The Culprit Behind All That Hair Loss
"Professor Shen, do all great scientists keep cats?" a female member of the Cat Association asked.
Shen Qi: "Cats are interesting animals that can inspire scientists."
The president of the Cat Association, a young woman, earnestly said, "Professor Shen, after you join the Cat Association, please promote it for us."
Shen Qi nodded. "Yes, I will. You are all kind-hearted college students, treating cats better than people. I will help you as much as I can."
The girls, sweating, exclaimed, "We're very friendly to humans, okay?!"
"Most of you study humanities, right?" Shen Qi asked.
"Yes, there are more, including some sisters majoring in science and engineering."
Shen Qi exchanged contact information with the president of the Cat Association: "I had a great day! We only have this one cat at our center. Oh, by the way, its name is Laplace, and it has a high aptitude for physics. We have quite a few single guys at our center; feel free to contact me if you're interested."
The president of the Cat Association, a sophomore from the School of Foreign Languages, said, "Professor Shen, your interest in cats isn't really in them. Okay, I'll contact you immediately if I need anything."
In the evening, all twelve members of the Shen Qi Mathematical and Physical Research Center attended a dinner gathering.
Shen Qi shared photos of the Cat Association members with everyone; there were beautiful young ladies and handsome young men.
"Tell me, haven't I been good to you? I've even planned out your personal lives for you. Just tell me who you've got your eye on, and I'll arrange blind dates for you," Shen Qi said to the others. In their center, only one woman, a finance professional, was married; the rest were all single.
"Director Shen, you're a living Bodhisattva!" Xiao Junlong rubbed his hands together excitedly.
"They're all fresh-faced college graduates, a bit too immature. Aren't there any more mature, seasoned men?" The three single female employees had graduated from university a few years ago, and they preferred slightly more mature men.
"Old hands, right? I'll let you know when we have stock." Shen Qi's doctoral researchers were all old hands; he neither encouraged nor opposed office romances, but he preferred that the center's employees interact with people outside the center.
Shen Qi spent a relaxing holiday playing with cats and interacting with members of the Cat Association.
New Year's Day has passed in the blink of an eye, and Physical Review Letters published Shen Qi's review article, "Disorder-Order Phase Transition Rules and Fundamental Equations for a Class of Compounds".
System: "New achievement! The host has published a paper in a top-tier international physics journal. The base reward is 50,000 Academic Points, multiplied by the journal's IF value of 11.726, resulting in a final reward of 586,300 Academic Points. Remaining balance: 27,826,618 Academic Points."
This is Shen Qi's third article published in PRL, a top international physics journal. This review article immediately sparked heated discussions in the international Condensed Matter Physics community upon its publication.
Physicists who agree with the findings believe that Shen Qi Team has solved a difficult problem in Condensed Matter Physics. They have clearly defined the reversible phase transition mechanism between metals and insulators in compounds with multiple crystal structures and provided the basic Mathematical Physics equations.
Skeptical physicists argue that even though Shen Qi Team presented some experimental data, it is still insufficient to prove that their disorder-to-order phase transition rules and fundamental equations hold true.
It's normal for an important research finding to be met with both support and skepticism.
Not to mention internationally, even some domestic experts and scholars have expressed doubts about the conclusions of Shen Qi Team.
For those who study Natural Science, discovering a phenomenon is not difficult; the challenge lies in thoroughly explaining that phenomenon and providing sufficient theoretical evidence.
When his physics colleagues inquired around, they learned that Shen Qi's physics team actually consisted of only two people: Shen Qi and a doctoral student who was said to be mentally unstable.
The two authors of the PRL review article, "Disorder-Order Phase Transition Rules and Basic Equations for a Class of Compounds," comprise the entirety of Shen Qi Team; there are no other members.
As for the research funding for Shen Qi Team, rumors suggest it is only 5 million RMB.
Lacking both manpower and funds, Shen Qi abruptly threw out a theoretical principle, claiming to have solved the long-standing problem of the reversible metal-insulator phase transition mechanism of compounds with various crystal structures in Physics Community.
This is really discouraging. Some physics teams, both domestically and internationally, have spent years or even more than a decade trying to tackle this problem, investing a lot of human, material, and financial resources. The research funding they've spent is more than 5 million RMB.
Money is spent, but the real problem is the lack of effective research results, which is the culprit behind scientists losing their hair.
Yenching University will definitely support Shen Qi unconditionally. Dean Ning the Yanjing University Physics Department is quite familiar with Shen Qi. Academician Pan of the Chinese quantum communication team was introduced to Shen Qi by Dean Ning.
Dean Ning immediately sent a congratulatory telegram to Shen Qi. As the head of a friendly department within the university, Dean Ning personally visited the Shen Qi Mathematical and Physical Research Center in the Mathematics Building to learn from Shen Qi's successful experience.
"I heard that your 973 Program in Condensed Matter Physics only received a grant of 5 million yuan?" Dean Ning asked.
Shen Qi explained, "This is the first time I've done a physics project with some applied aspects, so I didn't want to ask for too much."
Dean Ning: "What can you do with 5 million? That's something I'm very curious about."
"So, my doctoral students often go to your physics department to collect experimental data using the advanced equipment there. But as you've seen, Dean Ning, there are still some people, both domestically and internationally, who say that my experimental data is too superficial and lacks depth."
"Really? Your physics PhD students often come to our Physics Department?" Dean Ning is the top leader of such a large department as Physics Department; it's impossible for him to know the actions of the lower-level staff.
"My doctoral students did their master's studies in our School of Physics. Come, Dean Ning, let me show you around my laboratory." Shen Qi led Dean Ning a few steps to his laboratory.
Inside the lab, there was only one person and one cat. Yang Ding Tian was always doing experiments, and his orange cat Laplace accompanied him after lunch.
As soon as Dean Ning entered, he noticed the cat. "Wow, this cat is really fat. Is it a cat or a cub of some other large feline?"
"Just a lazy, good-for-nothing orange cat." Shen Qi picked up the orange cat from the lab table and introduced its real owner to Dean Ning: "This is Yang Ding Tian, my doctoral student. Dingtian, Dean Ning, I don't need to introduce you, do I?"
Yang Ding Tian stood up and greeted her politely, "Hello, Dean Ning."
Dean Ning smiled kindly and said, "Hello, Xiao Yang. I heard you completed your master's degree in our physics department?"
Yang Ding Tian nodded. "Yes."
Dean Ning smiled and said, "Why didn't you continue your doctoral studies in the Department of Physics? Was it because our department did something wrong? Or was Professor Shen's personal charisma too strong? It's alright, Xiao Yang, tell me the truth. If it's because the department did something wrong, I will definitely make improvements when I get back. If it's because Professor Shen's charisma is outstanding, then I'll accept it."
Yang Ding Tian said calmly, "They say I'm mentally unstable."
Dean Ning was speechless.