The inauguration of Center for High-Resolution Electron Microscopy (ChEM) and international electron microscopy forum was successfully held in SPST from May 27th to 29th. After nearly three years of construction, under the coordination of the whole university's functional departments, an advanced electron microscopy research and teaching center with excellent equipment and service in the frontier of scientific research has begun to take shape.
ShanghaiTech President Mianheng Jiang gave an opening speech. After giving a warm welcome, he introduced ShanghaiTech University and its vision, and thanked the Shanghai municipal government and the Chinese Academy of Sciences for their support in funding and scientific research. He especially expressed admiration for the efforts of ChEM Director Professor Osamu Teresaki for his contributions to building the center and the faculty team. He expressed his wishes for ChEM’s contributions of future educational innovation and scientific research of the center. Later on, SPST Founding Dean Professor Peidong Yang introduced the school’s philosophy, its development and plans for the future, and described how CћEM’s name came to be. Finally, he described the establishment and status of CћEM to all the participants, saying that he hoped ChEM will not only work on interdisciplinary research in materials, physics, chemistry and biology, but also contribute to training the next generation of outstanding young scientists.
Advanced electron microscopes are a powerful tool for the exploration of the micro-world. As a large developing country, China has an urgent need for materials science and technology, especially for electron microscopy in the frontier of emerging materials. This CћEM opening forum speakers discussed the frontiers of this field including electron microscopy and its interdisciplinary applications in materials, physics, chemistry and biology.
Nearly 200 participants from universities, research institutes, and enterprises from around the world came to the opening ceremony as well as a number of famous experts, including the carbon nanotube discoverer Professor Sumio Iijima, Professor John C H Spence of Arizona State University, Professor Gunnar von Jeijne of Stockholm University, Professor Angus Kirkland of University of Oxford, Professor Paul Midgley of University of Cambridge and so on. Several outstanding young SPST researchers also demonstrated admirable professional level in the opening forum. Assistant Professors Yanhang Ma and Yi Yu and Associate Researchers Alvaro Gacia and Peter Oleynikov made impressive talks.
The three-day forum was fruitful, with wonderful talks and discussions. Participants enthusiastically delved into many hot topics in this field. The participants also visited the electron microscopy center, and heard a detailed introductionby the center’s director and staff engineers. All the guests provided positive comments on the high-end infrastructure and team building.
