[Xinhua]A Low-Profile University Aims High

　　Low-profile and practical are the best words to describe a university in Hefei in east China's Anhui Province.

　　Not as well-known as Tsinghua or Peking universities, the University
of Science and Technology of China (USTC) has achievements equal to the
top universities in China.

From the hydrogen bomb to satellites, the USTC has blazed trails across scientific and technological frontiers.

　　Each year, the university admits only 1,860 new students, but for
every 1,000 alumni, there is one academician and more than 700 who go on
to take master's or doctoral degrees, ratios far beyond any other
Chinese university.

　　Recent contributions to quantum telecommunications, iron-based
superconductors and other technology have enhanced its reputation and
the term "USTC Phenomenon" was coined by the media.

　　For Wang Zhizhen, a USTC alumni and member of the Chinese Academy of
Sciences (CAS), the university provides a sense of dependence, purity
and tranquility.

　　"There is no room for bureaucracy in USTC. Respect for knowledge is
of the essence. Its denial of bandwagons and bigotry brings a
distinctive quality and charm," he said.

The qualities of the university appeal to overseas scholars. Pan
Jianwei, chief scientist on the quantum satellite project, was among the
first Thousand Talent scientists to come back to China and is now a
professor at USTC, his alma mater.

　　Pan's team, including his student Lu Chaoyang, who also returned from
overseas, has made great strides in quantum communications.

　　They launched the world's first quantum satellite in 2016 and
unveiled the world's first quantum computer based on single photons in
May.

"USTC is my cornerstone and my dream place to serve the country,"
said professor Lu Zhengtian, another returnee renowned for his
achievements in K-Ar dating.

Lu was enrolled in a special program at USTC at the age of 14. He
said it is the university's respect for science and innovation that
brought him back.

　　Students here have more opportunities than elsewhere to meet acknowledged leaders in scientific fields.

　　The university set up an innovation fund in 2015 for students who
need financial aid for research projects. A total of 5.4 million yuan
(800,000 U.S. dollars) was granted to the first 55 projects.

　　As inter-disciplinary research and cooperation becomes the norm
around the world, USTC has established new subjects such as quantum
information science, nanoscience and chemical biology.

　　Inter-disciplinary research platforms have been set up. For example,
the Hefei national laboratory for physical sciences at the microscale
combines physics, chemistry, materials science, biology and information
technology.

Established in 1958 in Beijing, USTC moved to Hefei in 1970.

　　"Some say it is a geographical disadvantage, but for me, it is the
other way round. The city provides us with a tranquil environment," said
Pan.

For Song Guoquan, secretary of Party committee of Hefei, USTC has, in return, influenced the city.

　　"The spirit of keeping a low key, of being practical and innovative,
has to some extent transformed the image of Hefei," he said.

　　Hefei has, in the past decade, risen to a leading position in many
emerging industries, such as integrated circuits, robotics and medical
equipment. The number of high-tech enterprises has increased almost
five-fold.

　　By 2016, high-tech sector was contributing 71.6 percent of industrial
growth in Hefei. USTC has been vital to the growth of that sector, Song
said.

　　Over nearly 60 years, USTC has become a top-notch university and was
listed in 2009 as one of the C9, an academic conference comprising
China's nine top universities.