An Overview of the Election Process for the First Academicians in the Engineering of Academia Sinica in 1948
The initial two terms of appointed councilors through elections of the Council of Academia Sinica had the same eligibility criteria as the first term of academician elections.Li Xie(Li Yizhi),Ling Hongxun(H.H.Ling),and Tang Bingyuan were successively elected as appointed councilors of the Engineering Discipline in the first council of Academia Sinica formed in 1935,collaborating with the ex officio councilor Zhou Ren(Jen Chow)to guide and facilitate the development of the engineering science through"Direction,Connection,and Rewards".After Li Xie passed away,Mao Yisheng(T.E.Mao)was elected in 1939 to succeed him.Ling Hongxun,Mao Yisheng,and Wang Chongyou(Wang Chungyu)were elected in 1940 for the second term of the Engineering Council and,along with Zhou Ren,actively participated in the selection of the first term of academicians.During the academician election process,whether it was the candidates nominated by Mao Yisheng and Ling Hongxun or the final reference list determined by the Academia Sinica,there was a significant discrepancy compared to the official nomination list,with many omissions,highlighting the differences between individual and institutional nominations.With 55 nominees,the Engineering Discipline ranked first among the 24 involved disciplines,which on one hand indicates the broad scope of the Engineering field with a large number of researchers,allowing for a wider range of nominations compared to other disciplines.On the other hand,it also demonstrates a certain lack of consensus within the engineering community.After two rounds of elimination,11 official candidates including Wang Chongyou,Wang Huzhen,Zhou Ren,Shi Jiayang,Hou Debang(T.P.Hou),Mao Yisheng,Ling Hongxun,Cheng Xiaogang,Cai Fangyin(Fang-Yin Tsai),Sa Bendong(A.Pen-tung Sah),and Luo Zhongchen were shortlisted,with an elimination rate of 80%,nearly 10%higher than the overall rate across all disciplines.Finally,Zhou Ren,Hou Debang,Mao Yisheng,Ling Hongxun,and Sa Bendong were elected,with a lower election rate than the overall rate and other disciplines in the Division of Mathematics and Physical Sciences.The number of official candidates and the final election ratio somewhat demonstrates that the overall development level of the Engineering discipline during the Republic of China era did not receive unanimous recognition from the academic community.Certainly,the process from the official nominations to the shortlisted candidates,and then to the final list of elected individuals,also characterizes the developmental state of the various sub-disciplines within Engineering to some extent.The transition from appointed councilors to academicians suggests a greater emphasis on academic achievements over engineering accomplishments,underscoring the rationale for establishing a separate Engineering Academy distinct from the purely academic focus of the Science Academy.
engineeringcouncilorsacademician electionCouncil of Academia Sinica
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