On September 13, Professor Zhiming MA, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a member of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World, and the dean of the School of Statistics and Data Science, gave the orientation course of the opening session to the 2022 undergraduate freshmen (Mathematical Sciences and Big Data Program), explaining in depth the importance of science, especially mathematics.
At the beginning, Prof. Ma told the audience that mathematics is closely related to modern civilization, and it is not only an independent science, but also provides methods and tools for other sciences. Mathematics plays an irreplaceable role in human’s understanding of natural lawas. Especially with the high development of computer technology, mathematics plays an increasing role in scientific discovery, technological innovation, engineering technology management and decision-making. The general characteristics of an era are generally defined by its the mathematical activities.
Prof. Ma said that the Internet, cell phones, multimedia, DNA, etc. are the characteristics of our era, and behind all these characteristics lies a great deal of mathematics. He shared with the students the story that Chen-Ning Yang had told many times to illustrate that the discovery of electromagnetic waves originated from the mathematical introduction of electric field strength to Maxwell's equations. Prof. Ma also mentioned that two pioneers of computer science, Alan Turing and John von Neumann, were both outstanding mathematicians, and introduced some famous mathematicians who have made important contributions to the field of data compression and perception in modern times, illustrating once again that mathematics is closely linked to modern civilization.
Finally, Prof. Ma encouraged the freshmen to climb the peak of science continuously, promote the development of the discipline in the process of solving major problems, and take the various problems raised by the real world as an important driving force for the development of mathematics, so as to contribute to the advancement of modern civilization.
