From October 18 to 19, 2018, the Second Conference of International Science Centers—jointly sponsored by the city of Beijing and the Chinese Academy of Sciences—was held in Huairou, Beijing. More than 100 scientists and experts from 14 countries including China, the United States, Switzerland, Germany, Britain, Spain, Italy, Sweden and South Korea gathered at the scenic Yanqi Lake of Huairou to exchange ideas and share their expertise in the construction of science centers.
Wang Hong, vice mayor of Beijing, and Zhang Tao, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, gave speeches to welcome everyone at the conference. Liu Yinchun, deputy secretary general of Beijing delivered the keynote speech titled “Building a Long-Lasting Science City and a World-Renowned Science Center.”
The conference was chaired by Dr. Joel Mesot, director of Swiss Paul Scherrer Institute. Professor Wolfgang Marquardt, director of Forschungszentrum Julich GmbH in Germany; Professor Caterina Biscari, director of Spain's ALBA Synchrotron and vice president of the European Accelerator Photon Federation; Professor In Soo Ko, director of South Korea's Pohang Accelerator Laboratory; and Professor Frederick Bordry, science director of the Accelerators and Technology at CERN, delivered keynote speeches during the morning session. The conference was then split into two parallel sessions— “The Long-Term Strategic Planning of Science Centers and National Laboratories” and “The Policy Mechanisms and Case Studies of National Science Centers”—with experts and scientists from 11 scientific research institutions giving presentations during them. Delegates at the conference also held discussion sessions, sharing their expertise in the planning, construction, management and operation of comprehensive science centers, and offering their advice for the construction of the Beijing Huairou Comprehensive National Science Center.
During the conference, Dr. Wang Enge, academician and chairman of the Expert Committee of the Huairou Comprehensive National Science Center, hosted the Expert Committee’s first meeting, thus marking its formation. At the meeting, 20 scientists from around the world, including Dr. Anthony Leggett and Dr. Chen Hesheng, were appointed as members of the committee.
