2007-9-14

Tsung Dao Lee was born in Shanghai, China on November 24, 1926. From 1943 to 1946, he had studied in Zhejiang University, Guizhou University and the National South-West Associated University. At that time, Wu Dayou was his instructor. In 1946, he went to the University of Chicago, studying in physics. He won his Doctor degree of Philosophy in 1950. In the same year, he was named as the school astronomy Associated Researcher. From 1950-51, he was named as Physics Associated Researcher and Lecturer in the University of California. From 1951 to 1953, he was named as Researcher of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. From 1953 to 1960, he was successively named as Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor of Physics at Columbia University. From 1960 to 1963, he was named as a Professor of Physics at Princeton University. He was again named as Professor of the Columbia University since 1963. In 1964, he was named Chair Professor of Enrico Fermi. In addition to teaching, he was also involved in astrophysics and quantum mechanics researches.

In 1957, Tsung Dao Lee and Chen Ning Yang were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their " discovery of the destruction of parity theory ". In 1971, he was elected as Academician of the Academy of Science of the United States. Tsung Dao Lee has made pioneering and significant contribution in statistical mechanics. Given his huge contribution in broad areas of nuclear physics, he was awarded the Albert Einstein Science Award, and the highest Knight's award of the Republic of Italy. He was also elected as one member of the American Academy of Arts and Science, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Italy, and so forth.

Since 1972, he has visited China many times to visit relatives, pay visits and give lectures. In his recommendations and arrangements, in the 10 years from 1979 to 1989, a total of 915 graduate students had been sent abroad for study and training. In 1984, he was employed as honorary professor of Tsinghua University. In 1985, he initiated and established postdoctoral mobile stations, and he was named as National Postdoctoral CMC consultant and Honorary Chairman of the Chinese Postdoctoral Science Foundation. In 1986, he founded the China Center for Advanced Science and Technology and served as director. In 1992, the Tsung Dao Lee Physics Scholarship was established in Fudan University. In June 1993, he was appointed as Professor Emeritus at Chinese Northwestern University. In June 1994, he was elected as Foreign Academician of CAS of this first group. In 1995, he won the China International Science and Technology Cooperation Award of the year. His publications include The Field Theory and Particle Physics, Statistical Mechanics, and other books.

On January 23, 1998, the "Qin Hui- Tsung Dao Lee Fund" was launched. The Fund is launched with all private savings donation from Professor Tsung Dao Lee and his deceased wife Qin Hui, aiming at financing outstanding students to watch or intern in the research institutes by using their holidays and after school hours, helping young students particularly those non-science major students widen their vision, understand science, get to know science, concern science, love science, build a scientific spirit, a scientific attitude, and scientific ways of thinking.