On the afternoon of November 26, 2012, the Open University of China and the Academic Bureau of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ABCAS) officially signed an agreement to join hands and use their respective advantages to plan and promote a series of video lecture courses, “Science and China - Academicians and Experts Lecture Series”,
based on the needs of the “OUC Open Forum”. This move aims to provide established academicians and experts from the science field in China with a platform to popularize scientific knowledge, propose new scientific methods, broadcast scientific theories, promote the spirit of science, and serve both the OUC students and the general public. The “OUC Open Forum’s” cross-media, cross-channel resources make up this platform.
The “OUC Open Forum” is a series of college-level public televised lecture courses, initiated in 2012. The lectures are based around three themes: culture, science and life. The cultural lectures focus on promoting culture, stimulating cultural construction and strengthening cultural belief. The scientific lectures focus on popularizing scientific knowledge, promoting the spirit of science, and inspiring scientific theory. The life lectures aim to improve quality of life, accelerate human development and promote new lifestyles. The “OUC Open Forum” focuses on using different themes and accumulating excellent resources. It endeavors to make the best use of modern broadcast methods such as television, the Internet and new media. In addition, it actively contributes to the academic atmosphere of the OUC, enhancing the academic position of the university and demonstrating openness and diversity.
The “Science and China – Academicians and Experts Lecture Series” is led and initiated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It is a high-level science promotion activity jointly organized by the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the China Association for Science and Technology. Since it was initiated in December 9, 2002, it has held nearly 700 lectures (as of the end of 2011) focusing on the history of the development of science and technology, the hot topics at the forefront of technology, the construction of scientific ethics, and how science has accelerated the development of society and the economy. Nearly 900 academicians and experts have given lectures across 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. This lecture series is a way for the scientific community to promote the spirit of the 16th and 17th National Congress of the CPC, as well as the “three represents” concept. It plays a key role in implementing and publicizing the scientific outlook on development and actively promotes the strategy of revitalizing the nation through science and education.
In cooperating to hold the “Science and China - Academicians and Experts Lecture Series”, the two parties have demonstrated a common ambition of upholding public benefit and promoting non-profit activities. Based on the different research fields and academic specialties of the academicians and experts, it aims to trace the course of history, understand the present and seize future opportunities. The series is on the pulse of scientific, technological and cultural development and makes predictions for the future development of science and technology. The lectures focus on leading the development of science and technology, discussing social events that relate to the national economy and the people’s livelihood. In addition to being broadcast on the “OUC Open Forum” on China Education Television, the series of lectures will also be broadcast on the OUC’s website, the distance teaching platform, and the OUC’s digital channel.
By Du Ruo and Lv Li