Take a break

I will start my position in Concordia on June 2. I will be in vacation from May 22 to May 30. I may not check my email during my vacation time due to technical difficulties. For people who query about the post-doc positions, the decision will be made in June.

My address in Concordia University is:
Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering
1400 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Phone: +1-(514) 848-2424 ext 8715
Fax: +1-(514) 848-2830
e-mail: yuhong(at)encs.concordia.ca

Boundaries

I am packing my staffs to move to Montreal. This is another move after I crossed many countries. I have spent a complete 10 years out of China -- Germany, Canada, US, France and then Canada again – for studying and working. This time is a rare case that I move out of a job by myself.

It is my original dream of pursuing freedom and truth that drives me to move from one country to another and from one position to another. Being a scientist gives me the biggest freedom to challenge any routines in any doctrines. I see myself belongs to a scientific community, i.e. a community across any country and organization boundaries. In this sense, my knowledge is carried by me and belongs to the whole world. I see that if a country or an organization wants to keep a leading position in science, it is better to attract excellent minds and keep them. You can see the intelligence flows faster than before.

China’s 2008

It is an Olympic year in Beijing. China has prepared more than four years for this. The conflicts along with the Olympic flam relay reflect some non-harmonious sound around emerging China. Shortly before the Olympic Game, another test just came for China to prove what kind of a country it wants to be – the earth quake.

It was Monday afternoon around 14:30PM. An earth quake attacked Sichuan province (see BBC head news). The capital city, Chengdu, was just within 100 km from the epicenter Wenchuan. Chengdu where my mother lives has little death toll. Surely they felt the strong shakes of the earth. But Wenchuan, Dujian Yan and several counties around have more than 12,000 deaths so far.

From the photos we saw so far, our Chinese colleagues all agreed that the rescue is well organized. The moving of the soldiers has reflected the decision of a communist party – finally a right use of the army. The equipments and the rescue resources are abundant. And people in the epicenter are calm and wealth enough to be calm. Finally, you see a responsible government.

Even though this event, I have the feeling to go back to China and work there. After a complete 10 years out of China, I realized that China is now one of the few most important countries in the world. I may miss the chance to see a changing China if I stay aboard.

Leaving NRC

After I announced my leaving NRC, I have received many congratulation emails. I am happy that I am received emails from some of the researchers that are highly respected among us as the best researchers. I am happy that my leaving attracted their attentions. It seems they recognized my status in the research community. For a research organization, no matter an institute or a university, the most important factor is the researchers. The best researchers and professors define the status of an institute or a university. I hope I am one of the best, no matter in an institute or a university.