attitudes was incredibly challenging, even harder than solving some scientific problems.

The grievances expressed by ordinary people when people with disabilities cause issues should not be simply understood as a matter of morality alone; they also relate to human development and societal progress.

Overall, it’s complicated.

Zhao Yi shook his head, realizing he was thinking too much. He wasn’t a sociologist but a...

Biomedical researcher!

"Right!"

"If technology could enable blind people to see, if it could allow people with limb disabilities to use mechanical arms or something else..."

"Wouldn’t that solve the problem?"

As the guide dog successfully led its owner across the street, Zhao Yi continued to walk slowly, starting to consider how to ’cure the disabled’.

Blindness was a prime example.

"If one could install something similar to a camera in their eyes, as seen in movies, to help them see the world, that would be the perfect solution."

"But mechanical electronics transmit electrical signals, while neurons don’t only convey electrical impulses, and their specific modes and types of transmission are still not fully understood even now."

"To convert electronic signals into neural transmission signals that the human body can accept..."

"Difficult indeed!"

Zhao Yi gave it some thought and realized it was indeed too complex, involving too much content to be solved by unraveling just one or two problems.

If that day were to come, breakthroughs in medicine, electronics, information technology, and other fields must have been made.

Compared to the current level of technology, it could even be described as a ’revolutionary advance.’

"Perhaps it could be achieved after the fourth technological revolution?"

Zhao Yi said with a sarcastic curl of his lip.