To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Russia Academy of Engineering (RAE) and the Russia International Academy of Engineering (IAE), the “International Scientific & Practical Conference Dedicated to the 30th Anniversary of RAE and IAE” was held on May 13. Hosted by President Gusev Boris of both RAE and IAE, the conference centered on discussions of topics that included energy and aviation technology, earthquakes and earthquake engineering, high-speed rail and public transport systems, nuclear energy and nuclear technology, nanotechnology and construction materials, circular economy, the development of polar regions and its technology, food technology, environmental protection, urban and rural renewal, and so forth

RAE and IAE President Gusev Boris took turns to make the opening remarks

President Gusev and Dr. Samuel Yin, first honorary president of the IAE, took turns to make their opening remarks. Dr. Yin paid special tribute to the RAE and IAE for the extraordinary contributions they have made to the advancement of world’s engineering technology and sustainable development during the past thirty years, while giving his best wishes for a successful conference. He then kick-started the conference with a speech titled “New Trends in the Technological Development of Taiwan Construction Industry.” In addition, Dr. Jenn-Chuan Chern, president of the Taiwan Chapter of the IAE (TCIAE) & CEO of Tang Prize Foundation, gave a talk on “Tang Prize, 2020 Laureates and COVID-19 Reflection.” 18 invited essays and 82 essays were also presented in this conference.

Dr. Samuel Yin, first honorary president of the IAE, started the conference with a speech titled “New Trends in the Technological Development of Taiwan Construction Industry.”

Dr. Jenn-Chuan Chern, President of the Taiwan Chapter of the IAE (TCIAE) & CEO of Tang Prize Foundation, gave a talk on “Tang Prize, 2020 Laureates and COVID-19 Reflection.”」

Representatives from Taiwan made two presentations on their excellent research outcomes. Prof. Duu-Jong Lee of National Taiwan University and Prof. Jo-Shu Chang of National Cheng Kung University talked about “Microalgal Energy: Challenges and Perspectives,” and three former directors of Taiwan’s National Centre for Research on Earthquake Engineering, Prof. Shyh-Jiann Hwang, Prof. Kuo-Chun Chang, and Prof. Keh-Chyuan Tsai, shared their views on “Advancement of Earthquake Mitigation in Taiwan.”

Apart from facilitating the interactions between the TCIAE and representatives from 40 different countries, including members of engineering institutes in countries such as Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan, as well as people from countries such as Belarus and Slovenia, this conference was also a venue where attendees were able to learn about the Tang Prize’s efforts to make the world a better place. President Gusev expressed his profound gratitude to Dr. Yin, who is also the founder of the Tang Prize, and to the representatives from Taiwan, for their support and participation, all of which have made this conference a great success.

In the general assembly of the Russian Academy of Engineering (RAE) and the International Academy of Engineering (IAE) convened on March 18, new academicians and corresponding members were selected, and Chairman of the Ruentex Group, Dr. Samuel Yin, was elected as the first honorary president of the IAE. Prof. Boris Gusev, who was once again voted in as president of the RAE and IAE, noted that this appointment was a nod to the significant contribution Dr. Yin has made to engineering technology as well as his long-lasting efforts to facilitate the interaction between the IAE and other international engineering institutes.

(Dr. Samuel Yin)

Moreover, it is a recognition of his contribution with regard to the establishment the Tang Prize, an international prize that is aimed to better the future of mankind. Prof. Gusev explained that honorary president is a highly-revered position and it was also the first time in the 30-year history of the IAE that this honor was conferred. They have also invited Dr. Yin to give a speech at the International Scientific and Practical Conference dedicated to the 30th Anniversary of the Russian Academy of Engineering and International Academy of Engineering, which will be held on May 13, 2021.

(Dr. Samuel Yin was awarded the Medal of Honor by IAE)

Dr. Jenn-Chuan Chern, currently vice president of the IAE, president of the Taiwan Chapter of the IAE (TCIAE) and CEO of the Tang Prize Foundation, remarked that the historical and influential Engineering Academy of the USSR was restructured in 1992, in the wake of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the RAE and IAE were established as a result. Headquartered in Moscow, the IAE was set up as a response to the collapse of the Soviet Union and as a way to retain the bond between former Soviet republics. It comprises 1300 academicians and members from 40 countries, including Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Slovenia, Greece, Taiwan and other central European countries. Taiwan was allowed to join the IAE in 2009, and the TCIAE has since been playing a positive role in the exchange of ideas between engineering academies in Taiwan, Russia and East Europe. Needless to say, it was a great honor to have Dr. Yin, founder of the TCIAE, elected as the first honorary president.

To encourage and award those who made important contributions to engineering technology, the IAE chooses its academicians and corresponding members on a regular basis and through a rigorous process. Each branch and chapter of the IAE carefully vet all the nominees before the voting takes place at the IAE to decide the winners. In 2020, 6 people were selected as academicians and 11 as corresponding members. Prof. Keh-Chyuan Tsai of National Taiwan University is one of the newly-minted academicians. His achievements that have earned him many international awards include teaching and researching the design of structures for earthquake resistance and promoting its practical application. Prof. Duu-Jong Lee, elected as corresponding member, was lauded for his contribution to the study of biomass energy and bioremediation which led to the development of innovative wastewater treatment technologies. Professor Shang-Hsien Hsieh, also been confirmed as corresponding member, specializes in engineering modeling and information management. In addition, he collaborated with more than 40 entrepreneurs to form the Taiwan BIM Task Group in order to make Taiwan’s industries more competitive. What these three candidates from Taiwan have accomplished has certainly won them worldwide acclaim.

(Dr. Jenn-Chuan Chern, Chairman of the Taiwan branch, attended the online general assembly of IAE. The middle is president Gusev of IAE)

To encourage and award those who made important contributions to engineering technology, the IAE chooses its academicians and corresponding members on a regular basis and through a rigorous process.

Each branch and chapter of the IAE carefully vet all the nominees before the voting takes place at the IAE to decide the winners. This year the list of winners was approved by the 18 March Academician Conference conducted by remoting video and voting online due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic. In 2020, 6 people were selected as academicians and 11 as corresponding members. Prof. Keh-Chyuan Tsai of National Taiwan University is one of the newly-minted academicians. His achievements that have earned him many international awards include teaching and researching the design of structures for earthquake resistance and promoting its practical application. Prof. Duu-Jong Lee, elected as corresponding member, was lauded for his contribution to the study of biomass energy and bioremediation which led to the development of innovative wastewater treatment technologies. Professor Shang-Hsien Hsieh, also been confirmed as corresponding member, specializes in engineering modeling and information management. In addition, he collaborated with more than 40 entrepreneurs to form the Taiwan BIM Task Group in order to make Taiwan’s industries more competitive. What these three candidates from Taiwan have accomplished has certainly won them worldwide acclaim.

News broke today (October 7) that 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was jointly awarded to 2016 Tang Prize laureates, Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier and Dr. Jennifer Doudna for the development of a method for genome editing. It marked the second time that Tang Prize recipients became Nobel Prize winners, with the first time being 2014 Tang Prize winners Dr. James P. Allison and Dr. Tasuku Honjo awarded Nobel Prizes in 2018.

Sharing the enormous pleasure brought by this glory, Dr. Jenn-Chuan Chern, CEO of the Tang Prize Foundation, immediately offered them his heartfelt congratulations, while also expressed his deep gratitude to the Tang Prize selection committee for having the great foresight to choose two laureates whose achievements are universally recognized.

Though living in two continents far away from each other, France’s leading microbiologist Dr. Charpentier and world-renown American RNA expert Dr. Dounda met in 2011 at a conference in Puerto Rico. This chance encounter heralded the beginning of their collaboration. Together, they successfully transform CRISPR/Cas (CRISPR-associated proteins), an adaptive immune defensive system originally found in bacteria and archaea, into a two component system (Cas9 and a single guide RNA). CRISPR/Cas9 is a simple, programmable and efficient genome-editing method that is able to deliver multiple single gRNAs simultaneously to target and remove unwanted genes.

In comparison with the previous gene editing platforms such as TALEN (transcription activator-like effector nuclease) or ZFN (zinc finger nuclease), CRISPR/Cas9 gets the upper hand for being more cost-effective, simple, efficient, precise and sensitive. It changed the science of genetics, opened the floodgates for the discovery and development of new therapies that benefit human beings, and can even help enhance biofuel and agricultural production. The concerted effort they put into the research on CRISPR/Cas9 has improved this technology by leaps and bounds and earned them an array of international awards, among which is the 2016 Tang Prize in Biopharmaceutical Science, jointly awarded to Dr. Charpentier, Dr. Doudna and Chinese-American bioengineer Dr. Feng Zhang.

To combat the coronavirus crisis, Dr. Doudna’s team is also developing CRISPR-based rapid diagnostics for COVID-19. She pointed out that CRISPR can detect RNA from the viral genome itself, which to some degree transcended the limitations faced by many IgM/IgG antibody tests in that it can spot the virus before patients’ immune cells start to produce antibodies. Moreover, CRISPR can easily be reprogrammed to search for different RNA or DNA sequences, therefore reducing the risk of failing to detect the novel coronavirus once it mutates.

Dr. Charpentier decided to use the fund from the Tang Prize Foundation to further examine how our innate immune compartment responds to the infection of S. pyogenes, a Gram-positive bacterium. As outlined in her research proposal, innate immune cells “possess…a vast array of germline encoded Pathogen Recognition Receptors (PRRs), such as Toll Like Receptors (TLRs)” and because “ten human TLRs evolved to recognize specific Pathogen Associated Molecular Patterns (PAPMs) shared among different bacterial species,” our body can promptly detect “microbial invaders albeit without the specificity characteristic of the adaptive immune system.”

Founded by Taiwanese entrepreneur Dr. Samuel Yin, the Tang Prize is aimed to draw the world’s attention to the wisdom mankind needs in order to deal with issues unique to the 21st century. It consists of four categorizes (Sustainable Development, Biopharmaceutical Science, Sinology and Rule of Law). With NT $50 million allocated to winners in each category (40 million prize money and 10 million research grant), it hopes to encourage the world’s top talent to work together for the betterment of human civilization. Awarded biannually since 2014, the Tang Prize announced its latest laureates in June 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundation decided to cancel this year’s award ceremony and banquet but has planned to invite the 2020 laureates to deliver speeches at major international conferences and to travel to Taiwan to receive the award, when the pandemic is no longer considered a global health threat.