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yexuqing木虫之王 (文学泰斗)
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【转帖】施一公致华人生物学家协会的一封信
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施一公致华人生物学家协会的一封信 向海外朋友和同行报告了自己全职回国将近两年的工作和感受  2009年12月27日～29日，两年一度的华人生物学家协会年会在美国圣地亚哥召开。华人生物学家协会前会长、清华大学教授施一公本拟作为特邀报告人出席，但他因故未能参加。他于12月26日致信协会成员王小凡和利民，祝贺会议的召开，并向海外的朋友和同行们报告了自己全职回国将近两年的工作和感受。 2010年1月6日，施一公将这封英文信发表在自己的博客上。 2008年2月，施一公从美国全职回到清华大学受聘为终身教授，出任清华生命科学与医学研究院副院长。去年3月，他接受《科学时报》采访，讲述了自己回国的心路历程；2008年底，他完成了辞去普林斯顿大学终身讲席教授的所有手续，2009年9月，他出任新成立的清华大学生命科学学院院长。 施一公在信中呼吁海外华人科学家们：“最好的支持是以你们在美国坚守的职业道德标准为中国服务。我相信，在科学和研究中，中国和美国应该坚持同样的职业道德和伦理价值观。因此，我是如此吃惊和失望地发现，我的部分同事在回国后全面适应了中国的某种潜规则，而且身体力行开始在中国科学和研究界继承、发扬这种潜规则文化，而在美国，他们是一定会不齿于这种文化的。幸运的是，大多数回国的学者们坚守了他们曾经认可的价值观。” 为了让更多的读者了解施一公全职回国后的工作和生活情况，征得施一公同意，科学时报全文翻译并发表这封信。 小凡、利民： 你们好! 请接受来自北京的问候。我原本计划参加在圣地亚哥举行的2009年度华人生物学家协会年会，但是一个突如其来的个人困境迫使我不得不取消已经预订好的机票。 虽然这封电子邮件是寄给你们二位的，但可以将之与参加本次年会的同行们分享。 我写这封信，一是祝贺2009年华人生物学家协会年会的召开，二是向大家报告我在北京的情况，三是呼吁大家的支持，四是向热情帮助我的朋友和同行们表达诚挚的谢意。 第一，向华人生物学家协会年会致以最热烈的祝贺! 华人生物学家协会最初的名称是“吴瑞协会”，成立至今已有11年的历史了。在这一段时间内，华人生物学研究人员特别是在美国的数量，迅速增加。过去10年中，尽管协会在中国的研究和教育事业中发挥了建设性作用，然而，在科学政策的咨询和科研体制的建设中，我们海外成员强大的力量尚未充分体现出来。与中国的其他专业组织相比，在为中国政府各机构作政策建议时，华人生物学家协会的“超党派”立场即使不能够全部消除，也应该能够最低程度地降低由于其自身利益所引起的冲突。因此，在中国发展进入快轨道的这个历史性时刻，更加迫切地需要协会成员在中国能够更多地大声说话。 第二，简单总结我在国内的经历。 2008年底，在经历了多事之秋的一年休假期之后，我正式辞去了普林斯顿大学的教授职位。7个月前，我的妻子仁滨也辞去了她在美国强生公司的工作、卖掉了我们在普林斯顿的房子。2009年6月，她带着我们的双胞胎儿女回到清华，从此，我们全家团聚，开始了在北京的全新生活。 到北京一周后，儿子认真地提出了他的第一个问题：“爸爸，为什么这里的天空没有小鸟？”我努力向他解释这个未曾料到的问题……10天后，儿子再次皱着眉头说：“我再也不喜欢北京了。”我问：“为什么？”他说：“因为每个地方都停满了车，人们总是在汽车道里走路。”我欣慰于这个才5岁孩子的发现。 令人欣慰的是，家庭的适应过程还算相对顺利，至少对两个孩子来说是这样的。仁滨依然在努力重新开始自己的事业，而两个孩子现在已经完全适应北京，活得挺滋润。姐弟俩进入了清华大学附属幼儿园，每天早晨8点至下午6点在幼儿园里受到老师们的专业照料，一日三餐加两次点心，还有许多有趣的活动。顺便说一句，我确实认为孩子们在北京比在普林斯顿更快乐。 尽管我对自己回国的总体评价相当正面，然而我的故事要更复杂一些。我经历了许多有趣的“意外事件”，部分让我高兴，部分却令我极度痛苦。当这些事件的影响慢慢消退后，可能有朝一日我会在自传里将它们记录下来。 回国之前，我知道国内媒体会关注我回清华的举措。然而，人们对这件事情的狂热兴趣，尤其是那些来自博客空间的兴趣，让我措手不及。2008年夏天，我受到了攻击，个别来自实名，但绝大多数来自匿名，原因是我申请国家自然科学基金委的杰出青年基金。攻击的理由很简单：我被指控违反规则申请经费。在这里，我想我不必再解释什么，事实已经说明了一切! 我在清华的科研正在稳步超越从前。在回国之前，我内心深处最大的担忧是清华学生的表现是否及得上普林斯顿大学研究生和博士后的水平。事实证明，我的担心是多余的。2006年底，我白手起家开始在清华建实验室，2007年4月，我的实验室全面运行：我们做了第一个PCR实验，跑了第一块蛋白SDS-PAGE……2007年，我在清华用了6个月的时间训练第一批学生和技术员。2008年2月，我全职回到清华，用了近10个月的时间训练他们。如今，十数名学生已经成长为成熟、练达的科研人员，能够进行关键的实验设计和分析。令我宽慰和满意的是，2009年，我在清华实验室的实验成果超过了我2006年在普林斯顿时的尖峰时期，包括3个在膜蛋白方面的研究成果（2篇论文被《自然》杂志发表或接受，1篇论文发表在《科学》杂志）以及其他一系列的重要发现。 也许你们中的一些人已经知道，我目前担任了清华大学生命科学学院院长的职务。在经过几轮讨论之后，我也同意在未来一年或两年内领导正在成长中的清华大学医学院。伴随这些任命而来的行政责任让我几乎不堪重负。但是，我感到了来自心灵深处的动力，因为我在两个学院中投入的时间，将有助于改革清华的生命科学，而在这里开始的软机制也可能在中国的其他地方被复制。 过去两年中，我将绝大部分的行政管理时间用于研究人员的聘任上。在2008年和2009年间，我们面试了60多位教授、副教授候选人，并发出29份聘请书，其中22位接受了清华的聘请，15位已经在清华建立了他们独立的实验室。在未来5～10年中，清华计划在生物医学科学领域聘请110～130位独立的实验室负责人（Independent PIs）。因此，在未来几年里，我们还有很长的路要走。 我也将相当多的时间用于人事制度的改革。在清华同事的大力支持下，我们在生命科学学院建立了整体的教授终身制的评价系统。此外，我们已着手开始本科生和研究生的教育改革。在教育部的支持下，清华、北大和北京生命科学研究所整合力量，创建了一个联合的研究生项目，希望能够改革中国的研究生教育。一大批有动力的年轻教授的到来，必将会大大促进教育改革的步伐。 尽管我自己体力上有点筋疲力尽，但是精神上生龙活虎。 无论多么忙碌，我一直尽最大的努力保证至少将一半的时间在实验室。任何其他的成就都不能取代我对研究的兴趣和在实验室享受到的快乐。为了实现这一目标，在过去两年半的时间里，我拒绝了绝大多数行政会议、论文评审和公众活动，并将自己的睡眼时间缩短为平均每天不到6个小时。为了保持白天精力充沛，我恢复了锻炼，同时开始依赖于咖啡提神。尽管我回国以后胃口极好（清华附近就有许多不错的餐馆），但睡眠的减少有效地抑制了体重增加。 在实验室之外，有一件事情我决不会限制自己的时间：和我信任的同事共同为政府部门提供实质性的政策建议。遗憾的是，我们的声音还没有真正传递到在中国掌控大量研究经费的科技部和国家自然科学基金委员会。我要感谢教育部，他们曾多次就相关事件征求我的意见；我也要向统战部和中组部致敬，统战部将我们的报告传达到高层中央领导，中组部在引进海外科学家方面倾听了我们的建议。 第三，我呼吁大家的支持。最好的支持是以你们在美国坚守的职业道德标准为中国服务。 从起步到展翅，在复兴和现代化的道路上，今天的中国有着前所未有的机遇。在中国社会的每个角落，人们都能感受到这种变化的气息，这是多么的激动人心!能够参与这种变化，对我们每个人来说也是百年难遇的机会。想想，你自己就能在这个进程中发挥重要作用并加速其变化，难道你不会因此而兴奋吗! 我相信，在科学和研究中，中国和美国应该坚持同样的职业道德和伦理价值观。因此，我是如此吃惊和失望地发现，我的部分同事在回国后全面适应了中国的某种潜规则，而且身体力行开始在中国科学和研究界继承、发扬这种潜规则文化，而在美国，他们是一定会不齿于这种文化的。幸运的是，大多数回国的学者们坚守了他们曾经认可的价值观。 第四，感谢大家在过去3年中给予的慷慨支持。 过去几年中，你们中的许多人给予了我极大的帮助。特别是小凡、鲁白、薛定、向东和晓东，你们一直鼓励我坚持向前。我也要感谢利民、海凡、吴宏、许田和梅林，以及许许多多人的支持。每当我感到沮丧和挫折时，您们总是使我继续坚持的精神源泉。谢谢大家! 最后但相当重要的是，我要感谢我在北京大学的同行饶毅!实际上，我是在2005年于（美国）科罗拉多州博尔德市召开的华人生物学家协会年会上第一次真正认识饶毅。如今，我深感庆幸有一墙之隔的饶毅会聆听我的抱怨、分享彼此的经历和想法、讨论共同感兴趣的事情、合作写文章、一块参加聚会，一起吃饭聊天。 好了，我几乎将我在中国的所有主要经历都简要地告诉了大家!如果你们想知道得更多，请到清华来，欢迎你们! 预祝华人生物学家协会年会取得圆满成功! 祝福大家新年好! 一公 （王丹红/编译） 《科学时报》 (2010-1-15 A2 国内) |
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yexuqing
木虫之王 (文学泰斗)
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致华人生物学家协会的一封信 我的这封电子邮件于2009年12月26日寄给华人生物学家协会（CBIS）的几位朋友（王小凡、利民等），祝贺CBIS年会在圣地亚哥召开。邮件的主要内容是向海外的朋友和同事讲讲我全职回国近两年的情况和感受。 Dear Xiao-Fan and Min, Greetings from Beijing! I had wanted to attend the 2009 CBIS conference in San Diego but had to cancel my flight reservation due to a tough personal situation. Although this email is addressed to the two of you, please feel free to share the content with attendees of the 2009 CBIS conference. I am writing to congratulate the CBIS conference, to update my situation in Beijing, to ask for reinforcement, and to thank my friends and colleagues for your generous support! First, my warmest congratulations to the CBIS conference! CBIS, formerly known as the Ray Wu Society, has been in existence for more than 11 years. During this period, the number of Chinese biological investigators, particularly those in the US, has enjoyed a dramatic expansion. Although CBIS has played a constructive role in research and education in China during the last decade, the extraordinary strength of our overseas membership has yet to be adequately reflected at the levels of science policy consultation and research infrastructure overhaul. At the historic moment of China’s development, there is an increasing and compelling need for CBIS to speak out in China. Compared to other professional organizations in China, the “non-partisan” stance of CBIS should be able to minimize, if not eliminate, potential conflicts of interest in policy advising to various Chinese government agencies. Second, a brief summary of my experience in China. I formally resigned from the Princeton faculty at the end of 2008, after an eventful, one-year leave of absence. My wife Renbin quit her position at Johnson & Johnson, sold our Princeton house 7 months ago, and brought our twins Shirley and Chris to join me at Tsinghua. The family re-orientation began in June 2009. After arriving in Beijing for one week, Chris raised his first serious question, “daddy, why there are no birds in the sky?” I struggled to explain the unanticipated question…. Ten days later, Chris frowned again, “I don’t like Beijing anymore.” “Why?” “Because cars are parked everywhere, and people are walking in car lanes.” I appreciated my 5-year-old son’s observations! Thankfully, the adaptation process has been relatively smooth, at least for the kids. While Renbin is still looking to restart her career, Shirley and Chris have fully adjusted to and are enjoying the new environment of Beijing. They are both enrolled in the Kindergarten of Tsinghua University, with 8 AM to 6 PM professional care, three meals and two snacks a day, and lots of fun activities. By the way, I do think the kids are happier at Tsinghua than at Princeton. The story of myself is a bit complex, despite the fact that my overall conclusion about coming back to China is extremely positive. I encountered many interesting “accidents”, some joyful and others agonizing, which I wish to write into my biography after the impact of these stories fades away. Before my return, I knew the media in China would be intrigued by my return to Tsinghua. But the ferocity of the interests, especially those from the blogosphere, caught me off guard. In summer 2008, I was attacked, sometimes by real persons but mostly anonymously, for applying for the “Outstanding Young Scholar Award” from the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The reason for the attack was quite simple – I was accused of applying for the award in violation of the Rules. I don’t think I need to explain this painful and unjustified episode to my colleagues here – fact already speaks for itself! Research is going stronger than ever. Before returning to China, my innermost worry was whether the students at Tsinghua could perform up to the standards of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows at Princeton. The reality proved that my worry was unwarranted. I began to build my Tsinghua lab from scratch in late 2006 and my lab became fully operational in April 2007 – the first PCR reaction and the first SDS-PAGE were performed! I spent 6 months at Tsinghua in 2007 to train the first batch of students and technicians. In February 2008, I returned to Tsinghua full-time and spent nearly 10 months during that year to continue to train the students and technicians. By now, more than one dozen students have become sophisticated scientists and are able to critically design and analyze experiments. To my relief and satisfaction, research output from my Tsinghua lab in 2009 already exceeded that from my Princeton lab at its pinnacle in 2006, with 3 structural studies on membrane proteins (2 in Nature and 1 in Science) and a number of other worthwhile discoveries. As some of you know, I am now in charge of the School of Life Sciences at Tsinghua University. After several rounds of discussion, I also agreed to lead Tsinghua’s burgeoning Medical School, at least for the next one or two years. Along with the appointments, the administrative burdens have become almost unbearable. But I feel motivated from the bottom of my heart, because my time invested in these two schools may help transform the life science community here at Tsinghua and the soft mechanisms initiated here might be exemplary elsewhere in China. During the last two years, I have spent most of my administrative time on faculty recruitment. We interviewed more than 60 faculty candidates in 2008 and 2009 and made approximately 29 offers. 22 of the 29 selected faculty candidates have chosen to accept Tsinghua’s offer, and 15 have already established their independent laboratories here. Tsinghua plans to recruit 110-130 independent PIs in biomedical sciences within the next 5-10 years. So we’ve got a lot to do in the coming years! I also spent a fair amount of time to revamp the personnel system, and with tremendous support from my colleagues here, we have instigated a system-wide tenure-track system in the School of Life Sciences. In addition, we have begun to deal with curriculum training for both undergraduate and graduate students. With support from the Ministry of Education, Tsinghua, Beida, and NIBS have joined forces to establish an integrated graduate program that promises to innovate graduate student training in China. The arrival of a large number of motivated young faculty members will greatly facilitate educational reform. I feel physically exhausted but mentally excited. No matter how busy I am, I have tried my best to ensure that at least half of my total time is spent on research in the lab. My passion for research and the fun in the lab cannot be substituted by achievement of any other kind. To meet the half-time goal, I have declined most administrative meetings, manuscript review requests, and public appearances, and I have shortened my average sleep time to less than 6 hours a day for the past two and a half years. To maintain adequate energy during the day, I resumed exercise and relied on coffee. Reduced sleep also helps me maintain a slim physical shape despite voracious appetite! (There are LOTs of fantastic restaurants in Tsinghua vicinity!) There is one thing for which I usually do not restrict my time – advising the government ministries for sound policies together with trusted colleagues. Unfortunately, our voice has yet to truly reach the Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Natural Science Foundation, which manage the bulk of research funds in China. I am thankful to the Ministry of Education, which has asked for my opinion from time to time on relevant matters. I am grateful to the United Front Work Department (统战部), which relayed our write-ups to senior Chinese leaders, and the Department of Organization (中组部), which listened to our view on recruitment of overseas scientists. Third, I would like to ask for reinforcement. The best form of reinforcement is your service to China, with the same set of moral principles you uphold while in the US. There are unprecedented opportunities in China – en route to full-fledged revitalization and modernization. Transitions in China can be felt daily in every corner of the society. This is exciting! This is a once-in-a-life-time opportunity for you to become associated with the changes. Aren’t you thrilled about the scenario that you may play an important role here to accelerate these changes? I believe that, in science and research, we should have the same set of moral and ethical values in China and in the US. Thus it is both surprising and disappointing that some of my colleagues have fully adapted to the local Chinese culture upon their return and began to perpetuate some of the unwritten, detrimental cultures in the science and research community in China for which they would refute in the US. Fortunately the majority of the returnees have stood firm behind the values they once were familiar with. Fourth, I would like to thank you for your generous support throughout the past three years! Many of you have given me tremendous help over the years. Xiao-Fan, Bai Lu, Ding Xue, Xiangdong, and Xiaodong, in particular, have consistently encouraged me to go on. I also wish to thank Min Li, Haifan, Hong Wu, Ting Xie, Lin Mei, and many others for your support! Whenever I feel frustrated, I think of you as a virtual source of support for balance and rejuvenation. Thank you! Last but not least, I wish to thank Yi Rao at Peking University for his camaraderie. I only got to know Yi well after the 2005 CBIS meeting in Boulder, Colorado. I feel very fortunate to have Yi next door to listen to my complaints, to share experiences and thoughts, to discuss matters of common interest, to collaborate on essay writing, and to party and dine together! Okay, I feel I have told you everything about my experience in China – briefly! If you want to know more, you will need to come to Tsinghua – always welcome! I wish you a complete success for the CBIS conference. Happy New Year! With my best wishes for 2010 and cheers, Yigong 本文引用地址： http://www.sciencenet.cn/m/user_content.aspx?id=284645 |
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