Controllable nuclear fusion wasn't like airplanes, cannons, or nuclear bombs. Even though it had the word "nuclear fusion" in it, it wasn't something that needed to be done secretly.
Therefore, the location of the relevant research units didn't have to be in the Gobi Desert, nor could they be located in the Gobi Desert.
Talent was one of the reasons.
The second reason was communication.
Just like the International Space Station, a major systematic project like this couldn't be undertaken by a single country or organization. The same was true for the controllable nuclear fusion project. In ITER, there would always be competition, but cooperation was still the mainstream.
If a meeting had to take several flights and trains, then there would be no need for a meeting at all.
When the Chinese Academy of Sciences wanted to build a tokamak, they built an island on the beautiful Shu Mountain Lake.
Lu Zhou felt like Jinling was a good place, so he drew a circle next to Purple Mountain, and the project was settled in Jinling.
The official paperwork would take a while to come out. Before that, Lu Zhou planned on going back to his alma mater.
First of all, the Institute of Computational Materials building that he had invested a hundred million yuan into was finally completed. Second of all, for the controllable nuclear fusion project and the blueprint of China's Princeton Institute of Technology, he still needed the support of Jin Ling University.
Manager Wang walked Lu Zhou to the hotel entrance and spoke with a smile.
"Professor Lu, you don't want to stay for a few more days?"
Lu Zhou smiled and said, "No, I'm busy with work, so I have to go."
Manager Wang: "Take care."
Lu Zhou nodded and walked toward the black sedan parked on the side of the road.
His suitcase was already in the trunk, so he didn't have to worry about these trivial matters.
Wang Peng watched as Lu Zhou fastened his seatbelt and started the car.
"Where to?"
"The airport!"
…
Jin Ling University, administrative building.
Principal Xu was sitting at his desk with glasses on. He was meticulously handling official business.
Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door.
Principal Xu put down the pen in his hand and cleared his throat.
"Come in."
The door was pushed open, and an unexpected figure appeared at the door.
When Principal Xu saw Lu Zhou standing at the door, he paused for a second. He put down the pen in his hand and stood up from his office chair with a smile.
"Professor Lu? What brings you here? Please come in. "
Looking at the documents on Principal Xu's desk, Lu Zhou smiled politely and said, "It was a bit sudden, and I just got off the plane. I hope I didn't disturb your work?"
Principal Xu smiled and said, "If a Nobel Prize laureate wants to visit our school, we can't wait to welcome him. Why would we think that it's a bother? But you did come back quite suddenly. Why didn't you tell us in advance? We weren't prepared at all. "
"There's no need to prepare in advance. I just came back to visit my alma mater. You don't have to go through so much trouble." Lu Zhou smiled and put the tea in his hand on the desk. "I brought some tea back."
Principal Xu said, "Such an expensive gift, I can't accept it. You should give it to Professor Tang and Professor Lu."
Lu Zhou smiled and said, "What's so expensive about it? It's just two bags of tea. I'll keep Professor Tang and Academician Lu's share, so don't worry about it."
After some small talk, the two sat down on the sofa.
Principal Xu ordered his secretary to make two cups of hot tea.
Lu Zhou spoke in a casual tone.
"I'll be returning from Princeton next year. If Principal Xu doesn't mind, I'll have to bother you in the future."
"Why would I mind?" Principal Xu smiled and said, "If you want to come back, I can even give you my position as the principal."
Lu Zhou quickly said, "There's no need for that. I can be the director of a research institute, but I can't manage a university."
He was already busy enough with his research. If he really became the principal, he would probably have to split himself in half to be able to keep up with the workload.
Also, he was opposed to using administrative positions to eliminate talent.
Lu Zhou took a sip of tea and moistened his throat. He then adjusted his expression and began to talk business.
"I went to Beijing and met the elders."
Hearing this, Principal Xu stopped joking and put on a serious expression.
"You guys talked … Can I ask?"
"It's not a secret. The written documents will come soon, so it's fine to talk about it in advance."
Lu Zhou paused for a second and said, "… In addition to some technical matters, we mainly talked about academic matters, including the history of mathematics."
Principal Xu: "History of mathematics?"
Lu Zhou nodded and said, "That's right."
"Throughout the history of the Renaissance, mathematicians have always been extremely sensitive to the environment. In the last century, the center of mathematics was in Europe. The French Bourbaki Group and Germany's Göttingen Group were equally influential. However, in less than a quarter of a century, the Göttingen Group was almost wiped out, and the Bourbaki Group also began to decline. Ever since then, the center of mathematics has shifted from Europe to North America.
"I've learned a lot of things while studying in Princeton. Whether it's knowledge itself or academic culture.
"Drawing on the experience of history and reality, my biggest personal feeling is that academic prosperity and an open academic environment are inseparable. Therefore, I proposed to him to build China's Princeton Institute of Technology in Jinling. That institute would engage in pure academic research and de-politicize academia. "
After listening to Lu Zhou, Principal Xu nodded.
He was a scientific researcher, so he knew the impact of academic bureaucracy on scientific research efficiency.
As a supporter of education reform, he had also made some efforts to change this.
Even though some of the policies might not be satisfactory, he undoubtedly supported Lu Zhou's views.
Especially regarding Lu Zhou's plan to build China's Princeton Institute of Technology. They had discussed this issue a long time ago, and Principal Xu expressed his support for it.
However, even though he supported it, it would be difficult to implement it …
"I agree with what you said, but I'm afraid it will be difficult to implement it. Especially depoliticization. In terms of the overall environment in the country, this is basically impossible — "
Lu Zhou: "He agreed."
Principal Xu's eyes widened as he looked at Lu Zhou in disbelief.
Lu Zhou paused for a second and said, "He said that I can do whatever I want with my own research institute. It doesn't matter if I mess it up, but if I succeed, I can promote it within a limited scope. "
This limited scope obviously referred to Jin Ling University.
However, for Lu Zhou, promoting it or not was secondary.
He didn't see himself as an educator, he was just a scholar.
All he needed was an academic environment that was comfortable for him so that he could quietly pursue his own research.
As for political demands, he didn't use those things, nor was he interested.
However, in Principal Xu's opinion, Lu Zhou's conditions were unbelievable.
Especially when the higher-ups agreed, which was even more unbelievable.
Principal Xu couldn't help but ask, "You guys really just talked about mathematics?"
"Of course not just mathematics." Lu Zhou smiled awkwardly and said, "Before that … we also talked about controllable nuclear fusion."
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