From top student in college to scientific research powerhouse

Chapter 82: Reports and Heated Discussions! Correct? Why should it be correct?!
The purpose of the signing ceremony between the school and the company is, on the one hand, to publicly announce the cooperation between the two parties.

On the other hand, it also serves as a two-way promotion for both schools and businesses.

Companies announce significant technological breakthroughs, while universities showcase their strong research capabilities.

Therefore, the second half of the signing ceremony was a press conference for the media.

After the photo shoot was finished, the staff brought out a whole row of chairs and tables.

The relevant personnel all sat down.

Zhang Minghao's seat was slightly to the right of the center. He represented the research and development team. To his left was Vice President Xu Peijun, and to his right was Zhu Bingkun, who represented the laboratory.

Further to the left are the company representatives.

The first to be interviewed was a company representative, with General Manager Yu Jianlun delivering a speech on behalf of Dongda Materials Industry Group.

Next to speak was Liu Haibo, who represented Northern Materials Research Institute Co., Ltd.

The two company representatives made very similar statements, expressing satisfaction with the technology transfer cooperation, affirming the room-temperature conductivity of STN-01, looking forward to further research and development of the material, and anticipating the market prospects for STN-01 applications, etc.

Liu Haibo also mentioned STN-02, believing that its 'ultra-high thermoelectric figure of merit' and its Ising superconducting properties also have certain market application potential value.

After the company representative finished speaking, the reporters asked a few simple questions.

The next speaker was Xu Peijun.

Xu Peijun affirmed the research and development achievements of the STN series and praised the strength of the applied electromagnetics laboratory team.

Then, the discussion expanded on this point, mentioning Jiangzhou University's emphasis on talent cultivation, the research and development capabilities of its affiliated research institutions, and the university's focus on the commercialization of research results, among other things.

A lot of platitudes made many people in the audience drowsy.

Xu Peijun finished speaking with lingering enthusiasm, but no reporters asked any questions.

The next one is Zhang Minghao.

All the reporters wanted to interview Zhang Minghao because he had made the greatest contribution to the research and development. He was still a doctoral student, yet he was able to frequently develop major achievements.

He himself is also a very talked-about person.

The Donggang University expulsion incident is the biggest topic. Even though the matter has passed, many people still think of the label of being expelled from Donggang University when they see him.

Of course, that wasn't the topic of this press conference.

Zhang Minghao did not give a long speech, nor did he prepare a prepared script; he simply let the reporters ask questions.

The first reporter to stand up immediately asked, "As we understand it, STN-01 is a type of olefinic metamaterial. How did you come up with the idea of ​​researching room-temperature superconductivity from this direction?"

Zhang Minghao chuckled and said, "This reporter, you've got cause and effect backwards."

"This research is based on a laboratory project. We have been studying the properties of metamaterials, specifically tinene, researching how to manufacture monolayer tinene films and measuring the properties of tinene."

"During the research process, we need to continuously adjust the substrate design."

"STN-01 is a special substrate scheme. In fact, the initial goal was to create STN-02, which is a multilayer tinene film with a less standard atomic arrangement."

"STN-01 is a byproduct, but also a pleasant surprise!"

Immediately after the first question, a reporter stood up and asked, "It is understood that you made the greatest contribution to the development of STN-01. What work did you do?"

Zhang Minghao said calmly, "Actually, the special substrate solution I just mentioned was developed by me personally."

"That's also the core of STN-01's preparation..."

While Zhang Minghao was answering reporters' questions, many people in the audience were also discussing it.

Shi Chengqian stared at the stage and nodded in satisfaction, saying, "Zhang Minghao's performance in this kind of setting is quite good, even better than some professors."

Zhang Minghao is just a doctoral student.

He was also worried that Zhang Minghao might be flustered and nervous when facing reporters' questions.

Looking at it now, his answers were well-structured and his expressions and movements showed no signs of nervousness.

Tan Yanming, who knows Zhang Minghao well, laughed and said, "I've never been worried about him."

"His personality is fearless, like a newborn calf that is not afraid of tigers. He himself is never nervous."

"However, it might make others nervous..."

The moment the words left his mouth, it seemed to come true.

A reporter asked, "Does the STN-01 have potential for further research and development, and will it be widely used in the civilian market in the future?"

Zhang Minghao replied, "STN-01 is not a conventional superconducting material. Due to limitations such as the material's inherent properties and cost, it can only be used in high-tech fields for the time being."

He then added, "Stanene is a single research direction, and our research on it is already very thorough."

"We have verified and manufactured STN-01 that exhibits all the properties of topological insulating state, Ising superconductivity, and even theoretical 100% conductivity at room temperature."

"Research and development in the field of stanene has reached its limit; all that remains is to accumulate technology."

In other words, there's not much left to study about stanene.

Tan Yanming covered his face in disbelief, saying with a wry smile, "I knew it!"

"His words always make people nervous. Saying that the research has come to an end, isn't that offending his colleagues?"

"There are three or four teams in China working on tinene, which effectively blocks everyone else's path..."

Shi Chengqian also understood.

He laughed and said, "So what if I offended him? Zhang Minghao is only twenty-three. At that age, who can say anything about him?"

"A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger; that's true skill. Otherwise, it wouldn't even have seen a tiger!"

……

Immediately after the press conference, various media outlets released related news reports.

The STN-01 material properties, the 100 million yuan transfer fee, Zhang Minghao's R&D contributions, as well as interviews and dialogues at press conferences, etc.

Each of these became the focus of the reports, and the headlines were very eye-catching—"Transfer Fee of 100 Million: STN-01 Confirmed to be a Room-Temperature Superconducting Material!"

China Materials and North Materials jointly won the bid for STN-01!

Jiangzhou University confirms Zhang Minghao is the absolute core figure in the STN-01 research!

Major Transfer Agreement Signed: World's First Room-Temperature Superconducting Material Enters Industrial Manufacturing!

STN-01: 100 Million Yuan Transfer Fee – Online Rumors Debunked!

The largest [incident] since the founding of Jiangzhou University...

One after another, important headlines and important reports.

Public opinion on the internet quickly shifted.

Previously, many self-media personalities used the public interest in room-temperature superconductivity to deny STN-01.

They came up with various reasons.

These include, but are not limited to, statements such as 'room-temperature superconducting materials are still far from being available to humans,' 'metamaterials and alkenes are unrelated to superconductivity,' and 'there is no follow-up information to support the failure of material verification,' etc.

Faced with a transfer fee of 100 million, all denials seem pale and powerless.

That's a transfer fee of 100 million, a small goal!
When the technology transfer fee for a new material reaches 100 million yuan, it is enough to demonstrate that the material possesses extraordinary properties.

STN-01 clearly exhibits near-superconductivity at room temperature.

Given its near-superconductivity at room temperature, high manufacturing costs and limited room for technological advancement are hardly disadvantages, because achieving room-temperature superconductivity is already quite remarkable.

With a flood of news reports, public opinion quickly shifted to praising and commending him.

Within the domestic materials science community, those who needed to know the news already did, and many scholars engaged in materials research hoped to obtain some STN-01 for their research.

STN-01 possesses near-superconductivity at room temperature and is also a two-dimensional single-atom-layer stacked material.

This material is extremely attractive to researchers.

Amid the public outcry, many research institutions are discussing STN-01, including the Condensed Matter Physics Research Center at Donggang University.

Two researchers were standing in the corridor, excitedly discussing the news they had seen online: "STN-01, a superolefin material!"

"I heard that Cui Ji's team from Donggang University of Electronic Information has already obtained the material samples..."

"A lot of people have gone to see it, and I'm planning to go too..."

They suddenly stopped talking, and across the corridor, a figure was walking by with its head down.

It was Yang Xuewen.

Normally, they would definitely greet each other; the other person was Director Yang from the laboratory, or the vice president of Donggang University.

They glanced at each other, pursed their lips, and went straight into the office.

Yang Xuewen walked past with his head down, without saying a word.

This wasn't the first time he'd encountered this situation; after the news broke online, there was talk of it everywhere around him.

This applies not only to laboratories but also to schools.

Within Donggang University, many people think of Zhang Minghao and immediately think of him, as if the two are inextricably linked.

STN-01 is a material that is nearly superconducting at room temperature.

In terms of research findings, such materials are no less valuable than the discovery of the ZXZ phenomenon.

The higher Zhang Minghao's academic research achievements, the worse his personal situation will become.

There have been similar examples in China.

A university dismissed a foreign dean who had worked there for ten years on the grounds of "academic underperformance" and replaced him with someone suspected of having connections. Later, that foreign dean won the Nobel Prize in Economics.

This matter has been documented.

When the recipient won the Nobel Prize in Economics, the university didn't even dare to offer a congratulatory message, fearing that the matter would be brought up again and trigger a series of chain events.

The incident has already happened and has become a stain on that university's reputation.

The situation is now even more serious. The doctoral student dismissed by Donggang University is not a foreigner, and the reason for the dismissal is an experiment related to a 'new physical phenomenon'.

It was an experiment that yielded a major discovery...

its not right!
Yang Xuewen suddenly realized, "How is it correct? What makes it correct?"

“We’ve done so many experiments, and many teams abroad have done even more, but in the end we found nothing and accomplished nothing.”

"The existence of the ZXZ phenomenon does not mean that the experiment he conducted at Donggang University was correct."

"Perhaps it was just a coincidence. For example, a gust of wind blew outside, and he thought it was caused by the experiment, so he recorded it and published it."

"Later, the discovery of the ZXZ phenomenon was just a coincidence. Many times, the discovery of new physical phenomena is just a coincidence!"

Yang Xuewen felt much more energetic after thinking about it.

He went to the office on the second floor.

After finding his teacher, An Boju, Yang Xuewen said earnestly, "Professor An, I need to go to Chicago to talk to their research team."

"Oh?"

An Boju stared at Yang Xuewen, thought carefully, and nodded, "It would be good to go. Exchanging ideas about the experiments and seeing their progress might be helpful for your research."

The rest of the sentence was left unsaid.

He felt that Yang Xuewen wanted to go abroad to avoid trouble because the public opinion environment in the laboratory and the school was not good.

It's better to hide!
Once this period passes and the media frenzy subsides, the situation will improve significantly.

(End of this chapter)