From top student in college to scientific research powerhouse

Chapter 102 Amazing Characteristics! This trend must not be encouraged!

The sheer awe-inspiring sight of a sphere, held up close for close inspection, reveals only its vaguely defined edges, making it impossible to discern its spherical shape.

The new stealth sphere's visual invisibility is astonishingly good.

Tan Yanming and Sun Wen's team couldn't wait to test the materials they had created and the new stealth sphere.

Materials need to be tested for physical and optical properties, among which physical properties are very important, including density, compressive strength, tensile and fatigue strength, etc.

The new type of stealth sphere is used to detect optical properties.

They conducted detailed measurements of the light transmittance at various locations directly opposite the sphere, with an average transmittance of approximately 90.3%.

This data is biased, mainly because the stretching of the material and the manufacturing quality will affect the light transmittance at various locations. However, the data deviation is not large. It is only judged by the 'visual invisibility' effect, and it is almost indistinguishable to the naked eye.

Most visual differences are caused by quality defects in the manufacturing process.

For example, if a certain area is stretched a little too much during the shaping process, it will affect the light transmission in that specific area.

This deviation is similar to a flaw in the glass, or some dust on it.

The deviation is unrelated to the design and has little impact.

In addition, they conducted measurements on the penetration of light at different wavelengths and determined that light with wavelengths from 270 to 5600 nanometers had the best penetration control effect.

This range covers both visible light and infrared light.

After all the optical properties were measured, Tan Yanming couldn't help but exclaim as he looked at the report, "The invisibility effect is truly amazing!"

"Absolutely amazing!"

"I never imagined that this would be the visual invisibility brought about by the combination of micron-sized particles."

"If you didn't know, you would definitely believe it was the effect of nanoscale metamaterial compilation..."

Sun Wen proudly raised her head and curled the corners of her mouth, "Of course, Zhang Minghao and I researched it together."

"I have so much confidence in this research!"

Tan Yanming glanced at Sun Wen and felt somewhat speechless. He was quite certain that Zhang Minghao was the core, and Sun Wen's job was easily replaceable.

Of course, it cannot be denied that Sun Wen is also very talented and excellent, but she is definitely not to this extent.

Her personality is also a problem.

When it comes to projects, Sun Wen is very stubborn; she only does research that interests her.

Scientific research certainly requires interest; only with interest can one go further. However, Sun Wen only focuses on the field of visual light sensing models and has no interest in the more practical field of radar stealth.

"Ugh!"

Tan Yanming sighed, "Just like a child, he's watched too much Harry Potter..."

"Focusing on the invisibility cloak is like a joke."

He glanced at the stand on the table, but the sphere on it was nowhere to be seen.

The new stealth sphere is indeed very good.

Tan Yanming coughed lightly and said to Sun Wen with a big smile, "Sun Wen, could I borrow this ball for a couple of days? I'd like to study it a bit."

He imagined having an invisible ball by his side, so that he would feel prestigious if someone came to see it.

"Don't even think about it!"

Sun Wen immediately spread her arms wide, tightly protecting the ball on the table, "You can borrow me if you want!"

"The ball, absolutely not!"

……

Meanwhile, Zhang Minghao had already embarked on his journey home.

After a six-hour high-speed train ride, he arrived at Heqi East Station. After exiting the station, he dragged his luggage and hailed a taxi.

Once I got in the taxi, I was very close to home.

His mood is very complicated.

In my memory, my father wasn't exactly bad to me, but he'd shown less concern in recent years, focusing more on his family and my half-brother.

But thinking about it, it's normal. Putting aside stepmothers, even among brothers, the younger one usually receives more care from the family.

Favoritism isn't the problem; it's just that I feel like I no longer have a place in the family after my father remarried.

"It's just about going back to spend the New Year with family; blood ties and family affection are still very important."

"So what if I'm biased?"

"I am not the original body, and I no longer need anyone to take care of me..."

Thinking about it this way, I immediately felt much lighter.

After getting out of the taxi, I dragged my luggage along the road in the neighborhood, looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar environment, and a sense of novelty arose in my heart.

As the year draws to a close, the sound of firecrackers can be heard from afar from time to time.

When passersby walk by, he will take a closer look. Some of them seem familiar, but he can't recall their names even after racking his brains.

Zhang Minghao is in the gifted youth program.

He doesn't spend much time at home, and he has few familiar classmates or friends nearby.

I strolled along at a leisurely pace and arrived at the building and unit I remembered.

Dragging my luggage, I climbed the stairs step by step until I reached the door of a resident on the third floor.

"Dong, dong..."

Zhang Minghao raised his hand and knocked on the door a few times.

A woman's voice called from inside the house, "Mingyang, open the door!"

The door opened shortly afterward.

A boy of about ten years old was standing in front of the door, holding a mobile phone, seemingly playing a game.

He glanced at Zhang Minghao and immediately called out, "Brother!"

After saying that, she quickly walked back to the sofa and lazily called out to the kitchen, "Mom, my brother is back!"

A sound came from the kitchen, and a woman wearing an apron came out, greeting him warmly, "Minghao, come in quickly!"

"Your dad said you're coming home today, so I'm cooking in the kitchen!"

The woman is a stepmother, Liu Ying.

Liu Ying took the gift from Zhang Minghao and complained, "Why did you buy things to take home?"

After saying that, he angrily shouted at the sofa, "Mingyang, your brother is back, and you're still playing games! Put your phone down right now!"

"Auntie, where's my dad?" Zhang Minghao asked, putting down his things.

"He went out and will be back in a bit."

Liu Ying laughed as she spoke, "Minghao, you're a great scientist now, you're all over the news. Your dad loves to go out now, showing off everywhere!"

Zhang Minghao smiled.

He sat on the sofa, watching Zhang Mingyang play mobile games.

Not long after, Zhang Zhongquan returned from outside, and sat down next to Zhang Minghao with a big smile on his face. "Minghao, you're back!"

"You're really something now, you're all over the news. Last time they even reported that you were researching some kind of material, and that you were really amazing..."

"And there's that Zhang phenomenon, right? This one, isn't it? It can even create whirlwinds, and it's named after you? It's bringing glory to your ancestors!"

"Ula Ula..."

Zhang Zhongquan was clearly very excited; he kept talking.

Liu Ying brought the dishes up and said proudly, "Minghao has been smart since he was a child. I knew our family had produced a genius."

"They all follow my lead!"

"Mingyang, you should learn from your brother and study hard!"

Zhang Mingyang raised his eyes slightly, then reluctantly continued scrolling through his phone.

Zhang Zhongquan immediately flew into a rage. He snatched the phone and yelled, "Don't look at your phone! We're all talking, can't you see?!"

"Your brother's already back, and he's still looking at his phone!"

A year ago, Liu Ying would have definitely protected her son, or at least said a few words in his defense. But things are different now. Zhang Minghao is so capable; Liu Ying believes her son has good genes and will surely excel academically in the future.

Then we need to take better care of it!

She immediately snatched the phone and, together with Zhang Zhongquan, gave Zhang Mingyang a long lecture.

Zhang Minghao sat on the sofa, watching and listening, unsure how to react. His only feeling was that the house truly had a warm, lived-in atmosphere.

Before they even started eating, the adults and children were already arguing.

……

Zhang Minghao has been living a life full of everyday joys.

What I hear most every day is my younger brother Zhang Mingyang being scolded, and he always appears frequently in the 'reasons for scolding'.

At first, he just watched, but later he even said a few words in support of Zhang Mingyang.

Then he received a few words of praise: "Listen to that, what your brother said makes so much sense!"

"You have to study more to understand more principles..."

"Stop playing on your phone all the time. Look at your brother, does he play on his phone?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Minghao quickly put down his phone.

He felt he couldn't stay any longer, otherwise his younger brother might really hate him.

The New Year has arrived. The Spring Festival was peaceful for a few days, but the Spring Festival also brings its own set of troubles.

With relatives and friends visiting, the house is bustling with activity every day, and the festive atmosphere is indeed strong, but there are also downsides.

Many people come to him to talk about work, career, and marriage. The issue of "partner" is something that single men and women all encounter.

This is just a standard area.

An uncle who owns a company even talked to him about making money, saying that since he's already so famous, he could become a live streamer and make money by selling products.

"Now everyone's making money online through live streaming and internet celebrities."

"Those big internet celebrities can earn in a few hours what an ordinary person earns in a lifetime."

"You could also consider it. You're so famous, you get so much news coverage, a genius PhD student, how amazing is that? Selling books or some kind of tech product..."

Zhang Minghao just smiled as he listened, but couldn't help feeling a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing feelings, thoughts, and reflections).

This is a society where everything is about money.

Materialism is rampant, and people's hearts have lost their traditional values.

It must be admitted that money is indeed very important. Everyone needs money to live, scientific research requires funding, and even system capability upgrades have 'wealth' indicators.

Therefore, we shouldn't laugh at others for being superficial.

On his way back to Jiangzhou, Zhang Minghao was also thinking about money. On the one hand, he was thinking about how to earn tens of millions more and achieve his small goal of 'one hundred million'.

On the other hand, it also provides project funding for the Institute of Optics' 'Invisibility Cloak' project.

Why is this project stalled?

Resources are still limited.

The total funding allocated by the government to a particular field is limited; if some teams receive more money, it means that some teams will receive less.

Competition is everywhere.

Nations compete in science and technology and in the economy, while ordinary people compete for interests. Similar issues exist in scientific research projects.

Back in Jiangzhou, I first went to a shared apartment and stayed there quietly for two days.

The university gradually became lively.

Faculty and staff returned to their posts faster than students. Zhu Bingkun was the first to return to the lab, followed closely by Zhang Minghao, who went to the doctoral student workspace.

I'm tidying up my things in the workspace and getting ready to start the new year's work.

The phone rang.

Zhang Minghao noticed it was an unfamiliar number. He randomly pressed the answer button and heard the other end ask, "Hello, is this Zhang Minghao?"

"Yes, I am."

"This is the General Affairs Management Office of the Department of High-Tech Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology. I am Wang Wentong."

"I see that your project applied for special completion status?"

"Correct."

"It says 'force majeure'? What kind of force majeure is it?"

Zhang Minghao said earnestly, "Our final report clearly states that we lacked sufficient funding."

Wang Wentong said, "The force majeure factors for early completion do not include 'insufficient funding,' and besides, isn't your funding enough? Four million, and it's only been a few months?"

His tone became much harsher as he spoke, "Your application can't be approved! It really can't be approved! In all my years of work, this is the first time I've seen a project end early, and the reason given is insufficient funding."

"Is this weird?"

Zhang Minghao immediately replied, "We applied for ten million in funding for the project, and even after deducting equipment costs, we still have eight million!"

"In the end, they only gave us four million, so of course we're short of funds!"

Wang Wentong said, "If four million has been approved, then we'll proceed with the four million. Isn't four million enough for a research project on optical materials?"

“It’s not enough, so we applied to close the project,” Zhang Minghao replied matter-of-factly.

On the other end of the line, Wang Wentong was speechless for a moment, and then simply hung up the phone.

……

The General Affairs Office of the High-Tech Division is specifically responsible for the management of major funding projects in the high-tech field funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Wang Wentong is the deputy director of the office, and the 'Visual Light Sensing Model' project of the Institute of Optics is on his management list.

He was responsible for everything from negotiating project funding in the early stages to managing and using the funds.

For regular projects, even if they are labeled as "major projects," he can simply submit a settlement application, let the finance department review the project funds, and then give it a "poor" rating.

This project is different.

This is a project designated by the military technology-related departments and managed by the office under the Ministry of Science and Technology.

In short, military science and technology departments do not directly connect with universities and research institutions. The reporting and acceptance of research results are still the responsibility of military science and technology departments, but the project management is handled by various management offices under the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Wang Wentong frowned as he put down the phone. He asked Zeng Pingguo, the clerk on the other end, "What's the situation with Academician Tan? What did he say?"

Zeng Pingguo said, "Academician Tan said that the project lacks funding and the research cannot continue."

"Zhang Minghao said the same thing."

Wang Wentong said, "How could there be a shortage of funds in just a few months? They just want more funding."

“We’ve had a meeting and discussed it. It’s very difficult to take this research any further, and the initial funding of four million should be enough.”

"Even Academician Fang Yongsheng says so; he is an expert among experts in the field of optical materials!"

He then asked, "What results have they reported so far?"

Zeng Pingguo replied, "Some data and research materials were even disguised as an invisible ball, supposedly to be reported as research findings."

He then added, "Detailed information about the reported results doesn't reach us; we can only see the introductory content."

Wang Wentong didn't pay any attention.

Using some data and research materials to recreate the same invisible sphere is essentially equivalent to achieving nothing.

The question is, how do we resolve this?

The other party applied for early project settlement, specifically noting "insufficient funds," which felt like they were trying to cheat the project by threatening to quit and demanding more funds.

This trend must not be encouraged!

"When that happens, other projects will follow suit and say they're quitting and want more funding. What will we do then?"

"Let them know that funding isn't so easy to get!"

Wang Wentong then made a decision: "Since they applied, we'll grant them the project completion certificate directly!"

“Go through the procedures, have the finance department send someone to review the project funds, and then tell the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation that it’s not a management problem on our part, it’s that they themselves don’t want to do it anymore.”

(End of this chapter)