[Tsinghua News Centre, By Jie Wen & Hua Xiang] On the evening of Feb. 5, 2010, the Awarding Ceremony of “2009 Capital Top Ten Education Newsmakers” was held in the studio of Beijing TV Station (BTV). Prof. Andrew Chi-Chih Yao, Director of the Institute for Theoretical Computer Science, Tsinghua University, was one of the ten winners and Anshun Wang, Deputy Secretary of Beijing Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of Beijing Municipal Party Committee Education Working Committee presented the certificate to Prof. Yao. Limin Liu, Director of Beijing Municipal Commission of Education, and other leaders also attended the Awarding Ceremony and issued the certificate for the winners.

A Recent Photo of Prof. Andrew Chi-Chih Yao

Winning the award, Prof. Yao expressed his feelings: “In 2004, at the invitation of Mr. Zhenning Yang, I returned to the motherland, doing full-time teaching and researching. During these years, on one hand, I am very excited that I could contribute to building Tsinghua into a world-class university; on the other hand, I feel a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment for being able to train so many talented students.”

In the interview, Prof. Amy Yuexuan Wang, Deputy Director of the Institute for Theoretical Computer Science, Tsinghua University, said: “To put it simple, Prof. Yao is studying the “root” of computer science. As long as we grasp the root of computer science, we can master the future of computer science. Because of the extensive knowledge and charisma of Prof. Yao, not only Chinese students but also outstanding students from Europe and America and well-known scholars are attracted to study and work in our institute.”

Hongyi Yao, a PhD candidate of Prof. Yao also shared his experience: “I gave up the opportunity to go abroad, and stayed at ITCS to do research with Prof. Yao after I finished my undergraduate study. And only two and a half years later, I got an offer to do postdoctoral research in a top university in the US, which mainly owes to the unique educational philosophy and hard working of Prof. Yao’s. If there were a ‘Nobel Prize in Education’, Prof. Yao would definitely deserve it.”

Prof. Andrew Chi-Chih Yao is giving lectures to students.

In order to improve the mechanisms and channels of the public participation in the educational development in Beijing, Beijing Education News Centre, together with other media such as Beijing Daily, BTV, People’s Daily Online, Sina.com, etc., invited the citizens to elect “2009 Capital Top Ten Education Newsmakers”, who are of high social responsibility, creative and innovative, have a deep sense of mission in the eyes of the public, and have made great contributions in their respective field.

At the Awarding Ceremony

The selection started from November 2009, and had gone through several procedures such as recommendation, expert evaluation, public voting, publicity, etc. This activity generated high public concern and obtained active participation from the citizens in Beijing, and the organizing committee received more than 500,000 votes through the internet, text message and mailing service. At last, 10 outstanding representatives from the capital education system including Andrew Chi-Chih Yao, Tsinghua University were elected to be “2009 Capital Top Ten Education Newsmakers”, out of 22 candidates.

Introduction of Prof. Andrew Chi-Chih Yao

Prof. Andrew Chi-Chih Yao is now a professor at Tsinghua University and Director of the Institute for Theoretical Computer Science, Tsinghua University. He is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. As the only Chinese scientist receiving the prestigious Turing Award (which is recognized as the Nobel Prize of computing), Prof. Yao has done a lot of pioneering work in the development of theoretical computer science and the cultivation of top-class innovative talents, since his return to China in 2004.

He started with teaching undergraduates, and then set up Special Pilot CS Class and the Pre-graduate class, striving to cultivate outstanding talents in computer science. A team of chair professors consisting of internationally renowned scholars are also constructed to co-teach students. At present, Prof. Yao and the chair professor team have educated 14 PhDs, 18 PhD candidates, 3 Masters and 7 pre-graduate students.

Prof. Yao founded the Institute for Theoretical Computer Science, Tsinghua University in 2006, and led his team exploring the most cutting-edge fields of theoretical computer science. He took on the 973 project, 863 program and several other projects issued by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. His team has published over 120 academic papers in top international conferences and journals, and has made major breakthroughs in the fields of quantum computing, cryptography, algorithm analysis, etc., completely filling up China’s gap in this field in the world. Now, the institute has become one of the leading research institutions of theoretical computer science.

In October, 2009, Prof. Yao proposed “China Computer Science Vision 2020”, which aims to build a first-rate computer science research base in China, in order to promote the innovation and competitiveness of related industries. He is now sparing no efforts in realizing this grand vision.