Beijing Daily | Doctoral Team Comes to the Sub center -28 National Postdoctoral Workstations Bring Top Scientific Research Achievements

In the era of water transportation, Tongzhou was the eastern gateway of the capital city, with thousands of boats gathering together on the Grand Canal.In 2003, Tongzhou opened its subway system, attracting many young people to settle here. Nowadays, as we enter the era of urban sub centers, the attractiveness of Tongzhou has been increasing year by year, and more and more talents are coming to the Grand Canal to build their dreams and set sail.

The reporter learned from the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau of Tongzhou District that around the six key industrial systems of digital economy, modern finance, advanced manufacturing, business services, cultural tourism, and modern seed industry, the urban sub center currently has 28 national level postdoctoral research workstations, and has introduced and trained 56 postdoctoral talents. These elite talents have led or participated in more than 100 scientific research projects and applied for more than 80 patents.

The Bishui Reclaimed Water Plant located on the west side of the Grand Canal. China Water Environment Group provides pictures

The Miracle of an Underground Reclaimed Water Plant

Have you ever seen a sewage treatment plant with a lake, park, and science museum on the ground and a series of large water purification equipment underground? The Bishui Reclaimed Water Plant located on the west side of the Grand Canal is such an underground factory. After being moved underground, not only has its daily processing capacity increased from 100,000 tons to 180,000 tons, but its effluent standards have also been raised by two levels, and its land area has been reduced from 220 acres to 110 acres.

The urban sub center is currently constructing a national level green development demonstration zone, and the changes in the Bishui Reclaimed Water Plant are a microcosm of the sub center's practice of green development concepts. The ground part of the factory is a landscape park that integrates artificial wetlands and gardens and is open for free. It covers an area of over 70,000 square meters and is only one street away from the residential area.

The successful relocation of the reclaimed water plant underground relies on China Water Environment Group's top-notch technology with independent intellectual property rights. This company was established in Tongzhou in 2014, with a core R&D team consisting of over 10 PhDs in the Engineering Technology Center. One of the doctors is Jiang Leyong, currently the Deputy General Manager of the Engineering Technology Center. He confidently told reporters, "The Bishui Plant is a undergroundreclaimed water plant that replaces foreign technology with original technology and is the first in China to undergo on-site renovation and expansion without stopping production. The treated high-quality reclaimed water can achieve 100% reuse.

Yang Shenhua, 31 years old this year, is a PhD candidate who joined the postdoctoral research station established by China Water Environment Group. His goal is very clear, "I hope the new sewage treatment technologythat I have studied withAcademician Peng Yongzhen of Beijing Institute of Technology for 7 yearscan be usedin the sub center as soon as possible." He graduated from the Environmental Science and Engineering major of Beijing Institute of Technology, and his research on autotrophic biological denitrification technology and biofilm anaerobic ammonia oxidation technology can further help reclaimed water plants improve treatment efficiency, save land area, reduce energy consumption, and achieve synergistic efficiency in pollution reduction and carbon reduction.

Introducingsomeone to develop an industry

Have you ever seen a pumpkin that requires three adults to embrace? Not long ago, Zhongnong Futong Horticultural Company had a bountiful harvest of over 10 giant pumpkins, each weighing several hundred pounds. The largest one has a diameter of over 1.3 meters and weighs 660 pounds, breaking the cultivation record of Zhongnong Futong.

These more than 10 big guys were all personally cultivated by Dr. Su Yanbin. Dr. Su has been working at Zhongnong Futong for 9 years. The handsome young man who had just stepped out of school, after more than 3000 days of wind and sun exposure, now looks like a farmer - with dark skin, wearing red half sleeves on his upper body, dark brown shorts on his lower body, a pair of slippers on his feet, and many mosquito bags on his legs.

Speaking of agriculture, Dr. Su opened the conversation box. The key to cultivating giant pumpkins is the seeds, "he said. Giant pumpkin seeds are cultivated through advanced space breeding methods and have undergone years of technological innovation. The seeds of Zhongnong Futong can make pumpkins bear more and grow bigger. Nine years of hard work have not been in vain. In addition to giant pumpkins, Dr. Su has also cultivated multiple "edible" varieties such as UFO pumpkins.

Why cultivate so many types of pumpkins? Chen Xiaowen, the person in charge of Zhongnong Futong Horticulture Company, also holds a doctoral degree. She said that nearly 20000 tourists come to the garden for leisure and sightseeing every year, many of whom are families with children. Giant pumpkins and flying saucer pumpkins make children look novel and convenient for doctors to popularize agricultural knowledge to children. In addition, these pumpkins can be processed into handicrafts for long-term preservation, enhancing the added value of agricultural products.

Chen Xiaowen said that Zhongnong Futong Company has always been very supportive of talents taking the lead in agricultural research, striving to open up a situation of introducing a talent, driving a team, supporting a project, and developing an industry. Since 2017, under the leadership of a team of highly educated personnel such as PhDs, the company has been able to obtain an average of 100 patents per year, compared to just over 10 patents before 2014.

The dual mentor system enables talent enterprises to achieve a win-win situation

After starting work, university mentors can continue to provide guidance on theoretical foundations and experimental experience, and senior engineers from enterprises can also conduct targeted teaching on project sites. Do you envy this kind of cultivation method?

The relevant person in charge of the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau of Tongzhou District introduced that the postdoctoral research workstation is an effective carrier to promote the integration of industry, academia and research, and an effective way to stimulate the innovative development momentum of enterprises. Through in-depth connections with universities such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, Beijing Normal University, China Agricultural University, and Beijing Institute of Technology, all talents who enter the postdoctoral research workstation of the sub center can enjoy the dual mentor system, avoiding the passive situation of insufficient practical experience for PhDs.

With the help of the dual mentorship system, many PhDs have achieved remarkable results in the sub center. Dr. Wang Xinmei, who has been working at the Zhongnong Futong Postdoctoral Research Workstation for 2 and a half years, has successfully obtained 9 patents and won awards in national innovation method competitions; Dr. Xu Wenjing, who has been working at the Liang'an Technology Postdoctoral Workstation for just over six months, has successfully solved the problem of data transmission encryption for enterprises... The Postdoctoral Research Workstation has become an important platform for the sub center to promote the landing of high-precision and cutting-edge industrial projects and cultivate new development momentum.

Huamei Futai is a registered petroleum engineering and technical service provider in Tongzhou, mainly engaged in research and engineering technical services related to shale oil and gas and tight oil and gas fields. Vice General Manager Zheng Feng of the company said that scientific research results require a long period of intellectual, human, and financial investment from laboratory research to practical fields, a process known as the "Darwin Dead Sea" by industry experts. The dual mentor system of postdoctoral workstations enables a win-win situation for talent enterprises, which is equivalent to giving wings to scientific research and innovation, and helping enterprises leap over the Dead Sea.

Doctoral Message Sub Center

We hope to build more green and low-carbon benchmark recycled water plants in the sub center through our research strength, and we also hope that these cutting-edge technologies and concepts can be promoted to more parts of the country and even the world.

——Jiang Leyong, Deputy General Manager of Engineering Technology Center of China Water Environment Group

The sub center is rich in rivers and water, with a beautiful environment. After entering the postdoctoral workstation, I settled down by the Tonghui River. I hope our new technology can make this blue-green interwoven city more beautiful.

——Yang Shenhua, Postdoctoral Research Workstation of China Water Environment Group

Modern seed industry is one of the six key industries of the sub center. We hope that all tourists can enjoy the giant pumpkins and flying saucer pumpkins we have cultivated.

——Engineer Su Yanbin from the Technology Innovation Research Institute of Zhongnong Futong Horticulture Company

Although I am a resident of the sub center, due to the nature of my work, I often have to travel across the country. I hope to have more opportunities to learn about the history and future of the sub center.

——Xu Wenjing, postdoctoral researcher at Liang'an Technology Company's postdoctoral research workstation