The Chinese Academy of Sciences has published a list of candidate academicians for 2003 and awaits public response. The institute requires that all responses are signed and says that anonymous ones will not be dealt with.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering hold joint conferences every other year to select new academicians. The Chinese Academy of Sciences will select 60 academicians from 309 candidates at this year’s conference. According to new regulations, proposed academicians must not be older than 65 years and candidates continuously failed in three previous selections cannot take part in the selection. The institute has published a list of all candidates on its website.
Most candidates are unknown to the public, while some are famous, such as professor Yang Huanming, who is head of China’s Human Genome Project. His group took part and finished the complete genomic sequencing of the SARS coronavirus this year.
As the selection of academicians attracted a wider attention, the Chinese Academy of Sciences decided to publish a list of candidates. Responses to nominations can be submitted by writing to: 52, Sanlihe Road, Xicheng District, Beijing. The mail box number is 100864. Telephones, emails and anonymous letters will not be dealt with.
(China.org.cn by Feng Yikun June 4, 2003)
