Chapter 492: Visiting Yuhua University
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Yuhua University used to be the Hunan Institute of Technology, which could be traced back to Central South University.
In 1959, due to China’s development of nuclear weapons and the nuclear industry in general, the state moved the Central South University mining and metallurgy engineering departments to Hengyang.
In the late 1960s, it was closed due to special reasons. Later in the 1980s, under the leadership of the Ministry of Nuclear Industry and the Hunan Provincial Government, it was revived in the form of the Hunan Institute of Technology. Finally, it was renamed Yuhua University in the 1990s, which had stayed that way ever since.
In some sense, the fate of this school was deeply tied to the republic.
Even though it wasn’t a particularly good school, its engineering department was still at the forefront of the country. It also produced a large number of nuclear industry experts back in the day.
And now, it was still shining in its own light.
The stellarator research wasn’t a project that received heavy support; it was the most unpopular controllable nuclear fusion device. However, there was still a 30-people research team that was engaged in this research field.
The purpose of Lu Zhou’s trip was very clear; he was here to poach talents.
Of course, this wasn’t particularly good for Yuhua University.
In some sense, he was here to do an academic exchange.
But honestly, if this thing went through, it would bring benefits to Yuhua University.
The small Yuhua University was suddenly visited by a big name like Lu Zhou. Their leadership team might know that this visit would bring benefits to them, or they might not know that.
Regardless of the fact that he was a Nobel Prize scholar who came to the school to do a seminar, even if it was someone from Shuimu or Yan University, they would still welcome them with banners…
[Welcome, Professor Lu Zhou!]
A college student was holding a textbook. When he looked at the banner, he asked his roommate.
“Why do you think God Lu is coming to a place like this?”
The slightly bigger guy shook his head and said, “God knows.”
A tall skinny student walked over. He pushed his glasses up his nose bridge and said, “Jinling is building some controllable nuclear fusion research center, right? I think Professor Lu is in charge. They’re probably coming here for our H1 Stellarator.”
The guy holding the textbook asked, “How come I didn’t hear about this?”
The tall student adjusted his glasses again and said, “It’s normal. The news didn’t really report on it, but it doesn’t seem to be a secret either. I heard it from the student in the nuclear engineering department.”
The guy who hadn’t spoken yet said, “It doesn’t have anything to do with us; let’s go to class.”
“You’re right,” the students said as they nodded their heads. They then walked toward their classroom.
In fact, even if they wanted to go, there would be no place for them.
Because the lecture hall in Yuhua University was already completely packed with people.
It wasn’t just Yuhua University students in the crowd; there were many Yuhua University professors and lecturers and even people from other universities.
Other than the students and professors, there were also reporters from the Hunan TV station.
The lenses were all pointed toward the stage; everyone was waiting for the person to start speaking.
Lu Zhou looked at the crowd and couldn’t help but think.
I think my last lecture was in Stockholm.
It’s been three months since then.
Lu Zhou looked at the clock on the wall; it was about time. The staff next to him nodded, telling him he could begin.
Lu Zhou stood in front of the microphone and cleared his throat. He waited until the classroom quieted down before he started to speak.
“A lot of people have asked me. China doesn’t lack electricity, and we have the Three Gorges Dam, coal mines, and our power generation ranks first in the world. We also have thermal and hydropower. Our power grid technology is also leading the world right now… So, why is it that we have to research the cumbersome nuclear power?
“My answer to this question is that scientific research cannot only be focused on the current investment or short-term benefits. Researchers also have to have a long-term vision and courage to face difficulties.
“Looking at it from a large enough time-scale, nuclear energy is the ultimate energy source for humans. Because we have the largest population in the world that consumes a quarter of the world’s energy output, we should optimize our energy structure. We should make it cleaner, more efficient, and cheaper.
“Besides, this doesn’t apply to just controllable nuclear fusion technology. Every major scientific research project brings us more value than just the project itself. This is just like how when I was studying the Navier–Stokes equation, I discovered the L Manifold and differential geometry solution to the partial differential equation. The treasures we find at the end of the maze isn’t inferior to the achievements we make along the journey.
“Take controllable nuclear fusion as an example. Controllable nuclear fusion research has pushed the superconducting materials field, allowing us to dive deep into plasma research and helping us in creating stronger superconducting magnets. There are tons of beneficial by-products.”
Lu Zhou introduced the theme of the seminar in a few short sentences. He picked up the marker from the desk and turned around, facing the whiteboard. As he explained using simple language, he began to write on the whiteboard.
Wang Xuehai was sitting in the crowd writing notes when he accidentally dropped his pen cover. He bent over and picked it up. When he looked up at the whiteboard again, he was muddled. He had no idea what was on the whiteboard.
Wang Xuehai looked at the podium and couldn’t help but mutter, “What is he writing about?”
Fang Jie was sitting next to him; he also studied nuclear physics. He adjusted his glasses. Even though he didn’t understand either, he wasn’t as muddled as Wang Xuehai. “It looks like a mathematical model for plasma turbulence? I think I’ve read it in a thesis before.’
Wang Xuehai: “F*ck me! Isn’t this supposed to be a simple science lecture? Does he have to be so hardcore?”
Fang Jie looked at him and said, “Of course! He’s a Nobel Prize scholar; you’re obviously not going to be on the same page as him.”
Wang Xuehai couldn’t help but ask, “Is there anyone that can understand him?”
Honestly, he was pretty confident at his physics knowledge.
However, plasma turbulence was the frontier of international physics research.
His major was in nuclear physics, which meant his research direction was more applied rather than theoretical. Without two weeks of preparation, there was no way he could understand these esoteric things.
Fang Jie closed his laptop and shook his head. He then used his chin to point at the seats in the front row.
“It doesn’t matter if we understand or not. Just look at the professors from the Institute of Nuclear Physics, and you can tell how much they understand just from their facial expressions.”
Just like what this PhD student said, for the second half of the lecture, Lu Zhou went from simple science to the esoteric areas of controllable nuclear fusion, or specifically, the high-temperature plasma research.
Actually, he had already written a few theses that outlined his research results. His most important thesis was published at the Max Planck Institute. Last year, he did a report on that thesis at the European Nuclear Summit.
However, Lu Zhou’s in-person explanation of his theses was more in-depth than reading his theses directly or reading someone’s summary of his theses. Listening to him in person was greatly beneficial for the people in the field of controllable nuclear fusion or plasma physics.
Actually, this was why many professors came all the way from the provincial capital.
If it wasn’t because of time constraints, some international people might even take a flight to come and listen to this lecture.
As Lu Zhou wrote down the last line of equations on the whiteboard, his explanation also came to an end.
He put the marker on the desk and paused for a second. He then looked at the audience and spoke.
“This school is strong in nuclear engineering, and everyone sitting here is the pillars of the future nuclear engineering field. The future of nuclear engineering depends on you guys!”
