Back in 1978, I was admitted to Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Chapter 455 The technology at Northwestern Polytechnical University is all for civilian use!
Princeton University, founded in 1746, moved to Princeton ten years later. Like Oxford and Cambridge, the university has driven the development of the entire city, making the city almost a university town.

Historically, Princeton University has produced two U.S. presidents and 44 governors. Its political and international studies program is one of its strongest programs. Of course, as a research university, its research capabilities are also very strong, boasting 79 Nobel laureates, which is a source of great pride for the institution.

Many Chinese elites are also located here, such as Chien-Shiung Wu, Hua Luogeng, Tsung-Dao Lee, and Chen-Ning Yang, all of whom studied or worked at Princeton University.

In the height of summer, the ancient trees are lush and green, and vines entwine the buildings, giving the entire university a rustic and ancient feel.

There are no tall buildings here. Princeton's main building, Nassau Hall, is only a four-story building, with only the central clock tower appearing taller.

Large-scale events such as Alumni Day and graduation certificate awarding ceremonies are held at Nassau Hall.

Historically, during the Revolutionary War, Nassau Hall served as the headquarters for the Battle of Princeton, later became the Union Capitol, and even became the government building when Princeton was designated as the capital.

This time, when the people from the East came to Princeton University for an inspection, the reception venue was naturally Nassau Hall.

Nassau Church, at the entrance.

Principal William G. Bowen stood there, smiling as the convoy approached. To his left was Professor O'Neill, and to his right was an Asian man with yellow skin and black eyes.

"Li, you came at the perfect time. It just so happens that you're working at Princeton University right now. If you were at Columbia, you wouldn't have had this opportunity."

Professor Li's face was full of excitement: "Yes, especially to meet colleagues from Northwestern Polytechnical University, it's such a rare opportunity!"

Li Zhengdao did not receive a systematic education from childhood. He attended primary school in Shanghai in 1935. Two years later, the Japanese occupied Shanghai, and he was forced to drop out of school. Three years later, in 1938, after completing the entire primary school curriculum through self-study, he attended middle school in the foreign concessions of Shanghai. Unfortunately, two years later, the foreign concessions could not be maintained, and he dropped out of school again.

Although he did not have a primary or secondary school diploma, he became self-taught through perseverance. In 1943, he took the college entrance examination and was admitted to Zhejiang University. Later, he transferred to Southwest Associated University. In 1946, at the age of only 20, he was exceptionally admitted to the University of Chicago as a graduate student and pursued a doctorate in particle physics under Professor Fermi.

That's right, at the age of twenty, he had already started his doctoral studies! In 1956, he became a professor at Columbia University, the youngest professor since the university's founding in 1754! In 1960, he also became a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University, while continuing to teach part-time at Columbia University. In 1964, he became a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

This experience made him a genius in everyone's eyes, and he worked very hard. From 56 to 62 alone, he co-authored 32 papers with Yang Zhenning, including some outstanding achievements that could have won the Nobel Prize.

It can be said that someone like him is already among the world's top experts.

As a Chinese, he also valued Eastern education. He founded the CUSPEA program, a joint US-China graduate physics program. In 1980, the first cohort admitted 127 top physics students from China and sent them to dozens of universities in the United States to study physics.

It's worth noting that in the regular admissions programs in the United States, recruiting hundreds of physics graduate students from a single country each year is unprecedented in the history of American universities. By the time the last batch of students enrolled in 1988, the program had admitted a total of 915 students to 84 top universities in the United States.

Princeton University, on the other hand, admitted nearly a hundred students!
As they were talking, the convoy started moving in.

The car stopped, and Mr. Zhang got out first, followed by a young man.

"Qin, hello, welcome to Princeton University!" Professor O'Neill excitedly ran over and was about to shake hands with Qin Liang.

"Yes, Professor O'Neill, we are also honored. Come, let me introduce you. This is the leader of our delegation, Mr. Zhang!"

O'Neill was taken aback for a moment before he realized what was going on: "Well, let me introduce you. This is our president, Mr. William Bowen. He has been leading Princeton University since 1972, and still is."

The two sides shook hands warmly, followed by their entourage. When Qin Liang saw the spirited middle-aged man opposite him, he suddenly thought of something, and his expression became complicated.

"Qin, this is Professor Li, he is also Chinese. Your mother-in-law organizes the TOEFL exam in the East, giving students from the East the opportunity to study in the United States. Professor Li has been doing the same thing for many years..."

"Professor Li, hello, it's a pleasure to meet you. Nobel Prize laureate, you are the pride of the Chinese people!"

Old Zhang also became serious. He never expected to meet a Chinese person here, and an elite one at that!
The Nobel Prize—only the most outstanding people can win it!
"Thank you, Qin. You're amazing too, turning Northwestern Polytechnical University from a science and engineering institution into a world-class university..."

"Yes, our goal is to build world-class universities. We Chinese are no less capable than foreigners! We will rely on our intelligence and wisdom to build our country into a better place!"

Professor Li was startled.

In the conference room.

"Our friendship with Princeton University began with the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. At that time, Professor O'Neill was very supportive of our project and strongly encouraged us to turn regional navigation into global navigation," Qin Liang began to talk about their past friendship.

"So, this time, Professor Zhang came here because he wanted to visit Princeton University. After all, we Easterners value friendship very much."

“Yes, we have been developing BeiDou terminals for the past few years, including vehicle-mounted, airborne, and shipborne solutions. If the South Korean passenger plane had been supported by BeiDou navigation, it definitely wouldn’t have gotten lost,” Professor O’Neill agreed.

Although they oppose the militarization of space, tangible benefits are more important than empty slogans!

Princeton University is a private institution, and they are profit-driven. They control the entire North American market for BeiDou terminals!
"Yes, it's a pity that many people still view us with prejudice." Qin Liang nodded. "There are also people who covet our advanced technology. This time when we came to the United States, they kept trying to trick us into participating in the Star Wars program..."

"These damn politicians, all they think about is arming space," Professor O'Neill said, his face darkening. "So, did you agree to it?"

"Of course not. Northwestern Polytechnical University insists on the peaceful use of outer space. If outer space is also armed and laser cannons could appear overhead at any time, would our lives be safe at all?"

"That's right!"

"However, we still need to develop certain technologies. After all, advanced technology is a double-edged sword; the key is how to use it..."

Just then, footsteps sounded outside.

"Sorry we're late!"

Weinberger didn't come in; his deputy, Frank Calucci, came in first.

"Gentlemen, why didn't you all give us a heads-up before coming to Princeton University? Since you're here, let's have a meeting here to discuss some subsystems of the Star Wars program! Your BeiDou navigation system is being used quite well in military applications..."

This guy is definitely up to no good!
Princeton University promotes BeiDou and looks down on GPS because they believe GPS is for military use while BeiDou is for civilian use. They oppose armed space. And now... Kaluch is about to expose this charade!
“Mr. Kaluch, our BeiDou navigation system is for civilian use,” Qin Liang said. “If South Korean Air Flight 007 had been equipped with our BeiDou navigation system, it wouldn’t have veered off course, wouldn’t you agree?”

Kaluc's expression became complicated.

Can he deny it? Can he say that when the East bombed the monkeys, the precision-guided bombs used were guided by Beidou navigation? If that's so disrespectful, then the East can also be disrespectful and spout some conspiracy theory.

“That’s right, BeiDou navigation has many uses in the civilian sector as well… However, we also need to talk about other projects during our visit. For example, the White House has approved your collaboration with Boeing to develop a spaceplane for the Star Wars project…”

This guy is just trying to sow discord between Princeton University and Northwestern Polytechnical University!
Qin Liang smiled and said, "In the 1960s, Qian Xuesen wrote a textbook called 'An Introduction to Interstellar Navigation,' which mentioned spaceplane technology. Compared to the current rockets that need to take off vertically, spaceplanes can use air lift, which greatly reduces the cost of entering space. This provides a way for mankind to enter space on a large scale. As for whether it is for military or civilian use, it depends on the user's purpose!"

Rocket launches are like pulling up a stalk of grass from dry land, relying on sheer force to launch satellites into space. In this process, fuel accounts for more than 90% of the rocket's total weight. Each launch requires several thousand tons of fuel, which is extremely expensive, and it is all disposable, discarded after launch.

Spaceplanes can take off horizontally, which would greatly reduce fuel requirements and allow for multiple uses.

"Our cooperation project with Boeing can be seen as the next model of the supersonic cruiser, which is still for humans to fly at high speeds. As for your military use... we don't know. When I talked to Boeing, I was talking about humans conquering space! Everyone, you should have all seen the news about our C929 passenger plane, right?"

After its dazzling debut that day, the next day, introductions to the C929 passenger plane were everywhere, and the whole world knew about this advanced passenger plane!

The collaboration between Boeing and Northwestern Polytechnical University has been widely praised. Now, it's easy to understand why the two sides are going to jointly develop a new project – it's definitely for civilian use!

"Qin, you're going to develop a spaceplane?" Professor O'Neill asked excitedly. "How much will that reduce the cost of going into space?" "I don't know, but one-tenth should be our goal. Only in this way can more people realize their dream of space travel."

Seeing that the two sides were exchanging ideas happily, Kaluch knew that trying to instill military purposes into this project was likely to fail. Not only would it fail to expose Northwestern Polytechnical University's true colors in front of the Princeton University students, it might also arouse the resentment of the university professors!
No, I'm not satisfied yet!

"Yesterday you mentioned the particle cannon. Now, could we discuss this weapon in more detail? Especially since Professor Li is here; he's an expert in high-energy physics."

Everyone's eyes turned to Professor Li.

"Ahem, everyone, I'm studying the fundamental laws of microscopic particles, not weapons. As for particle cannons... I've never heard of them before. If we have to study them... I think there are many problems involved."

"Oh? Could you tell me more about it?"

"Even electrons have mass, and under the influence of Earth's gravity, their orbits will bend, so..."

Lasers are not affected by Earth's gravity because photons have no rest mass. However, no matter what kind of particles a particle cannon fires, their trajectory will be bent under the influence of Earth's gravity, making aiming a major problem when using it to bombard targets!
During the Cold War, the Russians researched for many years but failed to develop a particle cannon, and this was one of the reasons why. In later years, every time the Americans boasted about it, it was ultimately proven to be just bragging!
"Professor Li is right. It seems that this thing cannot be used for military purposes. Mr. Kaluch, our Northwestern Polytechnical University does not have a high-energy physics major. In this field, our technology is still blank."

Although Qin Liang was talking to Kaluch, his gaze swept over Professor Li.

Professor Li was once again shocked.

"It is an honor for us all to be here at Princeton University today. At the same time, I believe we should develop more cooperative relationships." President William Bowen decided to take the initiative!

"please say."

"We welcome students from Northwestern Polytechnical University to pursue further studies at Princeton University. We can admit outstanding students recommended by you without taking the entrance exam!"

Everyone present was shocked.

What a joke!
Many universities in the United States have relatively easy admissions but strict graduation requirements. Some universities even accept donations of a certain amount, as these universities are private and rely on such donations.

You can get in if you have money, but you're not guaranteed to graduate. Studying for a few more years can also generate more revenue for the school.

However, this is not the case for a few elite universities.

For universities with strict admission requirements, MIT is the top choice, followed by Princeton University!
It never considers the student's family's economic situation, but only the student's own abilities, which can be simply put as grades, abilities, and potential.

It's okay if you don't have money, we can reduce or waive fees! You should know that many college students can't afford to go to school and have to take out loans. It takes them many years of working to pay off their college loans.

Princeton University was the first university in the United States where students had no student loans!

When can I enroll here without taking the entrance exam? The treatment at Northwestern Polytechnical University is truly different!

"Well... thank you for your kind offer, but students at Northwestern Polytechnical University generally choose to study at our own university."

"Why? Coming to the United States is a better choice. After all, the research capabilities here are..." Professor Li blurted out, but stopped halfway through his sentence.

If it were any other university in the East, it certainly wouldn't be as good as those in the US. But Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) is different. Every major offered by NPU is top-notch, especially the aerospace engineering department where Qin Liang studies—it's even stronger!
Therefore, students of Northwestern Polytechnical University do not need to study abroad!
"Yes, the West's scientific research capabilities are still very strong, especially in high-energy physics. With a talent like Professor Li, they are definitely number one in the world," Qin Liang said. "Our Northwestern Polytechnical University should also have a high-energy physics major in the future, and we will need Professor Li's help in the future!"

"Okay, then welcome to your high-energy physics professionals to study at Princeton University. Princeton University also hopes to send some international students to Northwestern Polytechnical University."

Alright, this guy's goal is these later on!

With the opening of China's borders, many universities are keen to recruit international students, and some even use the number of international students as an important criterion. This has led to a lot of negative news, such as regulations requiring students to find study buddies.

Northwestern Polytechnical University doesn't care about this. We are here to cultivate talent for the country, not for foreign countries, and we will never harbor people with ulterior motives.

However, Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) does not completely exclude outsiders; Qin Liang's cousin, Qin Ming, received training from NPU. Therefore, he cannot completely refuse now.

"So, we'll reciprocate? How many of our troops will we send over, and how many will you send over?"

"it is good!"

William Bowen was very satisfied with Qin Liang's answer. In his mind, at least one or two hundred people from Northwestern Polytechnical University would go to Princeton University. He would be surprised when news came from the East half a month later.

Zero!

Princeton University? Never heard of it. Northwestern Polytechnical University is much better!

As for high-energy physics... hehehe.

“Everyone, we won’t be able to understand Western universities if we stay in the conference room. Shall we take a walk around the campus?” Qin Liang suggested.

Old Zhang and the others had come with Qin Liang, and they were all finding the topics being discussed quite boring, so it was time to relax.

Like many American universities, Princeton University has no walls, and people from outside can come in at any time. Of course, to praise this approach too much would be a bit of a Western-worshipping act, as national conditions are different.

If universities in China were to remove their walls, the school playgrounds would immediately be occupied by elderly women doing square dancing. If students were playing soccer and the ball flew out and hit a woman walking her child, she might face hefty compensation claims.

A school is a school; it serves students, not citizens.

The campus is large, filled with classical buildings, possessing both the tranquility of a rural setting and the aristocratic atmosphere of an ancient castle.

The towering Princeton University Chapel, known as the third largest university chapel in the world, is where graduation ceremonies are held and university graduates hold their weddings, all free of charge.

The library is magnificent in design, with a tall and imposing central attic. Its arched windows and doorways have a classic look.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Princeton Memorial, commemorating the sons and daughters of Princeton who gave their lives in wars. This memorial also tells us how precious peace is. Therefore, we oppose the militarization of space..." Professor O'Neill said, pointing to the arc-shaped memorial plaza.

Wait, where's Qin? Where did he go?
Johnson Arch.

Johnson was not a wealthy donor, but a runaway slave who worked odd jobs at Princeton University for sixty years.

"Professor Li, after the founding of our country, many patriots resolutely returned to their motherland. Qian Xuesen and Deng Xiaoping exemplified what it means to be Chinese people through their actions. As a Nobel Prize laureate, shouldn't you contribute to our motherland?"

In those impoverished times, many scientists chose to return to China to build their country, while others chose to stay abroad.

Their argument sounds very sophisticated: "If I wanted to do high-energy physics, there wouldn't be the resources in China. I'm abroad out of necessity."

He spoke with such confidence back then, saying that once he retired, he would return to his homeland to live out his days in style, and even marry a woman decades younger than him. He would live a wonderful and leisurely life, and occasionally attend meetings, where he could, as a senior figure, pontificate and give orders from above...

"Once you come to Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), you'll be the head of our Department of High Energy Physics, with the same salary and benefits as in the US. Plus, you can request any research funding you need. You should know that whatever we do, NPU is number one in the world! If you come to NPU, you can make our high energy physics program number one in the world too!"

(End of this chapter)