The Academia Sinica, the nation's premier research institute, will host its 27th Biennial Convocation of Academicians today, in which it will elect new members from 38 potential candidates.
According to the institute, 183 academicians will attend the convocation.
President Chen Shui-bian (
Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh (
The gathering of the distinguished academics in diverse fields has garnered much media attention, as it will become the first meeting between Lee and Chen after Lee made critical remarks against Chen and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) regarding the corruption scandals that have recently made headlines.
A number of high-profile scientists will also attend the gathering, including Nobel Physics Prize winners Yang Chen-ning (楊振寧) and Samuel Ting (
The 84-year-old physicist Yang will be accompanied by his 28-year-old wife Wong Fan (翁帆), who will make her first public appearance in Taiwan since their controversial marriage in 2004. During his brief stay in Taiwan, Yang will also address the college students and present awards to winners for the best science publications in honor of the deceased scientist Wu Da-you (吳大猷).
Hsia Chi-tsin (
One of Hsia's major contributions was compiling The History of Modern Chinese Fiction, which introduced works by Chinese contemporary novelists such as Chang Ai-ling (
A majority of the candidates, however, specialize in mathematics and natural science. Only seven of the nominees are in the humanities or social sciences.
Currently, the convocation consists of 226 members, including six Nobel laureates -- five physicists and one chemist.
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