Yang Shixian

Yang Shixian

Yang Shixian (January 28, 1897 - February 19, 1985), born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, native to Huaining, Anhui Province, is a chemist, educator, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor, doctoral supervisor and former president of Nankai University.

In 1918, Yang Shixian graduated from Tsinghua University; in 1922, he received a master's degree from Cornell University; in 1923, he was a professor of Nankai University, and then the dean of the school of science; in 1929, he went to the United States again to work as a researcher in the Research Institute of Yale University; in 1931, he received a doctor's degree from Yale University and was elected as a member of the American Society of scientific researchers; in the same year, he returned to China and continued to teach in Nankai University; in 1948, he served as a researcher In 1955, he was elected a member of the academic department of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; in 1957, he was the president of Nankai University; in 1962, he was the first director of the Institute of elemental organic chemistry of Nankai University and also a member of the academic committee of the Institute of chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; he died in Tianjin on February 19, 1985.

Yang Shixian mainly studies pesticides and elemental organic chemistry, and has been engaged in chemistry education for a long time. He founded the Institute of elemental organic chemistry of Nankai University, systematically studies organophosphorus pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and plant growth regulators, and systematically studies the relationship between the structure and biological activity of organophosphorus compounds. In the early 1980s, he founded the Institute of molecular biology in Nankai University The Institute began to explore the intersection of chemistry and biology.

Life of the characters

On January 28, 1897, Yang Shixian was born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, and his native place is Huaining, Anhui Province. In 1907, Yang Shi first entered Tianjin Minli No.2 primary school and first came into contact with chemistry. Every chemical demonstration experiment aroused his great interest. Later, he came into contact with various physical experiments, which further broadened his horizons. In 1910, Yang Shixian entered Tsinghua preparatory school for studying in the United States, and received three years of middle school and four years of university education. During his schooling, he achieved excellent results and ranked among the top. In 1918, Yang Shi first went to the United States to study agriculture at Cornell University, and then transferred to applied chemistry one year later. In 1922, Yang Shixian obtained a bachelor's degree in Applied Chemistry from Cornell University. After finishing his study, he was still a graduate student in the Research Institute of Cornell University, engaged in the research of organic reaction mechanism. In 1923, Yang Shixian received a master's degree in organic chemistry from Cornell University. In the same year, he returned to China and was invited to teach in the Department of chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin. In 1928, Yang Shixian concurrently served as the dean of the school of science of Nankai University. In 1929, Yang Shixian went to the United States again to work as a researcher at Yale University Research Institute, engaged in the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds. In 1931, Yang Shixian received a doctor's degree in organic chemistry from Yale University and was elected a member of the sigma Xi. In the same year, he returned to China and continued to teach in Nankai University, teaching pharmaceutical chemistry, plant hormone, pesticide chemistry and other courses. In February 1938, Yang Shixian moved to Kunming with Nankai University, and was elected as the director of the Department of chemistry of the College of science of National Southwest United University, and also the director of the Department of physics and chemistry of Kunming Normal University. From 1941 to 1946, Yang Shixian was also a communication researcher of the Central Research Institute of Peking. In 1943, Yang Shixian was elected Dean of National Southwest United University. In 1945, after the victory of the Anti Japanese War, Yang Shixian went to the United States for the third time. He was a visiting professor and researcher at Indiana State University and engaged in the research of medicinal chemistry. The paper "identification of antimalarial plants in China" was written. In 1947, Yang Shixian was elected as a member of the American Society of chemical honors. In February 1948, Yang Shixian returned to Nankai University as a teacher and acting president. In September 1949, Yang Shixian attended the first National Political Consultative Conference as a representative of the education sector and met chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai. After the founding of the people's Republic of China, Yang Shixian continued to teach in Nankai University. From 1952 to 1957, Yang Shixian served as vice president of Nankai University. In 1953, Yang Shixian joined the China Association for the promotion of democracy. In 1955, Yang Shixian was elected member of the academic department of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and head of the chemistry group. In the same year, he was employed as a member of the academic committee of Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and actively participated in the preparatory work of Institute of chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 1956 and 1962, Yang Shixian took part in the 12-year science and technology development planning conference (as the leader of the comprehensive group) and the 10-year science and technology planning conference (as the leader of the chemical group), and also in the national agricultural planning conference (as the deputy leader of the pesticide and agricultural machinery group). In 1957, Yang Shixian served as president of Nankai University (until 1980). In the same year, he was appointed head of the chemical group of the Science Planning Commission of the State Council. In 1958, Yang Shixian and the teachers and students of the Department of chemistry of Nankai University set up two pesticide workshops, Trichlorfon and malathion. Chairman Mao Zedong paid a personal visit and spoke highly of their work. In 1959, Yang Shixian led a delegation of the Chinese chemical society to the Soviet Union to attend the 11th Mendeleev academic conference held in Moscow, and delivered a congratulatory speech on behalf of the Chinese chemical society at the opening ceremony. In the same year, he attended the first meeting of the National Association for science and technology and was elected a member of the China Association for science and technology. In commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the national day, he published his academic paper "progress of elemental organic chemistry in China since the founding of the people's Republic of China". On March 21, 1960, Yang Shixian joined the Communist Party of China. In 1962, in accordance with the spirit of the second national science and technology development planning conference and the national agricultural planning conference, Yang Shixian successfully established the first professional research institute of chemistry in Chinese universities in October of that year, i.e., the Institute of elemental organic chemistry of Nankai University, and personally served as the first director of the Institute. In 1977, Yang Shixian participated in the Symposium of 30 famous scientists and educators in China convened by Comrade Deng Xiaoping. At the meeting, he put forward four suggestions: ① restore the State Science and Technology Commission to unify the planning, guidance and coordination of national science and technology work; ② set up a science and education secretary in China's liaison office in the United States to adapt to the upcoming exchanges of science and technology and education between the two countries; ③ select excellent scientific and technological talents to ensure that there are successors in the scientific and technological team; ④ take measures to make middle-aged teachers understand the tedious affairs Let them out and give full play to their backbone role. His suggestion was praised and affirmed, and adopted by relevant departments. In 1980, Yang Shixian was the honorary president of Nankai University. On February 19, 1985, Yang Shi died of illness.

Main achievements

Achievements in scientific research

He mainly studies pesticide and elemental organic chemistry, and has been engaged in chemistry education for a long time. The Institute of elemental organic chemistry of Nankai University was founded in the early 1960s. In the early 1980s, the Institute of molecular biology of Nankai University was established and explored in the cross field of chemistry and biology. as early as 1940s, through long-term observation, Yang Shixian found that there was a trend of transition from inorganic pesticides, plant pesticides to organic pesticides in international agricultural research. At the same time, he also conducted a large number of literature surveys on plant growth regulators (plant hormones), and wrote the manuscript of plant growth hormones, which laid the foundation for the research of plant growth regulators in the 1950s and played a leading role in pesticide research. In the early 1950s, he and his assistants first synthesized plant growth regulators suitable for China's national conditions, and then further studied organophosphorus chemistry. In February 1956, as a member of the science and Planning Commission of the State Council and the leader of the comprehensive group of chemical experts, he participated in the preparation of China's 12 year long-term plan for science and technology, which was presided over by Premier Zhou Enlai. At the planning meeting, Yang Shi first reported "the relationship between chemical science and national economy" to the state leaders, and discussed the great role of chemical science and its field in the national economy, which provided the basis for China to formulate the long-term plan of science and technology in chemistry. At the same time, he also pointed out that only when the chemical research work is closely combined with the needs of the socialist national economy, can it exert great power. In the early 1960s, in response to the call of the state to run large-scale agriculture, Yang Shi was entrusted by Zhou Enlai to give up decades of pharmaceutical chemistry research and led everyone to carry out large-scale pesticide chemistry research. In 1958, Chairman Mao Zedong went to Nankai University to inspect the "trichlorfon" and "malathion" pesticide workshops established by Yang Shixian, and highly appraised his work. After hundreds of experiments, Yang Shixian and his research colleagues finally opened up a new road for China's independent research and development of pesticides. They have developed insecticides (monocrotophos, fenlingwei), herbicides (herbicide No.1, oat, herbicide No.16), fungicides (miexiu No.1, yekujing, kejunzhuang), plant growth regulators (7104, aijiansu) and other new pesticides. In 1966, the three organophosphorus pesticides developed by them won the first prize of the state. Yang Shixian extracted more than 100000 pesticide information cards, published 97 academic papers, edited and wrote a series of works on organic pesticide chemistry, and presided over and published world pesticide progress and other journals. In November 1957, Yang Shixian, as an expert consultant, participated in the Chinese science and technology delegation to the Soviet Union. During his visit, he found that elemental organic chemistry is a new discipline and the latest branch of organic chemistry. Although it has not been developed for a long time, it shows great vitality. Yang Shixian believes that the elements are organic

Chinese PinYin : Yang Shi Xian