Academician Fan Weicheng Lectured in Lushan Forum

2016-09-08

Fan Weicheng, the academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering and president of Institute of Public Security of Tsinghua University gave a report on “Progress and Reflection of Public Security Technology” in F201 of Lezhi Building on the morning of April 26th. Chen Xiaohong, professor and president of Hunan University of Commerce was in the chair.

Professor Fan Weicheng, an academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, is an honorary doctor in Loughborough University in Britain and president of Institute of Public Security of Tsinghua University. He organizes an appraisal group for first-grade discipline “Security Technology and Engineering” in Academic Degree Committee for the State Council. As the director of the Education Collaboration Group for professional degree of  “Security Engineering”, he is also an expert in the Sate Council’s panel of emergency management, a member of National Disaster Alleviation Committee, the director of Disaster Prevention and Alleviation Committee in the division of housing in city construction, the director of Basic Technological Standardization Committee for national public security, the head of guiding expert panel of the significant research project “Unconventional Emergency Management” supported by National Natural Science Research Fund. As the board chairman of Public Security Science and Technology Association in China, he is also a deputy chairman of Chinese Emergency Management Association, a deputy chairman of Chinese Safe Production Association and the president of Asian-Pacific Public Security Science and Technology Association. He once gave lectures in the State Council’s National Emergency Management Conference and in Seminar for Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

Academician Fan elaborated the subject through analysis of typical cases both at home and abroad, technical tendency of international public security, and the progress and thinking of science and technology in public security. In his analysis of typical cases, he expounded pointedly those typical cases concerning natural disaster, social catastrophe, and social security and public health. When talking about the results of natural disaster, he said that we should pay high attention to a series of primary disasters and secondary disasters, and the truly existing harmful effects marine disaster has on nuclear stations, which require early warnings and strict prevention.

When discussing technical tendency of international public security, Mr. Fan mentioned that three days after September 11th terrorist attack happened, U.S. Congress approved the act of emergency response and recovery, set up Office of Homeland Security, and decided to establish Department of Homeland Security. But the most important task for the department in the early times was to protect critical infrastructure. To a large extent, the move got great success because it protected America from terrorist attacks. As for the vision for future, Department of Homeland Security produced authoritative list according to which it determines how much attention and expenditure it should pay to the basis of big data risk assessment and flexible emergency technology. The academician also talked about other countries’ technical tendency of international public security and mentioned pointedly the word “tenacity”. He thought tenacity is a kind of capability of endurance, adaptation and quick recovery.

Later, Prof. Fan talked about the last aspect---the progress and reflection of public security technology. There are three core targets in the field of public security: to support life, stabilize society, and ensure continuously sustainable running in economic society. The science circle in China presented triangular model of public security system whose three sides respectively represent emergency, supporter, and emergency management. He said, more time for evacuation will be gained if the capability of monitoring, predicting and early warning gets improved; time wasted on evacuating preparation will be reduced and ability of evacuation enhanced if the public’s crisis senses get strengthened.

Prof. Fan stated in his lecture that China’s Safety Platform System plays an essential role in coping with natural disaster, social catastrophe, and guarding social security. That Tsinghua University set up WHO emergency center, information system and top design of software was acclaimed internationally. President Xi Jinping said in his inspection that Institute of Public Security of Tsinghua University has been an important base for our country to establish emergency response systems and platforms in public security which takes major problem concerning national security as its strategic choice. Constructing such a discipline confirms to the position of Tsinghua University. Meanwhile, China never stops to express views and provide schemes, and to send sets of technologies abroad. Our Safety Platform System played a vital role in relieving Ecuador’s 7.3-magnitude quake. It perfectly achieved information’s prompt gathering, analysis, study and judgment, and commanding. China also took active part in coping with Zika Virus. Premier Li Keqiang summarized the safety platform with several words: to settle urgency and to deal with big issues with little money.

Lastly, Prof. Fan ended his lecture with four sentences, namely, public security is highly valued by international community, concerned by societies and desired by the public; to implement projects aiming at strengthening social safety’s tenacity should be driven by concepts, institutions and the innovation in science and technology and relied on people’s institutionalized participation; boasting enormous space for innovation, science and technology in public security, whose life is with human society, is an emerging sector that fuses the science and engineering with art and management, and integrates basic research and technological innovation with complex appliance. The last sentence is China’s public security platform will make greater contribution to our country even all human beings. The respectable academician highly appreciated President Chen Xiaohong’s contribution to the construction of resource-conserving and environmental-friendly society in Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan(three adjacent cities of Hunan Province), hoping to discuss relatively matters concerning public security with her.

In the question-and-answer session, academician Fan integrated international vision with China’s practice in public security management to address these questions teachers or students raised.

President Chen Xiaohong commented in her closing statement, as one of founders and leaders of China’s public security field, he, beginning with the frequent accidents in all countries, elaborated valuable experience from Europe, America and Japan, and discussed how to establish a good public safety management system, giving all faculties and students here a beneficial lecture with high quality. She hoped that all the faculties and students, under the guidance of academician Fan, take pains in making contribution to the development of public security.(By Chen Luming, Gao Wenni)