Changxu Shi, famous material scientist and strategic scientist in China, winner of the highest national science and technology award, former deputy director of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, former deputy dean of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, senior academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering, honorary director of the Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the honorary editor-in-chief of the International Journal of "Journal of Magnesium and Alloys" sponsored by the CCMg and the Magnesium Branch of Chinese Materials Research Society, died of illness at the age of 96 at 7:07 on November 10, 2014 in Beijing.
Mr. Shi is the founder of Chinese high-temperature alloys. He dedicated his life to the development of science and technology in China. Mr. Shi was committed to material science research and had achieved fruitful results in the research fields of high-temperature alloys, alloy steels, and metal corrosion and protection. He presided over the development of a number of strategic materials and components urgently needed by China. Mr. Shi enriched and developed solidification and phases transition theories and performance evaluation methods; lead and promoted Chinese rapid development of nanoscience and technology, carbon fiber, metal corrosion and protection, biomedical materials and magnesium alloys disciplines; cultivated a large number of outstanding talents in materials science and technology; made many important recommendations to Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council about the development of key scientific and technological fields such as large aircraft, aero-engines and gas turbines, and new material fields; made significant contributions to the development of Chinese scientific and technological undertakings.
As the leading authority in the field of materials science in China, Mr. Shi concerned about the development and industrialization of new materials in China. At the beginning of this century, he called for the promotion of the magnesium alloy development and industrialization in our country, and directly promoted the development of our country’s first batch of magnesium alloy major scientific and technological plans. The establishment had made historical outstanding contributions to the healthy and sustainable development of Chinese magnesium industry. Mr. Shi is also concerned about the construction and development of National Engineering Research Center for Magnesium Alloys. He had repeatedly communicated with Prof. Peidao Ding and Prof. Fusheng Pan on the development and industrialization of Chinese magnesium alloys, and put forward constructive guidance. In May 2007, Mr. Shi wrote an inscription for the center and put forward ardent expectations for the development of the center. In April 2008, he came to the center for guidance and put forward opinions and suggestions on the scientific and technological innovation, achievement transformation, base construction, personnel training and international cooperation of the center; In 2013, he personally served as the honorary editor-in-chief of the International publication Journal of Journal of Magnesium &and Alloys , sponsored by the Magnesium Center. Every bit of achievement and progress achieved by our center is inseparable from the help and support of Mr. Shi.
Mr. Shi is a great person for us. His outstanding contribution and noble character has been widely praised and admired by scientists at home and abroad. His death is a great loss to our country's scientific and technological circles!
We mourn and remember Mr. Shi deeply!
Professor Fusheng Pan visited Mr. Shi in 2012
Mr. Shi visited CCMg in 2008