The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) organized Wednesday the first lecture of a series on how to sharpen scientists' innovative edge.

Wu Wenjun, a noted Chinese mathematician who gained the nation's first top science award and a CAS academician, and Li Zhensheng, former vice-CAS president and also a CAS academician, spoke to approximately 400 master's and doctoral students, which was relayed live to four CAS bases in Hefei and Shanghai cities in east China, Wuhan city in central China and south China's Guangzhou city.

CAS President Lu Yongxiang also addressed the lecture. Since the establishment of the CAS over half a century ago, Lu said, scientists have accumulated rich experience in making scientific innovations.

Lu said it was significant to organize such lectures for postgraduate students, who are crucial work forces in CAS libraries. He said he hopes that the students could learn scientific ways of thinking from those established, gifted scientists.

The CAS has already collected more than 100 innovation cases, which were compiled into the first edition of books.

(Xinhua News Agency December 11, 2003)