杭州市科学技术协会

The China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) and the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation (CSCLF) jointly launched a program of future science day for children and youth of China Soon Ching Ling Foundation in Beijing on August 21, 2022. 

The launch ceremony was accompanied by the award ceremony of the 17th Soon Ching Ling invention award for children and youth.

Wan Gang, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and president of CAST, and Li Bin, vice chairperson of the CPPCC National Committee and president of the CSCLF, attended the event. 

At the event site, Wan Gang and Li Bin, together with Zhong Zhihua, academician and vice president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), and vehicle engineering expert, Wu Weiren, academician of the CAE, chief technical advisor of Aerospace TT & C communication and deep space exploration, and chief designer of the Chinese lunar exploration project, jointly announced the opening of future science day program. 

The program is expected to guide Chinese teenagers to cherish their scientific dreams and help cultivate future excellent scientific and technological experts to achieve sci-tech self-reliance and self-strengthening at higher levels. 

Also present at the event were Zhang Yuzhuo, secretary of the leading Party members group, vice president in charge of daily work and chief executive secretary of the Secretariat of CAST, Yin Hao, member of the leading Party members group, executive secretary of the Secretariat and curator of the China Science and Technology Museum (CSTM) of CAST, Jing Dunquan, member of the leading Party members group and vice president of the CSCLF, Yu Qun, member of the leading Party members group and vice president of the CSCLF, and Yu Huarong, secretary of the Party Committee, executive vice president and secretary general of the China Association of Inventions (CAI). 

While noting that talent is a fundamental factor to building China into a nation with strength in science and technology, Zhang Yuzhuo urged the participants to implement instructions of President Xi Jinping in his congratulatory letter to the 40th anniversary of the founding of the CSCLF, and practice Mme. Soong Ching Ling's conviction of "Facing the future and staying with the Party" to cultivate fertile soil to advance science, plant seeds of hope, and help teenagers grow into future scientists. 

Zhang remarked that CAST and the CSCLF have common goals and share cooperative opportunities to enhance scientific literacy of Chinese teenagers. 

Zhang hoped the two sides to implement their strategic cooperation agreement and complement advantages to develop science education programs for teenagers, and conduct more people-to-people exchanges to advance the progress of social civilization and cultivate sci-tech talent of the times. 

In his speech, Jing Dunquan said that the Party Central Committee with President Xi Jinping as the core attaches great importance to teenagers’ science education programs. President Xi Jinping sent messages many times to encourage Chinese teenagers to study hard and develop scientific spirit to become backbones of the motherland. 

In February this year, CAST and the CSCLF signed a strategic cooperation agreement to carry out all-round cooperation in the fields of science communication for teenagers, talent training and international cooperation, added Jing. 

Holding the event of future science day for children and youth is a practical measure to implement President Xi Jinping’s instructions on strengthening youth work and science popularization undertakings. It is also a concrete action to implement the Outline of the National Scheme for Scientific Literacy (2021-2035) and the strategic cooperation between CAST and the CSCLF, continued Jing. 

We must implement President Xi Jinping’s instructions and practice Mme. Soon Ching Ling’s guiding principle of "Giving the most precious to children" to carry out science communication activities for teenagers together with the CAST side, concluded Jing.

 In combination of the opening ceremony of future science day in 2022, the award ceremony of the 17th Soon Ching Ling invention award for children and youth was held. Wan Gang and Li Bin awarded gold medals to young winners.

The event invited Zhang Laibin, academician of the CAE, and expert in oil and gas safety, Zhao Jindong, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and expert in plant physiology and algae, Li Zhi, academician of the CAS, and expert in control science and engineering, and other prestigious scientists to present award prizes to other young winners, providing winning teenagers a chance to communicate with front-line scientists and feel the charm of science in no distance. 

Soon Ching Ling invention award for children and youth is the only award named after a national leader approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) to recognize young sci-tech talent. 

The award is among the list of national competitions for primary and secondary school students of the Ministry of Education, and has attracted more than 1 million young students to participate since it was initiated 17 years ago. 

This year’s invention award competition received 20,000 plus entries submitted by over 30,000 teenagers from more than 3,800 schools in Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and Malaysia and the Philippines as well. 

A total of 423 projects were awarded this year, including 265 invention projects, 99 artificial intelligence (programming) works, 29 creative works and 30 sci-tech paintings. 

Chu Siyu and Chu Siqi, twins from Beijing Huiwen No. 1 primary school, and winners of this year’s gold medal, shared views with the participants about their winning work of "Garbage sorting bins that can listen and speak". 

Following the launch of the program of future science day, the CSCLF will carry out a series of programs including Master lecture for children, National project on artificial intelligence and programming for the youth, and international youth robot carnival to promote the spirit of science and the Spirit of Chinese Scientists, and inspire Chinese teenagers to devote themselves to scientific exploration and become practitioners in realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation. 

Tag: Office of China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, Department of Publicity and Culture of CAST, Science Education