The founding ceremony site

On the sunny and gorgeous afternoon of Oct. 20, the founding ceremony of the Overseas-educated Scholars Association of Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (OSA-IGCAS) started amid the heroic music of the national anthem.  The founding of OSA-IGCAS is the result of the group’s joint planning and preparation efforts.  It also marks significant supports of the IGCAS CPC Committee, the United Front Work Department of CPC Committee of Guizhou Province, and the Overseas-educated Scholars Association of Guizhou Province (OSA-GP).

Prof. Wan Quan hosted the ceremony.  The dignitaries who attended the ceremony included the officials of the United Front Work Department (UFWD) of CPC Committee of Guizhou Province, the vice presidents of OSA-GP, and the commercial sponsors.  Director HU Runzhong of IGCAS, Deputy Director WANG Shijie (also president of OSA -GP) and over 100 overseas-educated scholars witnessed this exciting and happy event.

The assembly unanimously passed the proposed “Charter of the Overseas-educated Scholars Association of IGCAS”.  It also elected the founding leadership committee of the association, with Prof. LIU Yun as President, Prof. XIAO Baohua, Prof. WAN Quan and Prof. QI Liang as Vice Presidents, and Associate Prof. LI Shehong as Secretary General.

 Director HU Runzhong giving his warm congratulations on the founding of OSA-IGCAS

OSA-IGCAS President LIU Yun giving a speech shortly after the elections

President LIU Yun gave a speech shortly after the elections.  He started with the history of Chinese overseas students and researchers returning to serve the country, and emphasized the immense contributions this returnee group had made in China’s progress in science and education.  He pointed out that returnee researchers have a strong sense of social responsibility and historical mission in China’s development.  They are motivated, focused and spirited in truth-seeking. Their ethics are solid and their approaches are scientific in the great endeavor to build China into a world-class research powerhouse.  Prof. LIU Yun noted that IGCAS has one of the largest population of returnees in Guizhou Province.  Over 100 people, or over one third of the institute’s total staff, have studied or worked overseas.  There is a strong need to establish their own association, which can provide informational and practical support in their work and daily lives, as well as build stronger friendship and sense of community.  More importantly, the association can contribute more ideas and make a bigger impact on IGCAS’s operation and success, especially in the areas of recruiting, ideas exchanges and collaboration in both fundamental research and potential applications of research results in the general economy.

On behalf of IGCAS’s leadership committee, Director HU Runzhong gave his warm congratulations on the founding of OSA-IGCAS.  He noted that returnees would play important roles in IGCAS’s quest to achieve its goal of “first-rate researchers, first-rate management, first-rate environment, and first-rate results”.  Toward that goal, Director HU Ruizhong expressed earnest hopes for OSA-IGCAS members to carry out four initiatives.  First, OSA-IGCAS members should strengthen internal communication and collaboration to generate more ideas for IGCAS’s improvement; Second, they should draw on their overseas experiences and networks to contribute to the institutes' overseas recruiting efforts; Third, through their research work, they should strive to build a higher international profile of IGCAS in publications, collaborations and conferences; Fourth, they should spearhead more international research projects.

Chief YANG Shengguo of UFWD of CPC Committee of Guizhou Province giving a speech

Other speakers included Prof. ZHOU Guofu as member representative of the newly formed OSA-IGCAS all expressed their hope for the returnees to build the association into a strong community and a bridge to more international collaborations.  They believed the association’s members would make meaningful contributions to IGCAS’s stronger reputation overseas, and to the growth and development both of the IGCAS and the local economy. 

The founding ceremony was concluded amongst the warmest cheers and the most convivial atmosphere.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  ( Provided by LI Shehong, Photo by ZHANG Xiaohua, Translated by XIAO Yi )