On the afternoon of December 29, the Scientific & Life Newspaper, in collaboration with science reporters in Hanoi, conducted a poll to select the 10 outstanding science and technology events of 2005.
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Mathematician Ngo Bao Chau was included in the list of 10 events after being nominated for a special promotion to professorship. |
The top event in the poll was the meeting between the Prime Minister and scientists. Professor Nguyen Van Truong and mathematician Ngo Bao Chau were among the individuals recognized in the top 10 events, with one receiving the title of Labor Hero during the renovation period and the other being nominated for a special promotion to professor.
Here is the list of the 10 events:
1. Meeting between the Prime Minister and scientists. This is seen as the “Dien Hong Conference” of the science and technology community. During the meeting, scientists expressed their concerns, aspirations, and frustrations regarding current science and technology activities in the country.
2. New progress in the issuance and adjustment of legal documents on science and technology. Over the past year, two important laws have been passed by the National Assembly: the Intellectual Property Law and the Electronic Transactions Law, creating a crucial foundation for the development of science and technology.
3. Completion of research on decoding the gene sequence of the H5N1 influenza virus. Scientists at the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City successfully decoded the gene sequence of the H5N1 influenza virus from human and poultry samples in Vietnam, using 5 human virus samples and 16 virus samples from sick poultry in the southern region.
4. Honoring scientist and hero Nguyen Van Truong. At the age of 84, Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Truong, Director of the Institute of Ecological Economics, was honored by the State with the title of Labor Hero during the renovation period. He and his colleagues established the first private Ecological Economics Institute in Vietnam and developed many ecological villages in less sustainable ecological areas, helping local farmers escape poverty.
5. Decree 115/2005/ND-CP, “contract 10 in science”. Decree 115/2005/ND-CP establishes a mechanism for public science and technology organizations to operate independently and assume responsibility, likened to “contract 10” in science. This decree will create a significant revolution in science and technology activities, allowing organizations to decide on plans, implement science and technology tasks, and adjust their organizational structure.
6. Approval of the Technology Market Development project. This project aims to build and perfect the basic institutions of the technology market, creating a healthy competitive environment, striving for an average growth of 10% per year in technology transaction values during the 2006-2010 period. The project will contribute to promoting and supporting businesses in investing in technology innovation, rapidly increasing the quantity and quality of technology transactions.
7. The emergence of “grassroots scientists”. The year 2005 witnessed the rise of numerous inventions from farmers, some of whom had not even completed their high school education. Notable examples include farmer Nguyen Van Long (Thuan Dien hamlet, An Hiep, Chau Thanh, Ben Tre), who modeled a hand-operated weaving machine and a method for threading rattan, and Huỳnh Thái Dương (Ham Duc commune, Ham Thuan Bac, Binh Thuan) with his corn husking and kernel separation machine.
8. Mathematician Ngo Bao Chau nominated for special promotion to professor. After defending his PhD thesis at the age of 25 and his habilitation thesis (equivalent to a doctoral degree) at 31, Ngo Bao Chau was invited to become a professor at two prestigious universities in France (Paris 6 and Paris 11) in early 2004, before he turned 32. At the end of 2004, the Clay Mathematics Institute awarded him and Gérard Laumon an annual research award to “recognize their outstanding achievements in mathematics.” Although currently working in Paris, he has been nominated for a special promotion to a professorship at the Institute of Mathematics (part of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology).
9. Vietnamese science expands into new scientific and technological fields. Significant achievements include breakthroughs in embryonic stem cell research by a team of scientists at the University of Natural Sciences (Vietnam National University, Hanoi) led by Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Mong Hung, successful research and development of amorphous materials with new magnetic properties and physical effects by scientists at the Institute of Technical Physics (Hanoi University of Science and Technology), and the successful fabrication of scanning probe microscopes at the Institute of Applied Physics and Scientific Equipment (Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology).
10. Successful second Techmart held in Ho Chi Minh City. Compared to the first technology and equipment market (Techmart) held in Hanoi, the second Techmart was larger in scale and quality. It represents an initial breakthrough in the emerging science and technology market in Vietnam, showcasing examples of the nationwide movement to promote technical innovation.
K. HUNG