Seven outstanding students from Hong Kong, currently engaged in post-graduate scientific research and PhD programs at renowned academic institutions in Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States, have been named as recipients of the “Joseph Needham Merit Scholarship” (JNMS) program.
They were previously graduates from the University of Hong Kong (HKU), Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). The scholarship recipients had been judged on their academic excellence as well as empathy and humanity.
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The scholarships will offer them full financial support for their studies, while the JNMS program will also provide additional stipend to each awardee for a period of four years during their post-graduate studies and research work.
The JNMS program was first launched by the Joseph Needham Foundation for Science and Civilisation (JNFSC) in 2020 to nurture a community of future “Needham Scholars” excelling in scholarship and embracing empathy and humanity. The students are selected after careful assessments by a panel of distinguished scholars appointed by JNFSC. Since its launch, a total of 36 students have been awarded the scholarship.
The foundation’s objective is to promote and sustain Dr Joseph Needham’s scholarly legacy through this unique “Merit Scholarship”, and to reach out to other local tertiary institutions in the years ahead. The JNFSC also hopes that other philanthropic organizations will join and generously support the scholarship program.
Needham, together with his many distinguished collaborators, demonstrated that China and other parts of Asia had made many outstanding contributions in the transformation of ancient to modern science
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JNFSC’s chairman Peter L. Lee said: “The late Dr Needham was a great scientist and a passionate humanist who cared deeply about humanity and spoke out truly at times when truth was considered unpopular. To perpetuate the Needham scholarly legacy, our foundation is committed to nurture a community of future ‘Needham Scholars‘ who would excel in their fields of scholarship with a strong sense of empathy, humility and also courage to defend and speak the truth.”
Joseph Needham (1900-1995) was a prominent biochemist and social activist who dedicated an important part of his life to the history of science and technology in China. He was well known for his great work, the 26-volume Science and Civilization in China series. His main question, now known as the “Needham Question”, asked “why modern science had not developed in Chinese civilization but only in Europe, given China’s remarkable scientific achievements before the 15th century”.
Needham, together with his many distinguished collaborators, demonstrated that China and other parts of Asia had made many outstanding contributions in the transformation of ancient to modern science. In all his activities he displayed a broad vision and the courage to pursue utopian projects and entertain nonconformist social views.
Contact the writer at vivienxu@chinadailyapac.com
