In May 1959, Qian Xuesen, then head of the Department of Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Science and Technology of China, wrote an article in the People’s Daily, bluntly stating that “the reason why we value basic theory is because students at the University of Science and Technology will be engaged in the research of new sciences and new technologies in the future.” The "flagpole" talent training method he proposed is different from the traditional "pyramid" training model. It advocates first building a solid theoretical foundation and then pointing directly to the cutting-edge of the discipline.
The wider and more solid the chassis is, the more stable it will stand when growing upward, and the ideal flag will not be blown down by the wind. For more than sixty years, the University of Science and Technology of China has adhered to the principle of "broad and solid foundation, sophisticated professionalism", and all professors must teach basic courses to undergraduates. This kind of almost stubborn persistence has one purpose in the final analysis: to let students lay a solid foundation, so that no matter how far they go in the future, they will have a solid foundation under their feet.
A solid foundation of skills requires not only long-term and intensive cultivation, but also the determination to sit on the "cold bench". There are no shortcuts in scientific research. All original achievements and technological breakthroughs are the hard work of enduring loneliness and time. Academician Zhao Zhongxian has been dealing with high-temperature superconductors all his life and has personally experienced the ups and downs of this subject. During the difficult period when the industry was cold and equipment was scarce, he found old equipment, modified it himself, and made his own "earth stove" to continue research. With the spirit of "persisting when research is hot and persisting when it is cold", he finally won the 2016 National Highest Science and Technology Award.
It’s not just Zhao Zhongxian. From Professor Pan Jianwei winning the third UNESCO-Mendeleev International Fundamental Science Award, to the launch of the superconducting quantum computing prototype "Zuchong-3", to the emergence of original achievements such as the cold atom common magnetometer, behind this is the persistence of generations of Chinese University of Science and Technology people who have sat on the bench and worked hard to solve difficult problems.
Taking root in the foundation does not mean resting on one's laurels, but is precisely for better breakthroughs and innovations. There is another half to "flagpole-style" education: to lay a solid foundation, but also to go straight to the forefront and bring students to the forefront of the subject. For more than 60 years, the University of Science and Technology of China has been following a clear path: it does not engage in quick scientific research or pursue fast-food education. Instead, it relies on top scientific research platforms and moves the classroom directly to the front line of major national strategic tasks. Teachers and students face the "stuck neck" problem, practice real skills in actual combat, and implement the original intention of serving the country through science and education in every specific experiment.
Writing the chapter of youth on the land of the motherland is not a romantic slogan, but a down-to-earth action. Young students should learn from this composure, give up the impetuousness of eagerness for success, and turn the knowledge in books into real skills in their hands. On the road to self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology, we will grow into "flagpole" talents capable of taking on major responsibilities, and write our own youth answers through hard work.
