An Interesting Soul
Shen Qi sent an email to Professor Haldane, thanking Haldane for his care and kindness, and expressing his hope to have the opportunity to collaborate with the Physics Department at Princeton University to conduct in-depth discussions on topics related to Condensed Matter Physics.
Professor Haldane quickly replied to the email, welcoming Shen Qi to come back to Princeton for coffee sometime.
Shortly afterward, the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) reprinted two Condensed Matter Physics articles by Shen Qi Team and Haldane's team in its official journal, International Physics, and provided professional commentary on the two articles, generally acknowledging the innovative theoretical principles of the two teams.
There are many international physics academic organizations, but the ICTP is the most authoritative one. With this authoritative organization expressing its stance, the voices of the Physics Community at home and abroad are gradually converging. One is a Nobel laureate, and the other is Fields Medal laureate. These big names are never wrong, so let's follow in their footsteps.
The Fields Medal laureate has been very active in the Physics Community recently. Shen Qi was invited to participate in an academic seminar organized by the Chinese Physics Association, where he elaborated on "The Rules and Basic Equations of the Disorder-Order Phase Transition of a Class of Compounds," which received widespread acclaim.
In his concluding remarks, Shen Qi stated. "Based on the current stage of our research, Yenching University has made a breakthrough in the field of phase transition mechanisms of first-class oxides, while Princeton has found a breakthrough through another approach, namely the field of Amorphous Alloy, and has also achieved success."
"Yenching University and Princeton have reached a high degree of consensus on future research directions. We will give full play to our respective strengths and expertise, complement each other, and strive to fill some theoretical gaps in Condensed Matter Physics or correct unresolved points of contention as soon as possible."
"This is a long-term, arduous, and complex task. We welcome valuable suggestions from colleagues in the Physics Community, and we are grateful for the support and trust of the country."
After the meeting, leaders from the relevant national departments in charge of science and technology approached Shen Qi suggested that he increase the research funding for the already approved 973 Program.
Shen Qi: "Boss, I never said I wanted more money."
The leader said, "Professor Shen, I was also present at your academic report yesterday. What you said is very true. The 973 Program you are in charge of is a long-term, arduous, and complex undertaking. We have conducted research and reviewed previous projects. Five million yuan in research funding can support basic research, but if we want to fill many theoretical gaps in Condensed Matter Physics, five million yuan is far from enough."
The relevant authorities are forcibly increasing funding, putting Shen Qi under immense pressure.
However, as a renowned professor and a researcher with numerous honors, Shen Qi had no choice but to shoulder the responsibility. He personally drafted the application report for additional research funding for the 973 Program, hoping that the higher authorities could allocate an additional 10 million yuan to ensure the smooth progress of the entire project.
The 10 million yuan research grant was approved quickly; the funds had already been prepared and were just waiting for Shen Qi to write his application report.
Even the most brilliant scientists need to prove themselves through their achievements. Shen Qi solved problems in Condensed Matter Physics that others couldn't, and made some achievements that have been recognized by the international Physics Community.
In any field, once there are achievements, there will be follow-up investments. Shen Qi used some of the additional funds to purchase two new physics experimental devices.
With the arrival of the new equipment, the physics laboratory of the Shen Qi Mathematical and Physical Research Center can now perform basic Condensed Matter Physics experiments. Sometimes, when more complex experiments are needed, the Yanjing University Physics Department provides the high-end equipment required for these complex experiments.
Since the establishment of the Shen Qi Mathematical and Physical Research Center, Shen Qi has devoted almost all his energy to his 973 Condensed Matter Physics project. He has not paid much attention to the field of mathematics, nor does he need to be too involved in it. Mathematical results often rely on inspiration, unlike physics projects which require a large amount of experimental data.
After the start of spring, Yenching University welcomed the registration for its annual "5+2 Half Marathon Relay Race Around Weiming Lake".
This event is organized by the Yanjing University Running Association, with representatives from various departments and functional units participating.
Shen Qi attached great importance to this year's "5+2 Half Marathon Relay Race Around Weiming Lake". He ordered all staff members of our center to participate in this relay race.
The rules for the "5+2 Half Marathon Relay Race Around Weiming Lake" are as follows: each team consists of seven people, five men and two women. Each team member runs three laps around Weiming Lake, which is three kilometers, and then hands the baton to the next teammate. The seven team members complete a total half marathon distance of 21 kilometers.
The current staffing of the Shen Qi Mathematical and Physical Research Center consists of one director, seven Mathematical Research, one physics researcher, one physics doctoral student, and four female staff members in the general affairs office.
There are exactly fourteen people, ten men and four women, enough to form two teams.
"I've already signed up with the running association. Our center will field two half-marathon relay teams. This event is a major event for our center this year. We want to announce to the entire Yenching University that we not only have brilliant minds and interesting souls, but also strong physiques." Shen Qi gave a spirited pep talk.
In the minds of most teachers and students, the Shen Qi Mathematical and Physical Research Center is a secluded place. They study profound and difficult theories. The center is home to a director with exceptional wisdom, several beautiful women, and a bunch of bald, eccentric scientists.
Shen Qi said with great distress, "It's all rumors, rumors! Our center is not like that at all! So, we must take advantage of this half-marathon relay race to showcase the youthful, sunny, healthy, and vibrant spirit of our center."
According to Shen Qi's investigation, the center's overall combat effectiveness is definitely inferior to that of the young students.
Shen Qi's goal was for the center's main team to rank among the top five in the faculty and staff.
Shen Qi is a good runner; he won the long-distance running championship at Yenching University. He is confident that he will not lose to the younger students in the three-kilometer race he is in charge of.
Xiao Junlong is short and ugly. He claims to be from a rural area, a poor county. He said that when he was admitted to Yenching University, he didn't have money for a train ticket, so he ran all the way to the capital.
This boast was too exaggerated, so Shen Qi didn't believe it. He personally tested Xiao Junlong's long-distance running ability. "Xiao Junlong, run five laps around Weiming Lake, which is about 5 kilometers."
After 5 laps, Xiao Junlong finished in 19 minutes and 59 seconds, breaking the 20-minute barrier.
"You're something else, Dr. Xiao. You're probably the fastest math PhD at Peking University. A brilliant mind, an interesting soul, and a strong physique—that's exactly the kind of man you are." Shen Qi Xiao Junlong had a special talent that deserved recognition.
"It's pretty good for an average runner to finish in under 20 minutes," Xiao Junlong said, panting. "I haven't been training much lately. The race starts in a week, so I'll train a bit more and try to get back to my 18-minute 5km pace. We country folk are honest, I'm not kidding you, Director Shen. I really did run all the way to Yanda University to register back then, and I was even on the news. You can search the forums from ten years ago."
"Okay, I believe you."
It's not surprising that there are many Quirks talents among the students at Yanda University. Shen Qi arranged for Xiao Junlong to run the first leg for the center team, allowing Xiao Junlong to train for a week to recover to his peak condition.
Team 1 is the main team, and another strong player is Yang Ding Tian. You see, he stays in the lab all day, his stamina is really good.
Doing experiments is also physically demanding. Yang Ding Tian's endurance was probably developed through this training. He was very thin, had an unusual running posture, but his advantage lay in his long legs, making one of his steps equivalent to one and a half of others'.
Sang Tian is a key female player in Team 1 of the Center. She has been writing online articles for seven or eight years, and has failed in every single one of them. Her perseverance is amazing.
Cui Xiaoyi's stamina is average, but she runs with great energy. She is another female member of the center's first team.
The newly hired physics PhD from Wuhan University is surnamed Sha. He grew up by East Lake and is an excellent swimmer. He was selected for the Wuhan University swimming team when he was an undergraduate.
Dr. Sha asked, "I can swim three kilometers without any problem, but running three kilometers would be a struggle. Director Shen, can I swim three laps around Weiming Lake?"
"Your idea is very bold and quite creative, but it's a pity that the running association doesn't allow amphibious operations." Shen Qi discovered another interesting soul. Their center was full of talented people, all of whom were witty and humorous, and were by no means the group of bald, boring mad scientists that outsiders thought they were.
"How about this, Dr. Sha, you join Team 1 of the center. I believe that someone who can swim three kilometers can definitely run three kilometers if they persevere. Swimming three kilometers is much more tiring than running three kilometers."
Shen Qi is definitely a key player for Team 1, and the final member confirmed for Team 1 is Zhou Yu'an.
Shen Qi knew Zhou Yu'an's long-distance running ability well; it was mediocre, but slightly better than the rest of the employees.
Therefore, all seven members of Team 1 in the Shen Qi Mathematical and Physical Research Center Half Marathon Relay Race were confirmed, and the remaining seven employees formed Team 2.
Team 2's task is simply to finish the game; there are no performance requirements.
For the next week, the seven members of Team 1 finished work at four o'clock every day and ran around Weiming Lake to get into shape and train their physical fitness.
Seven interesting souls formed an interesting relay team. Shen Qi and his friends were eager to get started, just waiting for the starting gun to fire.