Peking University, January 9, 2017: On January 9, the State Science and Technology Awards ceremony was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Tu Youyou, beida alumna and Nobel Laureate, and Zhao Zhongxian, member of Chinese Academy of Science from Institute of Physics CAS won the State Top Science and Technology Award.
In 1951, Tu was admitted to Peking University Medical School, studying at the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and graduated in 1955 from Beijing Medical College (now Peking University Health Science Center). Later Tu was trained for two and a half years in traditional Chinese medicine. After graduation, Tu worked at the Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine (now the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medical Sciences) in Beijing. She was promoted to a researcher and then academic advisor for doctoral candidates. Currently she is the Chief Scientist in the Academy.
Tu Youyou is best known for discovering artemisnin, which is now commonly used in the treatment of malaria, she shared the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for that discovery. Tu is the first Chinese Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine and the first female citizen of the People's Republic of China to receive a Nobel Prize in any category.
The State Top Science and Technology Award of China is the highest scientific award issued by the President of the People's Republic of China to scientists working in China. The award, given annually each January, is one of the five State Science and Technology Awards established by the State Council of the People's Republic of China. Five awards are given out to recognize scientists and their contributions in special scientific aspects: State Top Science and Technology Award, State Natural Sciences Award, State Technology Invention Award, State Science and Technology Progress Award and International Science and Technology Cooperation Award. The most noticeable award is State Top Science and Technology Award, which is awarded to no more than two winners and 5 million RMB ($826,000) bonus to each winner. This award is granted by the President, honoring the achievements of top scientists with breakthrough in frontier of science and technology or contribution to the development of science and technology. The famous mathematician Wu wenjun and the "father of hybrid rice" Yuan longping are winners of this award of the first year and there have been 27 scientists winning this award since then.
Reported by: Zhou Yingying
Edited by: Zhang Jiang
