Asteroid named after famous Chinese nuclear scientist

An asteroid has been named after former Fudan University president and Chinese nuclear scientist Yang Fujia, in honor of his scientific spirit and educational philosophy.

The National Astronomical Observatories chose asteroid code 85728. Yang was born on July 28, 1936.

A series of events was held on Wednesday to mark two years of his death.

Yang, a famous Chinese nuclear physicist, educator, and Chinese Academy of Sciences scholar, died at the age of 86 in Shanghai on July 17, 2022.

He made significant contributions to the country’s applied physics and achieved tremendous success in fields such as nuclear energy spectroscopy, nuclear decay analysis, and ion beam research. He also made significant contributions to the growth of higher education in China, as well as international educational exchange.

He was dean of Fudan’s modern physics department, head of the graduate school, and vice president before becoming president in 1993.

Yang insisted that prominent professors should teach undergraduate students. He also created various initiatives to allow undergraduate students to participate in scientific research, claiming that the goal was to teach young people the thinking behind scientific research, as well as how to identify questions and find solutions.

Yang became the sixth chancellor of the University of Nottingham in 2001, becoming the first Chinese academic to hold such a position at a UK university. He stayed on the post for 12 years.

His efforts led to the founding of the University of Nottingham Ningbo China in 2004.

Yang inspired the establishment of a foundation to support related fellowships and scholarships.