Posted: March 18, 2008

Chinese, German scientists meet to address science frontiers

(Nanowerk News) The First Sino-German Frontiers of Science Symposium (SINOGFOS) was held from March 13-16, in Beijing, bringing together 60 or so young scholars from research institutions and universities of the two countries.
Co-organized by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH), it is a series of interdisciplinary conferences, which are slated to convene in China and Germany alternately beginning in 2008.
According to an agreement inked by CAS President LU Yongxiang and AvH Secretary General Georg Schuette in May 2006, the meeting series will focus on the following six fields: astrophysics, ecology, molecular biology, nanotechnology, neuroscience and quantum mechanics.
The topics are carefully selected to promote cross-disciplinary discussions and generate new ideas, says Prof. ZHANG Zhong, Chinese co-chair of the symposium and a researcher from the CAS affiliated National Center for Nanoscience and Technology of China. "Participants are encouraged to hold discussions without using technical jargon to ensure that non-specialists are able to understand and contribute to the meeting."
SINOGFOS is a new collaborative approach between CAS and AvH on talent training and exchanges with an objective of encourage them to address cutting-edge issues by breaking boundaries of different academic disciplines, says Prof. Lu, who is also vice chairman of the Standing Committee of China's top legislature NPC.
Using such a symposium as a platform , young scientists are expected to make explorations on science frontier says Dr. Georg Schuette.
Source: Summit Publishing Company