Peking University, Nov. 19, 2016: The 27th General Meeting of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) was held in Kigali, Rwanda, and attracted around 300 participants from over 50 nations. These included science ministers other high-level policymakers, elite researchers, leaders from science associations, funding agencies and non-governmental organizations. During the meeting, forty new fellows from 17 countries were announced, among whom were two PKU scholars: Zhang Pingwen, executive deputy director of the Center for Computational Science and Engineering at PKU and member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Zheng Xiaoying, president of the PKU-APEC Health Science Academy and director of the PKU Institute of Population Research.
The World Academy of Sciences was founded in 1983 under the leadership of the Nobel Prize Winner Abdus Salam of Pakistan. It is dedicated to promoting the development of scientific research in developing countries and South-South scientific cooperation. Its headquarters are located on the premises of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy.
The TWAS General Meeting, held every year, is a showcase for scientific excellence in the developing world. Ministerial sessions devoted to critical scientific issues are usually held on the first day. Scientific sessions, focusing on topics ranging from agriculture to biotechnology to materials science, are held throughout the conference. Young scientists are given an opportunity to discuss their research, and a series of prizes and medals acknowledge the excellent work being done by scientists in developing countries.
Profiles:
ZHANG, Pingwen: Male, PhD, Professor, School of Mathematical Sciences, Peking University. He has made outstanding contributions to mathematical theory and computational methods of complex fluids, particularly axial symmetry of Doi-Onsager equation, relation of different models of liquid crystals and numerical methods of nucleation. Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He has received the Feng Kang Prize and the Second Grade National Natural Science Award of China.
Zhang Pingwen
ZHENG, Xiaoying: Female, PhD, Director/Professor, Institute of Population Research/WHO Collaborating Center of Reproductive Health and Population Science, Peking University. Her interdisciplinary in poor areas of China has contributed to understanding the interaction of environmental, medical and social conditions on population health and disability. She has received the Third Prize, Outstanding Achievement Award in Higher Education Science Research twice, the 2015 TWAS-Celso Furtado Prize and the Soong Ching Ling Pediatric Medicine Award by Song Ching Ling Foundation, among others.
Zheng Xiaoying
