China Expands Research Funding, Luring US Scientists and Students (npr.org) 93
An anonymous reader quotes a report from NPR: In the past decade or so, China has been expanding its commitment to scientific research, and it shows. Chinese researchers now produce more scientific publications than U.S. scientists do, and the global ratings of Chinese universities are rising. Five years ago [professor of chemistry at the University of California, San Diego, JaySiegel] became dean of the school of pharmaceutical science and technology at Tianjin University. He says the university president recruited him to build an undergraduate program that would attract students from all over -- not just China. Siegel says the program is taught entirely in English. There's another aspect of getting a pharmaceutical science degree at Tianjin that Siegel expects students from throughout the world to find particularly attractive: The Chinese government plans to offer scholarships to cover the cost for students who enroll. Siegel says this is all part of China's effort to attract international scientists. Of course, there are some drawbacks with working in China. There are internet restrictions, making it difficult to reach certain websites; English isn't spoken throughout most of the country, posing a problem for many foreign visitors; and free speech isn't the same concept as it is in the United States. With that said, "There's no interference politically on the science," says Greg Herczeg, an astronomer at the Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at Peking University.
"We've had no political restrictions," says Siegel. "I know that people talk about them being out there, and I've heard rumors of things. But, for us personally, I would have to say no, I've not had that experience."
"We've had no political restrictions," says Siegel. "I know that people talk about them being out there, and I've heard rumors of things. But, for us personally, I would have to say no, I've not had that experience."
"You too can make astounding discovery claims" (Score:5, Insightful)
"Want to make astounding and unsubstantiated claims about scientific discoveries? Move your research to beautiful China, where you can get a government grant to publish basically whatever you want with almost no peer-review."
Re: "You too can make astounding discovery claims (Score:1)
to attend uni
Kendall, please tell me you're a Brit and not an American trying to sound like one...
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"Want to make astounding and unsubstantiated claims about scientific discoveries? Move your research to beautiful China, where you can get a government grant to publish basically whatever you want with almost no peer-review."
Citation needed
Re:"You too can make astounding discovery claims" (Score:4, Funny)
No need. He published his comment from China.
What is Winter Sunlight? (Score:1)
Does it cause Seasonal Affective Disorder?
For this reason, God sends them a powerful delusion(operation of wandering)(planet) so that they will believe the lie.
Working of Error [wa.hle.rs]
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To spy on / steal from. Can't forget that part, it's the whole point of it.
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"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."
I guess we are at stage #2....
Moving rapidly toward #3.
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In leading Impact Factor 1.05 journals.
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How is it any different from western journals that publish any old crap, most of which can't be reproduced or is flawed anyway? How is it different from all the pseudo-science we put up such as alternative medicine and endless Kickstarter scams?
There is plenty of good science being done in China. Lots of money being thrown at it, and a good standard of living on offer. The pay has to be good because it's hard for foreigners there; the language is hard, the internet censorship is a massive pain in the arse b
Of course, there are some drawbacks (Score:1, Informative)
"Of course, there are some drawbacks with working in China." Yeah being disappeared is a drawback.
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I bet the chances are lower than being shot in the US by some whacko. If you are measuring risk for risk's sake, one cannot say China is less safe.
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You prefer beaten to death over bullets, that's understandable I guess.
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What, you have the Operations Manual of Big Brother?
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I read recently about somebody who a Mexican gang stabbed to death with a phillips screwdriver. Apparently to send a message to everybody else in that community. If you're going to kill me, please make it fast with a bullet.
Re: Of course, there are some drawbacks (Score:1)
I should take that bet, and then your money. On a related note China still can't staff their telescope because academics (i.e. people more intelligent than you) know better than to go work there.
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You're correct. China's homicide rate is MUCH lower than in the US. There's a much lower imprisonment rate in China too. China has a healthy lead on the US in the capital punishment rate, but in either country it's just a rounding error against imprisonment or homicide.
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"There's a much lower imprisonment rate in China too." If you're ethnic Han, perhaps.
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It would be interesting to compare the ethnic imbalance in prison populations between China, about midlevel in incarceration rates in the world, and the USA, the unchallenged world leader in the field. The issue is well studied in the US, where there is very significant ethnic imbalance. I couldn't find data for China.
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Given that people are disappearing left and right in China the real imprisonment rate is probably much higher. Like with all totalitarian regimes.
Or maybe it's just "re-education". Like the nice tourist camps the USSR used to have in Siberia.
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GOOD (Score:5, Insightful)
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China is a totalitarian hold-over. If they control the fruits of that research it's undetermined that's a net positive for the world. So far not so great.
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China is doing the work on technologies like CRISPR and breeder reactors that we haven't even started yet. More power to them.
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Reality though, want to attract more students to Universities in China, well obvious answer focus on universities for foreigners in Hainan, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org] and make sure the surrounding towns are clean, the water is drinkable from the tap without boiling. Aside from that, Hainan province due to it's inherent nature (the Chinese Hawaii) will be an excellent place for branches of other Chinese universities to attract foreign students. In essence copy other popular university towns around the
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If they even invent one great thing, make one great discovery, then the Chinese government benefits.
FTFY.
China is doing it right (Score:2)
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China has never, in it's entire history, had the freedoms Americans, and most of the rest of the world, have.
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Yes. You have the freedom to be stupid, if you so choose.
Trying to save someone from their stupidity requires that you make the decisions for them. They are no longer free at that point.
I graduated with a 4yr degree with $15k in debt. I worked full time to support a wife and two children while doing it.
The long term view. (Score:1)
He says the university president recruited him to build an undergraduate program that would attract students from all over -- not just China.
That's how, in the long term, you gain an economic advantage. The US operates like that (even now), being a place the best and brightest wanted to go to attend uni. Many of those minds stayed in the US, and set up companies and contributed in major ways to the economy. Some of the world's biggest success stories came up via that route.
China is Orwellian and dystopian, but they are taking a very long term view in almost every domain. They're working hard to lock up as many natural resources as possible so
The real story here: (Score:2)
Scientists gonna science. Fund 'em or loose 'em.
There's no interference politically on the science (Score:1)
China is a meritocracy with tight media control. First, they know the importance of scientific development. Second, they have no need to politicise science to reward rich donors who help elect presidents and congresscritters as in the US.
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What on earth gave you any of those ideas? China is a bullshitocracy in which "science" all but can't exist due to the culture of complete dishonesty and corruption in academia and research.
Re:There's no interference politically on the scie (Score:5, Interesting)
There is corruption in China, for sure, though there have been attempts to rein it in in recent years. Also, I agree there is plenty of questionable science coming from Chinese institutions, though I suspect there is at least as much coming from Western start-ups looking for funding.
With all the issues, China should not be underestimated. A country does not achieve sustained rapid growth and improvement in living standards over 30 years without doing a lot right. Those at the highest levels of government have made good decisions more often than in most of its competitors.
China actually scares me, partly because of its success. They believe they should again be the dominant force in Asia as they were centuries ago. Increasingly, they are going to be in a position to seize what they believe they are entitled to. That is not good for other countries in the region.
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"science" all but can't exist due to the culture of complete dishonesty and corruption in academia and research.
Any citations or proof for that?
No political interference on the science? (Score:3)
We could learn from the Chinese.
Potentials (Score:2)
It could be that they are truly hands off in the research. It could also be that they simply don't fund research that might have political connotations.
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We could learn from the Chinese.
We could learn Chinese.
Just a wild thought . . . but maybe some English speaking folks could learn a lot by exchanging ideas with Chinese speakers. And then we could quit with China bashing.
But Chinese seems very impenetrable to Anglophile folks like me, although I did manage to learn to speak German fluently. Maybe the government of China could come up with a BASIC-like version of Chinese . . . or, like a version of Python, called "Chithon". And then get other folks in the world talking Chinese.
Post a
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There is not a chance that Chinese is ever going to be mastered by the rest of the world.
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Most asian languages are super easy.
The perceived problem with Chinese and Thai is that the languages are tonal, which is an initial challenge as we are not used to pick up the tones. However professional language schools use learning tapes that emphasize the tones, that means a low tone is much lower than a Chinese would speak it, a high tone much higher and rising and falling tones are emphasized, too.
As soon as you over that hurdle, 90% of Chinese is just learning vocabulary. The grammar, no offense, of
No political restrictions my ass (Score:2)
He and the Chinese just want the same thing... for now...
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When their research leads to new weapons development
Maybe you can do a fact check on which country produces and sells more advanced weapons than the rest of the world combined. Hint: this country's name contains the letters U, S. and A.
and they balk, ala Google, watch what happens.
Technically, Google pulled itself out of China over the issue of "free speech" and yet it is trying, as of now, to re-enter back into China while the same issue has arguable gotten worse than when they left. Go figure why. And that the only things stop Google from re-entering into China isn't Chinese government (in fact, China
English isn't spoken (Score:4, Interesting)
Chinese pronunciation is the only weird thing about the language. Otherwise, there are no irregular verbs mainly because verbs aren't conjugated in the first place. There's no gender assignment to any words like in French or Spanish. The sentence order is like basic English structure: subject - verb - object.
If you go live there full time it's fairly easy to learn to speak.
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You speak Mandarin? Orange you special.
Re:English isn't spoken (Score:4, Interesting)
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Chinese pronunciation is the only weird thing about the language.
The heavy overloading of words could be considered a weird thing. Though Western languages do some of this, it's a lot worse in Chinese.
Take 'chi' for example. It's used for a lots of different things (as in Tai Chi), and that throws a lot of Westerners, because they assume that a word with so many different meanings can't have any meaning at all. Others jump to erroneous conclusions about the meaning of the word, and you end up with lots of "new age" idiots who completely misunderstand what is really be
There's a conflict between open and closed. (Score:2)
..said the spider to the fly. (Score:2)
"We've had no political restrictions," (Score:2)
As long as your research agrees with the politics of bejing. Any speech or resource that disagrees and you can expect to quietly disappear for using your freedom poorly.
Correct solution (Score:1)
Social Credit System (Score:2)
Between that and their human genetic research they are heading for a world of hurt.
Looser ethics, privacy could also be attractive (Score:2)
your mission (Score:2)
your mission if you decide to accept it is to
if you, or any of your team, is caught we will deny any acknowledgement.
say you want to gene-doctor babies before they are born, go for it, but remember that we will not support you (publicly).