Prof. WANG Yifang, Director of the Institute of High Energy Physics, won the 20th Nikkei Asia Prize (Science, Technology and Environment category) for his outstanding contribution to neutrino physics research. The prize winners were announced in The Nikkei, The Nikkei Asian Review, and Nikkei's Websites in early May, and the award ceremony will be held in Tokyo, Japan on May 20th.
Prof. WANG proposed the Daya Bay neutrino oscillation experiment in China with a detailed detector design and experimental plan, to precisely measure the neutrino mixing angle theta 13. He assembled a large international collaboration and led the team to achieve significant experimental results in the field of neutrino physics.
The Nikkei Asia Prizes, which are awarded each year, are designed to recognize outstanding achievements that contribute to the region's sustainable development and to the creation of a better future for Asia. The prizes are awarded annually in three areas of achievements, to acknowledge the works of winners in today's fast-changing Asia. The titles of the three categories have been changed this year to "Economic and Business Innovation," "Science, Technology and Environment" and "Culture and Community."
Apart from WANG Yifang, the Nikkei Asia Prizes were awarded to Mrs. Mai Kieu Lien, Vinamilk Chairwoman, a highly respected woman in Vietnamese business, and to the Asian Youth Orchestra based in Hong Kong.
Past Chinese winners of the prize (Science, Technology and Environment category) include: Prof. Yuan Longping, the father of hybrid rice; Prof. Zhao Qiguo, former director of the Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Dr. Yang Huanming, Professor and Director of the Beijing Genomics Institute; Dr. Wu Maw-Kuen, Director of Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Taiwan; Dr. Chi-Huey Wong, President of the Academia Sinica, Taiwan; and Dr. George Fu Gao, Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
photo credit: Nikkei's Website
