Top Science Laureates

(From Beijing Review, 2011-01-27)

Shi Changxu (LIU JIANSHENG)	Wang Zhenyi (LIU JIANSHENG)

Materials expert Shi Changxu and hematologist Wang Zhenyi, were awarded the 2010 State Top Scientific and Technological Awards, on January 14, for outstanding contributions to scientific and technological innovation. The pair, both from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, each received 5 million yuan ($735,000).

China has presented the annual State Top Scientific and Technological Award to elite scientists and researchers yearly since 2000.

Shi, 91, graduated from National Northwest China Institute of Technology in 1945 and acquired a doctorate at a university in the United States before returning to China in 1955. He was honored for his research on superalloy and new alloy steel, which has been widely used to produce turbine blades for Chinese fighter aircraft. During his career, his work resulted in the creation of a variety of new alloy steels. Shi is an academician with both the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Chinese Academy of Sciences, China's top two scientific research institutes.

Wang, 87, graduated from the former Aurora University in Shanghai in 1948 with a doctoral degree. His specialties are hematology and the treatment of cancer. His research has greatly improved the survival chances of people with acute promyelocytic leukemia. Also, Wang was the first scientist to transform cancer cells into normal cells. In 1994, he was elected a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.