By Li Han
Staff Writer of the Tsinghua News Center
Tsinghua University’s Department of Mathematical Sciences celebrated its 80th anniversary on April 28th in the Auditorium. Tsinghua President Gu Binglin, Chairman of the University Council Professor Chen Xi, Nobel Prize Winner Professor C. N. Yang, representatives from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Mathematical Society, and Peking University, as well as academicians and experts in mathematical sciences, and many alumni attended the celebration.
President Gu extended in his address his congratulations to the Department of Mathematical Sciences. He confirmed the achievement of the Department of Mathematical Sciences in recent years and said he hoped they would continue to pursue excellence and make even greater progress in the future.
“The sciences are crucial for the development of a comprehensive and research oriented university, and they play an important role in the realization of Tsinghua’s goals to become a world-class university,” said President Gu.
The Department of Mathematics was founded in 1927. Since its founding, the Department has had a series of renowned deans including Zhen Zhifan, Xiong Qinglai, Yang Wuzhi, Jiang Zehan, Zhao Fangxiong, and Duan Xuefu. In the 25 years since 1979, the Department has adopted advanced teaching methods from around the world, promoted advanced research, recruited outstanding teachers, and contributed great achievements to science. Many renowned teachers came to teach at the Department over the years, including Sun Guanyuan, Zeng Yuanrong, Kunsheng, Xu Baolu, Chen Xingshen, Hua Luogeng, Zhuang Xitai, and Min Sihe. World famous mathematicians such as J. Hadamard and N. Wiener were also invited to Tsinghua as Guest Professors. During this period, the Department cultivated many respected mathematicians including Chen Xingshen and Hua Luogeng.
In 1952, as part of the nationwide restructuring of institutes of higher education, the Department of Mathematics was dissolved and most of its faculty members and students joined Peking University. In 1979, the Department of Mathematics was officially reestablished. Since then, the Department has made steady progress and has become an important base in China for scientific research and student training.
(Photo by Guo Haijun)
