China News Service, Hong Kong, February 20th: How to "irrigate" the next generation with Chinese and Western scientific research concepts?
——Exclusive interview with Hong Kong “soybean expert” Lam Hon-ming
China News Service reporter Han Xingtong
Known as the "soybean expert", Lam Hon-ming, Zhuo Min Professor of Life Sciences at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), has always had an original intention - to contribute to the country and his hometown, Hong Kong. This original intention accompanied him to study in the United States, and in 1997 he gave up his high-paying job and decided to return to Hong Kong. It also accompanied him and his team to painstakingly study "Rhizobia" and Longhuang soybeans, and watched them carry the Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft and Longhuang soybeans respectively. Shenzhou 16 flew to Tiangong.
Today, Lin Hanming devotes this original intention to cultivating the next generation. In a recent exclusive interview with China News Service's "East-West Question", Lin Hanming hoped to use the scientific research and education concepts that blend China and the West to help students thrive like irrigating crops.
The interview transcript is summarized as follows:
Reporter from China News Service: In 2023, when the "Rhizobia" developed by your team was launched aboard the Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft, you were also there to watch it at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. How did you feel at that time?
Lin Hanming:
That was the first time I had the opportunity to see a rocket take off up close, with our experimental samples inside. I was very excited and nervous at the same time. Everyone present was cheering, looking forward to the (cargo spacecraft) bringing us some experimental materials. This is a good experience and can serve as a demonstration to let more Hong Kong scientific research teams know that they have the opportunity to participate in national projects.
At 21:22 on May 10, 2023, the launch of the Long March-7 Yao-7 carrier rocket carrying the Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft was a complete success. Photo by Luo Yunfei
Reporter from China News Service: At present, "rhizobia" and Longhuang soybeans have returned to the earth. What is the latest progress in research? How will these two space experiments benefit future research in related fields?
Lin Hanming:
We have already seen our samples on the earth. We still need to do a lot of experiments later, and it will also take a period of time to observe their changes. We are still preparing for the experiments.
In the short term, we want to see what happens to rhizobia and soybeans in space. Will these changes make them more adaptable to harsh environments? Create some new strains of bacteria and new soybeans for the earth to open up some marginal lands.
In the long term, humans may have the opportunity to achieve space travel in the future, and we need to build a space station. Food security is very important. In the space station, we should be able to grow food. Therefore, crops, soil bacteria, and soil health are all very important topics and require long-term research.
Specimens from the Soybean “Rhizobia” project of Hong Kong Zhongda. Photo by Li Zhihua
China News Service reporter: Looking back on your scientific research path, you studied for a PhD in biology in the United States and studied nitrogen metabolism at New York University. In 1997, you returned to Hong Kong and started soybean research in Gansu. What made you make this choice?
Lin Hanming:
When I went to the United States, I had only one goal, which was to learn advanced technology and serve my hometown. This original intention has never changed. When I was about to complete my postdoctoral training, there was a vacancy at CUHK willing to hire me, and there were also companies in the United States that wanted to keep me. I only thought about it for one day before making the choice - to return to Hong Kong.
That was 1997, a very important year. Hong Kong's identity has become different. I feel like we are the real masters. Although the scientific research conditions in Hong Kong were not very good at that time, I was very happy to have the opportunity to contribute to the construction of my own home.
Professor Lin Hanming accepted an exclusive interview with a reporter from China News Service. Photo by Hou Yu
China News Service reporter: Based on your experience and observations, what are the similarities and differences in the methods and directions of scientific research between China and the United States? What areas are worth learning from each other?
Lin Hanming:
The United States pays more attention to individual performance. I still remember that I went to the United States to study many years ago. On the day I arrived, my supervisor picked me up at the airport, took me to eat pizza, and then returned to the laboratory. He said to me: "This is your work table. You can find it yourself." Something (doing research).” Unlike Chinese teachers, they have to give students a good topic. American teachers will think that this is your business and you should do it.
I have met many senior Chinese scientists. They have a strong sense of mission. They do things not for themselves, but to change the situation of the country and for a more ambitious goal. Sometimes willing to sacrifice personal interests for the sake of the team.
Therefore, I try to combine these two advantages in science teaching. On the one hand, I encourage students to have a sense of teamwork and mission, and on the other hand, I also allow everyone to develop their own strengths.
China News Service reporter: What role do you think this blend of Chinese and Western cultures and teaching styles can play in scientific research?
Lin Hanming:
Half of my graduate students are from the mainland, the other half are from Hong Kong, and a small number are from overseas. Students from the mainland are very diligent, but they are not confident enough and do not know how to use their abilities. They just hope that the teacher can give them a good research direction. For these students, I usually ask them to solve some problems on their own to improve their self-confidence.
Students from Hong Kong have many ideas, but lack a sense of teamwork. So I would encourage them to collaborate more with others. I hope they know that we may all be born in different environments and have different ideas, but we are all friends on the road to scientific research and can move in the same direction while retaining our personal characteristics.
Educating the next generation is like cultivating crops. Their characteristics are different and the irrigation conditions are also different. One set of methods cannot be applied to everyone. I hope to combine Chinese and Western educational concepts and scientific research concepts to train scientists with personal talents and a sense of mission to do something for society. I hope every student can find his or her own path in the end.
Professor Lin Hanming showed the results of soybean research. Photo by Hou Yu
Reporter from China News Service: You once said, "Write your thesis on the earth and leave the results in the farmers' homes." Where does this belief come from? What are the practical results of Longhuang soybeans in Gansu and other places?
Lin Hanming:
I saw this sentence at the Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and I immediately copied it into my notebook. I've always felt this way, and that's a good description. When we do agricultural research, we definitely don’t just publish a few papers for academics to read, but we really want to benefit farmers and improve agriculture.
In order to do this, we need to work with people who are engaged in agricultural production. I am very happy to meet many friends, especially Zhang Guohong, a researcher at the Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, who has been very helpful in assisting us in putting our research results into practice. Starting in 2016, we have successively launched three types of Longhuang soybeans (three salt-tolerant and drought-tolerant soybean varieties, named Longhuang 1, Longhuang 2, and Longhuang 3). According to statistics, farmers in Gansu have currently planted about 830,000 acres of Longhuang soybeans. As of 2022, it is estimated that the increased income due to the increased production of Longhuang soybeans will reach about 69 million yuan.
In addition to increasing production and income for farmers, soybeans also have nitrogen-fixing properties, which can replenish barren land with nutrients.
Professor Lin Hanming showed the results of soybean research. Photo by Hou Yu
China News Service reporter: How are various improved soybean varieties sown in South Africa and Pakistan?
Lin Hanming:
I have been to several countries, and finally decided to cooperate with two places, one is South Africa and the other is Pakistan. The project in South Africa is in a black village. After I visited there, I found that their land was very good, but it was not utilized, and young people also had difficulty finding jobs. So I made an agreement with the local chief representative to use the land to promote agricultural production, which would solve the problem of food security on the one hand and provide job opportunities for young people on the other. They gave us 20 hectares of land for testing.
Longhuang soybeans developed by Professor Lin Hanming and his team. Photo by Chen Yongnuo
Another cooperation project will be launched in Pakistan in 2022. At that time, the Consul of Pakistan in Hong Kong came to me and hoped to support Pakistan's development in the agricultural field. I searched online for local universities that studied agriculture, and it turned out that one of the professors was a former postdoctoral researcher of mine, and we established a connection. He told me that the problem they encountered in Pakistan was the heat, with the highest temperature reaching 45 degrees Celsius. Only the types of soybeans he brought back from CUHK could grow. He invited me to Pakistan in 2023, hoping to introduce new soybeans to improve the local soil, and also train women to help them use knowledge to change their destiny and improve their social status.
China News Service reporter: How do you evaluate the development of China's agricultural scientific research field in the past few decades? What advantages does Hong Kong have in supporting the development of national agricultural science?
Lin Hanming:
I feel deeply about this. After 2000, especially after 2010, I found that the country’s agricultural science strength was very strong and it was the world leader in many fields. Many outstanding scientists have returned to China after studying abroad, and the national and local governments have given these scientific research teams sufficient support. The combination of the two aspects has led to today's rapid development.
Lin Hanming displayed soybean and soybean "rhizobia" specimens. Photo by Li Zhihua
We look forward to improving the country’s overall agricultural scientific research capabilities. The Hong Kong team can choose some areas where they have advantages to participate and become a member of the national team. Hong Kong is an international city and has certain convenience in communicating with other regions. It is also a part of China. While conducting innovative research, Hong Kong can serve as China’s friendly ambassador, bringing Chinese technology to various regions to help them develop and communicate more. friend.
Reporter from China News Service: You often organize study tours for middle school students to the mainland. What is your significance?
Lin Hanming:
Last year, I took middle school teachers and students on a trip to the northwest, including Yangling, Lanzhou, Wuwei, Zhangye, etc. The last stop was Jiuquan. I told the students: The three types of soybeans you see on the ground have now been sent. Go to heaven. Through these activities, Hong Kong students can understand the country's development and needs. They will also be inspired to see that Hong Kong can use its own technology to increase the income of farmers in the mainland. (over)
Interviewee profile:
Lam Hon-ming is Professor of Life Sciences at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Director of the State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Director of the UGC Center for Genomic Research on Plant-Environment Interactions, UGC Area of Excellence.
So far, he has published more than 200 papers, won 3 provincial and ministerial science and technology awards, obtained a total of 20 authorized patents, and 4 soybean varieties have been approved. In 2023, the soybean nitrogen-fixing bacteria strain "Rhizobia" decoded by Professor Lam Han-ming was launched aboard the Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft, becoming Hong Kong's first agricultural science aerospace launch project to reach "Tiangong". In the same year, three types of Longhuang soybeans developed by Professor Lin Hanming were also launched aboard Shenzhou 16.