University physics and astronomy professor E. Ward Plummer received the Award for International Scientific Cooperation from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He was one of three physicists around the world to receive the award and is the first American physicist to ever receive it in its 10-year history.
Plummer was nominated for the award by some of his former students who are now affiliated with institutions run by the CAS. He joined the University in 2009 as part of the Multidisciplinary Hiring Initiative in Materials Science and Engineering. He is a physics and astronomy professor and a special assistant to the Vice Chancellor of Research. Cynthia Peterson, dean of the College of Science, spoke highly of Plummer and his accomplishments.
“We are very excited that Ward has been recognized with such a distinguished honor,” Peterson said in a news release. “His vision for expanding the University’s network of international faculty researchers has set the stage for a number of successful collaborations that have paved the way for advanced innovations in teaching and research at LSU.”
Plummer was acknowledged for his frequent involvement with Chinese students at the University. He was instrumental in creating a dual-degree program for students to spend time studying in both countries in order to increase trust and unification between the University and Chinese institutions.
“Students spend two years [in China] and two years here, and they get a plaque from both institutions,” Plummer said. “It’s very different in both cultures because [the Chinese] have a strict time limit: it’s two years, then you’re out. But here, we like to drag it out, and you stick around forever, then get your degree.”
Plummer is a member of the National Academy of Sciences as well as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is an eminent physicist in materials research, meaning his specialty is closely studying the effects of certain events in natural phenomena. Plummer has published more than 400 scientific articles which have been quoted by scholars more than 17,000 times.
Since 2000, Plummer has been the chief scientific adviser for the International Center for Quantum Structures at the CAS Institute of Physics. He served as the foreign adviser at the High Magnetic Field Laboratory under the Hefei Institutes of Physical Sciences where he led the international expert panel for evaluating the Institute of Physics’ 13th five-year plan for 2016 to 2020. The panel lays out important decisions and strategies for the coming years.
Plummer hopes that his programs will help a greater number of Asian students find their way to the University. According to Fall 2016 enrollment numbers, only 2 percent of the University’s graduate students come from Asia, and the undergraduate population of Asian students is under 4 percent.
“Many schools — like the University of California-Berkeley — they survive because of out-of-state tuition paid by the Chinese,” Plummer said. “Science is global, so it’s important to understand the culture of different countries.”
The CAS created the Award for International Scientific Cooperation in 2007 to honor foreign scientists’ contributions to science and research. Of the 28 winners in its history, only seven have been from the United States. Plummer is the first American physicist to win the award.