US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu Visited Tianjin University

On July 17th, 2009, US Secretary of Energy Dr. Steven Chu paid a 3-hour visit to Tianjin University, wrapping up his visit to China. Energy Research in Tianjin University (by Professor GONG Ke, President of Tianjin University) At the beginning of this visit, Professor GONG Ke, President of Tianjin University, briefed the Secretary about Tianjin University, and then introduced the university’s research strength in the area of clean energy. With an emphasis on the importance of energy issue and the consequence of the research in this area, President Gong expressed that Tianjin University would like to combine its strengths in Smart Grid, Biomass Energy, Geothermal Energy, Energy-efficient Building, solar energy and other related areas and take an active part in Sino-US energy cooperation.

Dr. Steven Chu was quite impressed by what is being done at Tianjin University. “I am very honored and pleased to finally visit Tianjin University, the university of my grandfather.” (By Dr. Steven Chu when he saw the historical materials regarding his maternal grandfather, Prof. Shu-tian Lee) Then, Dr. Chu moved to Tianjin University Archives to have an overall understanding of the very first modern university in China. He inquired closely into the university’s foundation, outstanding alumni and successive presidents, among whom his maternal grandfather, Professor Shu-Tian Lee, made great contribution to the reconstruction of Peiyang University (renamed as Tianjin University in 1951) during Anti-Japanese War. Professor Shu-Tian Lee graduated from Peiyang University, and came back to teach at his alma mater after he got PhD from Cornell University. He served as President of the University at different terms and even led the establishment of National Northwest Associated University during the Anti-Japanese War. He studied, worked for a total of 28 years at Peiyang University, a record he keeps. Being presented with a special album containing Prof. Shu-tian Lee’s transcripts and other historical materials during his stay at Peiyang University, Dr. Chu signed on the Archives’ autograph album, “I am very honored and pleased to finally visit Tianjin University, the university of my grandfather.” “Now let us rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter, but beautiful struggle for our new world."(So said Dr. Chu during his speech at Peiyang Lecture.) As the last stop of this visit, Dr. Chu delivered a speech at Peiyang Lecture, the university’s most prestigious lecture series. He focused on “Energy and Climate: common challenges and common opportunities” to a packed audience of more than 500. For over an hour he introduced his experiences in doing scientific research and presented data verifying the dimensions of climate change and energy consumption. He hopes the lessons of developed countries could be learned and energy could be consumed more efficiently. In such a light he advocated international cooperation to find more “clean” energy and called upon students present to also commit themselves to the challenges ahead. After his speech, a student representative presented him with a Chinese couplet written by a TJU student to show their high respect and best wishes for him. Dr. Steven Chu, distinguished scientist and co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics (1997) for the "development of methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light", was appointed by President Obama as the 12th Secretary of Energy and sworn into office on January 21, 2009. He is the first Nobel laureate ever to hold a U.S. cabinet position, and the first working scientist ever appointed as head of the Energy Department.