From top student in college to scientific research powerhouse

Chapter 107 The Boss's Fury! Awarded First Prize in Natural Sciences...

"You don't need to do anything, just think about how to get past Teacher Xu..."

After Ying Keqin left, Wang Wentong sat in his chair, his mind replaying the words he had just heard.

Suddenly, he came to his senses and quickly checked the information on the computer.

The 'Visual Light Sensing Model' project has been completed. The financial department approved the funding, and the 32nd Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) gave it an 'Excellent' rating.

Further down, the management office of the High-Tech Division, under the management of the General Affairs Department, gave a rating of "extremely poor," followed by the individual's signature.

Just by looking at these two completely different reviews, it's clear that there's definitely a problem.

Wang Wentong frowned deeply, poking his cheek with his fingers as he carefully considered Ying Keqin's words.

Zeng Pingguo, the clerk across from them, suddenly leaned over and muttered a complaint, "Director Wang, this project's problems aren't really our fault, are they? They were handling the project completion application..."

Wang Wentong waved his hand to interrupt him, shaking his head and saying, "Did you hear what Director Ying said? Right or wrong doesn't matter, only the result matters."

Even though everything was done according to the rules and regulations, it was still my decision...

He pressed his forehead hard and said, "Xiao Zeng, go back, I'll think about it some more."

Wang Wentong still couldn't figure it out. He thought about it carefully for a long time and realized that the problem wasn't with what he did, but rather that the other party's research had yielded results.

The other party's results also greatly satisfied the receiving party, namely the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC).

This is the most unexpected place!

When the project was first discussed, Academician Fang Yongsheng believed that the stealth sphere was already at its limit by relying solely on the particulate combination design of optical materials, and that it was impossible to improve it further.

"Unless it is converted into metamaterials, but the Institute of Micro-Nano Optics does not have an environment for studying optical metamaterials."

"This project has no future. At most, it will just involve some experiments and data collection, and that's about it."

“Looking at their application for a team, it only includes Zhang Minghao and Sun Wen. As far as I know, Sun Wen is just an ordinary researcher who hasn't achieved any significant results. Her team only has a few people…”

Academician Fang Yongsheng is a top expert in the field of optical materials, and his reasons for judging that the project has no future are very valid.

In addition, Professor Chen Beitong made the same judgment.

Although Chen Bei is not as good as Academician Fang Yongsheng, he is also a top expert in optical materials, and his achievements have been transformed into applications.

The 'Visual Light Sensing Model' project also falls within the research scope of optical materials.

How could the judgments of two top optical materials experts be wrong?
Even if the judgment was wrong, how could the other party have achieved results that satisfied the receiving party in just a few months since the project started?
Wang Wentong couldn't understand it at all. "In the field of optical materials, can Zhang Minghao be more professional than Academician Fang Yongsheng and Professor Chen Beitong?"

He didn't have time to think about it anymore.

A clerk rushed in and said to Wang Wentong, "Director Wang, Teacher Xu wants you to go to the third floor!"

Wang Wentong was startled and quickly stood up, replying nervously, "Coming right away!"

……

Office on the third floor.

Teacher Xu put down the phone, his brows furrowed tightly, his face full of anger.

Projects under the National Key Research and Development Program are all managed by the Ministry of Science and Technology. As soon as he returned from the meeting, he knew about the key research and development project approved by Dongchuan Province.

Teacher Xu checked the information and found that it was actually Zhang Minghao's project.

He specifically asked around and contacted Professor Zhu, and found that there was really nothing wrong with the other party bypassing the Ministry of Science and Technology's management.

The problem is, I feel uncomfortable!

This is a mistake made by the people below. The last project Zhang Minghao applied for, which was a follow-up study on the Zhang phenomenon, was approved in Dongchuan Province.

Zhang Minghao's team's application for the National Natural Science Foundation of China was rejected.

A special meeting was held that time to discuss the matter, and it was discovered that most scholars had made a mistake in their judgment and had been misled by a foreign study.

That's understandable.

Even top international academic journals like Nature have published erroneous research papers, so it's normal that many people believe the research.

Now there's another problem: only half of the funds requested by the other party have been allocated?
This project management issue even drew the ire of the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC). Professor Zhu directly proposed that the project be approved in Dongchuan Province, which shows just how dissatisfied he was.

"If he were still affiliated with the Ministry of Science and Technology, Zhang Minghao probably wouldn't be taking on any projects anymore, right?"

"There are always problems: project applications are rejected, and only half the funding is provided..."

Professor Xu couldn't help but recall a scene from Jiangzhou University, where he confidently stated that the Ministry of Science and Technology would definitely support the laboratory and their projects.

I feel so ashamed!

Not only did they fail to deliver on the promises made to a young person and to a university research institution, but their legitimate project applications were also repeatedly thwarted.

The more Ms. Xu thought about it, the angrier she became, and the displeasure on her face turned into rage.

Wang Wentong entered the office.

He walked over step by step, glanced at Teacher Xu briefly, and immediately lowered his head to stand in front of the desk.

Teacher Xu kept staring at him, her gaze extremely sharp.

Wang Wentong was filled with anxiety and felt like he was sitting on pins and needles; the quiet office felt like a courtroom awaiting the verdict.

He was the criminal.

After a long silence, Professor Xu asked a very unexpected question: "If the applicant for the project is an academician from the Institute of Electronics or the Institute of Optics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, would you only allocate half of the funding?"

Wang Wentong was stunned for a moment. He looked up and met Teacher Xu's gaze, then immediately lowered his head again and murmured, "It shouldn't be... right?"

"Should? Absolutely not! You absolutely won't! I've checked the key R&D program. There are projects that had agreed-upon funding but had their funding cut by 20%, but half? Not a single one!"

"why?"

Teacher Xu stood up, walked over to Wang Wentong, stared at him sternly, and continued, "Why is it that the funding for this project was cut in half?"

"It's still because of the project team, the people working on the project!"

"He's not an academician, nor is he someone influential in academia with extensive connections who can make a big fuss with a single phone call!"

"He's only in his early twenties, very young, and doesn't know many people. No matter how many achievements he has, he's not an expert in your eyes, am I right?"

Faced with the stern questioning, Wang Wentong could only shrink back and listen, not daring to say anything.

"So, in your mind, whether someone is an expert or not, their achievements in their professional field are not important; seniority and years of service are more important, right?"

“Now there’s a young man who is very outstanding. He brings back a Nobel Prize and a Fields Medal. In your mind, he probably can’t compare to those experts, right?”

"Wang Wentong!"

Wang Wentong was startled and quickly raised his head, shouting, "Yes!"

"Suspended from duty for self-reflection!"

"Go back and write inspection reports. Write a few and submit them. Also, everyone in your group who is involved in this project must write an inspection report!"

After Teacher Xu finished speaking, she gestured to Wang Wentong that he could leave.

Wang Wentong quickly turned around and walked out, when he heard someone call out behind him, "Oh, by the way, just letting you know."

"I don't know if Zhang Minghao will win the Nobel Prize, but he did win the first prize in the natural sciences this year!"

"I bet you don't care. No matter how big the award is, age is more important!"

……

Jiangzhou University, Applied Electromagnetism Laboratory.

This is just an ordinary day.

Zhang Minghao is studying dissertation materials in the doctoral student's workspace.

Xue Kun buried himself in the laboratory, organizing the equipment and materials.

In the large office, Zhu Bingkun was talking with the other researchers, while Chen Shuai sat silently in the corner, looking at the dense data on the computer screen.

Deans Tan Yanming and Zhao Jianyang arrived together.

Both men had smiles on their faces, and the conversation inside the office immediately stopped when they stood at the door.

When Zhu Bingkun saw Tan Yanming, he thought he was there to see Zhang Minghao. But when he noticed Zhao Jianyang on the side, he immediately sensed something was wrong.

He immediately went over and asked, "Dean Tan, Dean Zhao, what's going on here...?"

"We've come to offer our congratulations!"

Zhao Jianyang smiled and said, "Congratulations! If the information is correct..."

He then left everyone in suspense.

Tan Yanming then continued, "You won the first prize in natural sciences!"

Zhao Jianyang looked over with a resentful expression. Before the two of them came, they had agreed that Zhao Jianyang would be the one to announce it.

Tan Yanming smiled nonchalantly, finding it amusing to have blocked his old friend's words, and genuinely happy that the school team had won the first prize in natural sciences.

The people in the office were stunned, then overjoyed.

Chen Shuai jumped up and immediately asked, "Which project?"

“What else could it be!” Zhao Jianyang finally found the topic and said, “The Zhang phenomenon! ZXZ! The nomination is for the achievement of ‘discovering the Zhang phenomenon’.”

In academic circles, there are no completely secretive awards.

Tan Yanming and Zhao Jianyang are both academicians with extensive networks, so they didn't need to ask; they obtained the information through other channels.

Now, many people in academic circles already know about it.

Tan Yanming added, "We're just here to let you know in advance so that it doesn't get out beforehand. The Science and Technology Association's award announcement will take more than half a month."

Zhu Bingkun was so excited he was almost trembling on the spot. He was about to tell Xue Kun when he suddenly saw Ma Yan at the door and immediately shouted, "Ma Yan, go and call Zhang Minghao and your teacher Xue, and tell them to come over!"

"Good thing!"

He added another sentence.

Ma Yan turned and walked towards the doctoral student's workspace.

After entering, he sidled up next to Zhang Minghao, put his elbow on the table, and slumped over there. "Brother Hao, I have some good news!" Zhang Minghao looked away from the screen and glanced over.

Ma Yan said with a grin, "If I tell you, you'll have to treat me!"

"What good thing?"

"Your project won the first prize in natural sciences. The Zhang phenomenon—Professor Zhu didn't say it directly, but I heard it all from outside."

The people in the workspace were immediately stunned.

"Treat us to a meal, you absolutely have to treat us!" Chen Lanjun immediately chimed in. "Brother Minghao, you can't escape this time, can you? The first prize in natural sciences, only two people win it in a year!"

Liao Shuyan and Xu Chao also looked over. Their eyes weren't filled with envy, because the gap between them was already too big to envy.

The First Prize in Natural Sciences is an award that most researchers will only hear about once in their lifetime.

Zhang Minghao was also all smiles.

Many people have been mentioning this year's science and technology awards conference, and it's expected that their research will win awards.

The first prize in natural sciences is also worthy of the major discovery of the Zhang phenomenon.

He took a deep breath and coughed lightly. "Keep your voice down, keep a low profile."

"By the way, does Teacher Xue know?"

Ma Yan slapped his forehead, realizing he hadn't notified Xue Kun yet, and quickly said, "Teacher Zhu wants you to come over."

After saying that, he turned and walked out, not forgetting to emphasize, "You absolutely have to treat us!"

"No problem, just wait!"

Zhang Minghao went to the main office and spoke a few words with Tan Yanming and Zhao Jianyang.

Before long, Xue Kun arrived as well.

Xue Kun's face flushed with excitement. He checked with Tan Yanming and immediately spoke to Zhu Bingkun.

Their excitement was impossible to keep low-key; their shouts could be heard even outside, "First Prize in Natural Sciences, amazing!"

"First prize!"

"How many people won first prize last year? Two?"

"There was only one two years ago..."

"If we go back further, there wasn't one for several consecutive years. It wasn't until the restructuring two years ago that we had one every year."

The award was for the discovery of the "Zhang Phenomenon," and only three people were nominated for the award for this project.

Zhang Minghao was the primary inventor, while Zhu Bingkun and Xue Kun, as co-discoverers, were also included in the list of award recipients.

Everyone else kept offering their congratulations.

The National Science and Technology Conference selects five major science and technology awards every year, and the Natural Science Award is one of them.

The Natural Science Award is divided into two levels: First Prize and Second Prize.

The vast majority of nominated projects only receive second prize, and only a very few are shortlisted for first prize.

The first prize and the second prize are only one level apart, but their actual influence is worlds apart.

"This award has such a huge influence and so many benefits."

Tan Yanming said, “To borrow the words that Academician Wang Xuan wrote to Academician Pan Jianwei more than 20 years ago when he was battling illness, ‘Being an academician is easy, but winning the first prize in natural sciences is even more difficult.’”

"This award is even more significant than the title of academician. Once you receive this award, there will be no obstacles to your selection as an academician."

Zhu Bingkun and Xue Kun listened with beaming smiles; the title of academician was the highest pursuit in academic circles.

A year ago, they wouldn't have dared to imagine that one day they would dare to say there would be no obstacles to the selection of academicians.

The first prize in natural sciences is even more prestigious than the title of academician...

That sounds wonderful!

Zhang Minghao leaned closer to Tan Yanming and asked, "Dean Tan, do you think I could be elected as an academician? I was the first discoverer..."

Tan Yanming looked at Zhang Minghao and chuckled, "I can only say that you have the opportunity to become the youngest academician in China, but for now, you should finish writing your doctoral dissertation first!"

"Although there is no explicit rule, one must have a doctoral degree to be eligible to become an academician."

On the other side, Chen Shuai pulled Zhao Jianyang aside and whispered, "Dean Zhao, our STN-01 material, it's room-temperature superconducting, can't we win an award? For example, a technological invention award, not necessarily the top prize, but even a first prize would be fine..."

"You dare to think!"

Zhao Jianyang rolled his eyes. "Special prize? You want to stand next to Academician Yuan Longping?"

"The achievement of STN-01 is sufficient for the Technological Invention Award, but the application period is insufficient. The minimum requirement for the award is three years of application. Just wait and see."

"Three years? That's a long time?"

"Isn't three years a long time? Many studies are from ten or twenty years ago. It's normal to wait another ten years to win an award. After all, in terms of technology, we need to see the application effect."

After Zhao Jianyang finished speaking, he walked away.

Chen Shuai stood silently in the corner, looking at Zhu Bingkun and Xue Kun, and then thinking about himself.

After a few years, the three researchers in the lab became two academicians and a junior professor.

At that point, they should be called the "Academician Duo," right?

He was eliminated!
……

The news that the discovery of the 'Zhang Phenomenon' had won the first prize in natural sciences quickly spread throughout the school.

Tan Yanming reminded him to keep a low profile, but he himself started talking about it everywhere.

The same goes for everyone else.

As Zhang Minghao walks through the school, everyone he knows says to him, "Congratulations! First prize in Natural Sciences, that's amazing!"

"This award is truly remarkable; even academicians may not receive it!"

"I'm just waiting for the live stream of the technology conference, to see you go on stage to receive your award..."

Hearing congratulations from a ton of people gets boring after a while.

Many people come to the laboratory, including leaders at all levels of the school and other officials they know, who will come over specifically to say a few words.

Zhu Bing received wave after wave of people, saying, "It's a bit early to congratulate you now, it's not confirmed yet, the Science and Technology Association's announcement will have to wait a while."

But his mouth was stretched into a wide grin.

For three consecutive days, people came to congratulate us, and the award-winning achievement became the hottest topic in the laboratory.

As time passed and everyone waited for the Science and Technology Association's announcement, their feelings about winning the award became indifferent.

Zhu Bingkun, Xue Kun, and Chen Shuai refocused their energy on research.

They have been discussing applying for a new project to replace the original 'theoretical design and property research of metamaterials'.

The Applied Electromagnetism Laboratory focuses primarily on electromagnetic metamaterials.

The 'Zhang phenomenon' was just an accident.

The research prospects of the Zhang phenomenon are indeed promising, but most of the people in the laboratory can only do experiments. When it comes to the theoretical mechanisms of condensed matter physics, they have no way to get involved.

This research is greatly limited in its experimental scope because it is difficult to make any discoveries.

They need theoretical guidance, but theoretical research is never easy.
Xue Kun spends most of his time in the lab, but he feels there's not much to do.

"We need to find the next direction as soon as possible," Zhu Bingkun said, frowning.

Chen Shuai smiled wryly, "Who would have thought that the original direction would come to an end? The STN material technology has been transferred, and the only thing that can be done afterward is to improve the technology. It has nothing to do with research anymore."

Xue Kun didn't have any ideas for a moment.

As they were talking, they saw Zhang Minghao passing by the office and immediately called him in.

Zhu Bingkun briefly explained the situation and immediately asked Zhang Minghao, "What are your thoughts?"

"Research direction..."

After thinking it over carefully, Zhang Minghao offered a suggestion: "Could we continue researching thermoelectric materials? Not just conventional bismuth telluride, but also things like squartzite crystals, tin selenide, and so on."

"I think thermoelectric materials are a promising area, right? If we can develop commercially viable thermoelectric materials in the future, it will be very valuable..."

Chen Shuai's eyes lit up as he listened.

Xue Kun shook his head and said, "Thermoelectric materials are a good direction, but as for commercial use, what you're talking about is impossible."

"Many teams have studied these, and you can find a lot of information online, such as the crystal structure of squartzite, which embeds other elements. There are many types of research, even on olefin materials."

Zhu Bingkun also said, "We dare not even think about commercially usable thermoelectric materials; we just want to find a direction for the laboratory."

"Find direction..."

Zhang Minghao thought for a long time, then shook his head and said, "For the past few months, I've been studying the Zhang phenomenon, and it's hard to come up with anything if I switch back to metamaterials."

"Or how about this: go out and talk to other teams, attend some conferences or something, maybe that will spark some inspiration?"

Zhu Bingkun and the other two were all taken aback.

"Yup!"

Chen Shuai immediately realized, "The Metamaterials Conference is about to be held this year, and the laboratory has received an invitation to participate."

"Let's go to the conference together, see what major advancements have been made in metamaterials, and see what others are researching. Maybe that will help us find our direction!"

Zhu Bingkun and Xue Kun nodded in unison, "That's a good idea."

"Let's go to the conference!"

"This is a large-scale event, with thousands of people participating each year, including a large number of academicians and experts. It's good to go and broaden your horizons."

Xue Kun also said to Zhang Minghao, "You should come along too."

"Your mind works faster than ours, so maybe you can come up with some good ideas."

(End of this chapter)