In the case of Chu, there should be two or three longer examples.

An unintentional word made Chu a target of public criticism.

September. 28th meeting in 2009

Steven Chu, a Chinese American, is the winner of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics, which should be the peak of his career and academic career, but it is not the peak of his career. At the beginning of this year, Steven Chu was appointed as the US Secretary of Energy by President Obama, which was another peak of Steven Chu's career. In today's era, even in the United States, officials have greater power and influence, and the position of energy minister certainly exceeds the reputation of Nobel Prize winners. Obama took a fancy to Chu because they share the same view on green energy. Chu's advocacy of green energy has undoubtedly provided Obama with a weapon against global warming. At the same time, Obama also wants to show that he cares about China as much as Bush does.

In the American government structure, the powers of ministers vary greatly. The Ministry of Energy is not a small department, but it is not as good as the first-level ministries such as the State Council and the Ministry of Finance. The names of the Secretary of State and the Minister of Finance often appear in the headlines of the media. In the US-China summit economic strategic dialogue, Hillary and Geithner are the main force of the US dialogue, and the name of the energy minister rarely appears in the headlines of the media. But in the past two days, Chu's name has appeared in the headlines: Ruijie Report, a well-known comprehensive news website in the United States, published such a headline: "Energy Minister scolded Americans as children", which linked to a blog news. News reports said that at an energy conference, Chu claimed that Americans were like ten-year-olds on energy issues.

Of course, Minister Zhu is not saying that Americans don't understand what energy is. What he said is that ordinary Americans don't understand how to change their behavior to reduce emissions. Immediately after Minister Zhu's speech, the U.S. Department of Energy issued a statement saying that the Minister had no intention of calling the American public a ten-year-old child. His intention is to ask American children to learn to save energy, and at the same time help the public realize that clean energy is related to the competitiveness of the United States in the global economy on a larger scale. Why did the US Department of Energy make such a statement? Of course, it was Minister Zhu's speech that compared the American public to children who were not sensible and aroused public anger. There are thousands of comments under the blog news of the Wall Street Journal website alone, and many comments express great anger at Chu's lesson. Obviously, the statement of the Department of Energy is getting darker and darker, which treats the American public as children. Why does Minister Zhu advocate educating children to save energy? Obviously, he compared American adults to children who are not sensible!

I don't know if Minister Zhu has read these comments. If he has carefully read those comments, he should know that his remarks that belittle public intelligence and knowledge not only reflect the nerdiness of his scientists, but also really hit the gun to improve public intelligence in today's special political environment. From this perspective, Minister Chu is somewhat wronged. If he doesn't believe me, he can read such a public comment: "Our government can't even balance the budget, but is still trying to control the temperature of the earth." (Commentators point out that Minister Steven Chu is trying to fight global warming by reducing automobile exhaust), "There is finally a smart person like Minister Steven Chu in the government, and I have to admit that the Nobel Prize winner is definitely smarter than me" (this is obvious irony), "Why do we need these' elites' to work in the government?" This is dissatisfaction with Obama's appointment of a large number of professors and scholars as officials.

Since Obama took office, the power and jurisdiction of the US government have become wider and wider. From nationalizing banks and car companies to managing automobile exhaust emissions, more and more Americans feel that the government is interfering in their lives and restricting their freedom. Like what car I should drive or something. In addition, the American public has always been disgusted with the superiority of the elite, and Chu's comparison of Americans to children is precisely such a taboo. He may be able to say this to students in university classrooms and laboratories, but not to the American public, because students cannot elect teachers, but officials are ordered by voters. At present, all parts of the United States are increasingly disgusted with Obama's big government policy and elite governance. Chu's remarks comparing the American government to "parents" and treating the public as "children" have just become the target of attack by the American public.

Steven Chu, American Chinese energy secretary, was forced to retreat after being caught in the storm of corporate bankruptcy.

According to the US World Journal, Steven Chu, the first Chinese energy minister in American history, is currently facing a major test. Solyndra, an American clean energy company guaranteed by more than 500 million US dollars of federal loans, suddenly went bankrupt a few months ago, which made Zhu face charges. Coupled with accusations urging him to step down and apologize, it's hard to say whether Chu can be returned intact.

17, Chu attended the investigation subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives and held a hearing on the bankruptcy case of Solyndra solar panel company, which was once regarded as a model of job creation by the Obama administration. Including the chairman, many * * * and party member pointed out on the spot that Steven Chu obviously broke the law, questioned whether Steven Chu should step down and apologized to the American people.

Zhu was questioned mainly about the legitimacy of credit and the political operation of concealing the company's financial situation.

George Kaiser, the main investor of Oklahoma oil tycoon Solyndra, is the financial owner of President Obama. When Obama visited Solyndra, he was asked by the federal government to adopt the company's products, and Obama said he would consider it.

17 In June, Steven Chu insisted on his innocence, saying that Solyndra's credit decision was not influenced by the White House, and the loan was inherently risky, and the initial assessment of the risk was only 7.8%.

* * * and members of the party pursued Chu at the hearing and thought that Chu could not be kept in the dark alone. Democrats tried their best to escort him, and the scene was full of gunpowder. The hearing lasted from 10 in the morning to 2 pm, and the chairman, Cliff Strans, still didn't mean to stop. Members of the Democratic Party are dissatisfied with the questions repeatedly raised by Members during the hearing, and think that it is best for Zhu to give a written reply in the future. Members of the Democratic Party advocated that the hearing should be closed and decided by Stens. Later, the two sides compromised and the hearing ended before 4 pm.

The Obama administration has released more than 654.38+ten thousand pages of information about Solyndra mainly by e-mail, while * * * and party member are still investigating.

17 On June 7, Zhu Xiwen still stated his ideals in Congress. He said that he left Stanford University to be the director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory under the US Department of Energy, leading the research on how to use biology to convert solar energy into energy.

Now it's not just * * and party member attacking Chu. In February this year, "Obama's 2008 campaign research director" Dan Carol sent an email suggesting that Obama replace him and other senior executives of the Department of Energy, abandon the car and stay handsome.

Next year is an election year, and the atmosphere in Washington is becoming more and more politically antagonistic. * * * Republicans will not give up the opportunity to attack Democrats. Whether Steven Chu, the only Chinese minister left in the Obama administration, can get away with it is also the focus of attention from all walks of life.

Zhu Xiwen: Wandering from academia to politics at will.

"I finally want to introduce today's spokesperson. He showed outstanding scientific research ability during his postdoctoral period, and later led AT & amp； The quantum electronics department of T Bell Laboratories pioneered the method of laser cooling and trapping atoms at that time, which won him the Nobel Prize of 1997. He was a professor at Stanford University before he was 30. In 2004, he took charge of the oldest national laboratory in the US Department of Resources. Under his leadership, the National Laboratory has completed a series of far-reaching reports on environmental and energy issues. Next, please welcome Zhu

Before the applause fell, a capable man stepped onto the platform. Facing scientists from all over the world, he smiled easily and said, "Thank you for your introduction. That sounds great. But who is this talking about? " The audience immediately burst into applause and laughter.

This is Chu's opening remarks at the British Energy Conference in April this year. This American-born China native has gone from a small town to a cutting-edge scientific research company to a famous university. Until today, he is about to enter politics under the attention of the world. It is not without hardships, but he has always been so happy and energetic, like taking a leisurely walk.

"This family is full of extremely successful people."

Whenever asked about his family, Chu always jokes that he comes from a "scientific family". Grandfathers went abroad, and their parents graduated from Chinese and American universities and settled in the United States.

"My family are very successful people. My younger brother adds up to six higher education degrees, and I only have one. However, when I won the Nobel Prize later, I was almost tied! "

Before going to college, Chu's brother was the record holder of all subjects in the school. Teachers always remember his brother's name, and hope Chu can behave as well. However, Chu is smarter, but also more casual. His parents don't ask much about his study. He only studies what interests him. For example, he learned tennis by reading books, and even joined the school tennis team and taught himself pole vault with bamboo bought in a small shop. "He quickly cleared 2.4 meters easily."

At that time, Chu's favorite Christmas presents were some complicated handmade models. He often piled up bits and pieces of sawdust and screws in the living room until a few days later, breaking the bottom line of his mother's patience.

Talking about this free childhood, he said, "I like doing it. Now I know how my playing time as a model affects my later career." I can always vividly imagine my molecular and physical models and rotate them in my mind. "

In his last year of high school, he was inspired to make a curtain to measure gravity. Twenty-five years later, he used the Nobel Prize-winning technology to build an atomic fountain interferometer, which only optimized the measurement for the same purpose.

Because his grades were not outstanding, Steven Chu failed to enter the most famous university, but was admitted to the University of Rochester, but he was satisfied. "Nobody knows my brother. I can finally be myself. " It was here that he met an excellent physics teacher. Chu always said gratefully, "This teacher makes every student feel special and independent, so we can try our best to do what we like."

After eight years of doctoral and postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley, as an outstanding graduate, Steven Chu obtained a teaching position at the university. However, the long school suggested that you can go out and have a look before you take office. This is exactly what he wants, so that he can continue to "get along". Who knows, this walk is thirty years.

"I just caught an atom."

Bell Laboratories is a world-famous electronics and physics laboratory, and its work here has won six Nobel Prizes. 1978 The newcomer Chu was allowed to study freely for a period of time, and he could choose any field-not even physics. He can chat freely with wily experts and curious "little boys" and cooperate with anyone who has an appetite. This made Chu feel at home.

Different from the campus, each staff member of Bell Labs can only hire one technician and one postdoctoral fellow at most. This small-scale research group structure makes communication and cooperation inevitable. He said: "We are all too familiar with each other. We all know who drives which car and who goes to work on weekends. " After the lecture, at lunch, at the party and on the court, Zhu felt that he was surrounded by interesting scientific events all the time. Bell Lab is called "the paradise of scientific research", and life here is also described as "magical time".

The atoms that make up the world fly at the speed of supersonic aircraft (about 4000 kilometers per hour), so "catching atoms" is a long-standing dream in physics. Some people who have experienced it repeatedly failed, so Chu called himself a young man who could be "poisoned" if he appeared in time. One day, a venerable old man said to him, "If only we could catch the atom. I failed, please try. " Some calculations show that this is really not feasible. Chu joked that he finally understood why the old man gave him this question. ......

Until one day, it was freezing and the door of the laboratory was sealed by heavy snow. Zhu sat quietly in the quiet research institute, watching the falling snow outside the window, just like a fairy tale world. He suddenly had an inspiration. Why not freeze the atom first and then catch it? He informed his boss of his ideas and preliminary calculation results, and the boss said, "If you want to do something crazy, then you can do it. However, just take your people to do it, don't recruit others ... "

In this way, Chu soon turned the calculation on paper into an experiment in his hand. He froze the atoms in the vacuum chamber to near absolute zero and chased them from different directions with six lasers-the atoms honestly fell into the trap. It is said that he ran to tell the boss, "Guess what? I just caught an atom. " The boss said, "Not bad. What are you going to do if you catch it? " Chu said, "I don't know ... but it's really good!" " Ten years later, this hopeless experimental result became the Nobel Prize in Physics, breaking the myth that this prize belongs only to theoretical physics.

Interestingly, when Chu called her mother to tell her the news of winning the prize, her mother said with a little blame, "Great. But dear son, when will you come to see me next time? "

Entering the "New Home" of Science

Chu is easily curious about the new field of science. He compared it to walking into a new house, looking around and seeing everything new. After studying physics for more than 20 years, Chu thought, since you have caught atoms, why not try to catch bigger molecules? Such as DNA, protein, polymers and so on.

Chu, who has no biological background at all, flipped through the biology book, which is a big and thick book, 1500 pages. He only read page 150, and he couldn't understand anything. Chu then ran to a biologist, chatted with them with his little biological knowledge, and expressed his guesses and interests. Many times, the answer is "your idea is too unfounded" or "this has been done before." Only in rare cases will someone say to him, "Gee, this is the central issue now." When Chu Xuejing came back, he went to read biology textbooks and papers with feasible questions, and soon he could understand the frontier literature of biology.

At first, it seemed to be playing aimlessly. Steven Chu led his students to grasp both ends of a chain-shaped DNA molecule with light that can capture atoms. They found that they could catch it. "Why not try and see how hard you can break it?" They found that they couldn't stop-DNA molecules were so strong. "It's better to let go and try again!" As a result, the layman of these creatures first discovered that DNA molecules can shrink into a ball like a spring, and they shrink in different ways every time. Under human operation, the displayed states of molecules can be used to study their properties. In this way, Chu successfully extended his research tentacles to unfamiliar areas. With the help of his advanced physical technology, the biological world has opened up a new world.

Dr Cui, who has worked in the laboratory for six years, lamented: "Chu Diwen has an unusually keen intuition about science. At the same time, he also gives great freedom to group members and always encourages them to explore ideas that they think are interesting. "

Chu's emphasis on interdisciplinary cooperation is not limited to his own research. After working in Stanford University for ten years, he and several professors took the lead in setting up a project called Bio-X to make it easier for experts from physics, chemistry, biology, earth science, engineering and even law to cooperate. Until today, it continues to grow and develop.

For the future of mankind

1966, just graduated from junior high school. In the yearbook of graduates, he looked serious and there was a comment next to him-"scientific mind". Now it seems that this sentence far underestimated his achievements.

In 1997' s autobiography after winning the Nobel Prize, Chu Wendi wrote: "I left Berkeley that year and never came back. I still feel guilty today. But I believe Berkeley is tolerant. " I'm afraid he didn't think of it when he wrote this sentence. After establishing his "Jianghu status" in the field of scientific research, he left his stable job in Stanford and returned to Berkeley campus after nearly 30 years' absence.

In 2004, Steven Chu was recommended by himself as the director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and concurrently served as a professor of physics and molecular biology at the University of California, Berkeley. The National Laboratory under the US Department of Energy is the oldest national laboratory in the United States, with more than 4,000 staff. Under his leadership, the laboratory began to carry out research on biofuel and solar energy technology in recent years. Chu himself is even more conscientious and has become one of the most famous environmental propagandists in the United States today. I often see him appear in various forums in high spirits, smiling at the sleeves of his shirt. As a scientist, solving energy problems with science and technology is the most important theme in his speech; Humorous language, abundant data and strict logical argument are its greatest characteristics.

Chu said: "We always say' when we are completely sure'. But on environmental issues, when you are sure, everything is a foregone conclusion. Now, most people would rather spend $65,438+$0,000 to build a marble kitchen counter than use this money to improve the energy efficiency of the kitchen. " Regarding why he jumped ship, he said: "At first, I was only interested in this issue as a citizen. But I gradually see how dangerous the consequences of climate change are. As a scientist and a responsible scientist, we must think about what we can do to change this situation. "

Last year, six Nobel Prize winners from the University of California, Berkeley, including Steven Chu, called for the use of alternative and renewable energy with "practical actions". Dressed up in suits and ties, they posed in various shapes around a dead tree, and one of them even climbed to the branch. In the live video, the photographer said to his Nobel Prize model through the lens: "Don't laugh, there is nothing funny." -History has left this photo with the highest IQ and the most orthodox performance art (title, can you recognize Steven Chu? )

Chu's efforts and enthusiasm for environmental issues have won the favor of newly elected US President Barack Obama. Obama nominated him as the new energy secretary, trying to bring this scientist with no political experience into the hands of political veterans and help realize his promise to make the United States more energy-efficient and energy-independent.

In this regard, 60-year-old Zhu said at the nomination ceremony: "Some people say that we should go all out to revitalize the economy; I hope I can be a member of the presidential appointment team. I also believe that we must repair our economy and embark on a path of sustainable energy development. "

In an interview, Zhu recalled his years of experience. He said that the road he took was like a "aimless road". After experiencing a free childhood and persistent youth and middle age, today he said to future generations: "In life, you must do what you really want to do, fight with your passion and never give up."