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THE latest recipient of an honorary doctorate in science was welcomed back to the NTU family on October 16th, 40 years from the day he first came here.
For Dr Yang Chen Ning, the recognition was the culmination of 41 years of involvement with the university in scientific research as well as the launch of a scholars’ programme in his honour.
The conferment ceremony was held at the Nanyang Auditorium and was attended by more than 500 people, most of them students from China.
One of them is Li Xuan, 19, who is inspired by Professor Yang’s passion in education. “He’s a very active man. He’s 86 years old but still a professor at Tsinghua University and Chinese University of Hong Kong,” said the second-year Civil and Environmental Engineering student.
Professor Yang is well-known for his significant contributions in physics, such as the formulation of the Yang-Mills theory, considered a cornerstone of theoretical physics in its description of elementary particles.
Dr Yang’s ties with the university date back to 1967, when he visited what was then known as Nanyang University.
He eventually became the external examiner for the Department of Physics in 1971. When the Institute of Advanced Studies was set up in 2005 to enhance the research culture in the university, Professor Yang was made a member of the International Advisory Committee.
Describing Professor Yang as a “giant” in the scientific field, NTU president Dr Su Guaning said that it is an honour that Professor Yang accepted the honorary doctorate. “He’ll be a great example to all the students here, especially the CN Yang scholars,” he said.
The CN Yang Scholars’ Programme was launched in 2006 for gifted science students who take part in research projects such as the CN Yang Scholars Programme Undergraduate Research Experience.
In conjunction with the conferment ceremony, students in the Scholars’ Programme put up an exhibition at the lobby of the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences to showcase their respective research projects to Professor Yang.
Goo Yik Wen, 20, a CN Yang scholar from the school of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, was thrilled to meet Professor Yang. “It was great meeting such a well-known personality who has graciously lent his name to this programme,” he said.
Upon receiving the honorary doctorate, Professor Yang said that he is glad the scholars’ programme is providing students a head start in research.
“It is an honour for me to receive this award from this university, which I visited 41 years ago,” said Professor Yang.
