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 I have written previously about the Center forIntelligent and Networked System (CFINS) at Tsinghua University http://blog.sciencenet.cn/home.php?mod=space&uid=1565&do=blog&id=8897 

It has nowbeen ten years since its establishment in 2001 (also the 100^thbirthday of Tsinghua University). In the spirit of 十年树木百年树人, a review and a celebration party was held on September 7^th2011. Leaders of Tsinghua, former president 王大中, current president  顾秉林, Tsinghua foundation chairperson 贺美英, many other Academicians, faculty member and students were present. A detailaccount as well as photos of the event can be found at http://news.tsinghua.edu.cn/publish/news/4204/2011/20110913102346278310305/20110913102346278310305_.html. For myself, my ten year experience can be summarized in my thank you speechreproduced below (both in English and Chinese translation ably provided byProfessor Chen Xi):

First of all, on behalf of theoversea professional team, I wish to thank the leaders of Tsinghua Universityincluding former President王大中_, President顾秉林  , foundation chair贺美英 for their strong and financialsupport of the Center during the past decade. It was in 2000 when PresdientWang and Academician Li Yanda learned that I was about to retire from myHarvard post after 40+ years that they asked me if I am interested in taking upa chair professorship at Tsinghua after retirement in 2001. I grew up and livedmy formative years in the US and have continuously lived there for over 60years. I realized that temperament-wise, I may no longer fit to live in Chinaon a longer term basis. Instead I came back with an alternative proposal thatI’ll undertake to assemble a team of well accomplished Chinese-Americanprofessors from different universities to share the duties of theprofessorship, each devoting about one month/year in residence in Tsinghua butotherwise conduct our duties voluntarily via e-mail and other communicationmeans.. The idea of professorial team was thus born. Accompanying the team, wealso proposed the founding of the Center for Intelligent and Networked Systems(CFINS) as a focal point for the education of graduate students and cuttingedge research in the department of Automation.

At the time of the founding of theCenter, Tsinghua undergraduate students already had a world wide reputation ofbeing well prepared for graduate study. The charge to the professorial team wasthat we should devote our effort to the education of Tsinghua graduate andparticularly Ph.D student so that they will be known as world class and firstrate . In the past decade, we can honestly say that the team has done that.Speaking for myself, I can testify that the three Ph.D students I produced fromCFINS are with exactly the same care, devotion, and standards as my 50 otherHarvard Ph.Ds.

However, privately I have also twounspoken goals myself which I shall now reveal at the ten year anniversarycelebration. First, as a child born to parents, s/he requires the support ofthe parents in the early years. But every child must learn to supporthim/herself and payback to his/her parent. Similarly, no organization can longsurvive if it cannot financially be independent and self supporting. I am gladto say for the past five years CFINS is supporting herself and in additionsupports a number of master and ph.d students with funds competitvely won bothin China and from the US. In this sense, one can say Tsinghua has made a veryprofitable investment in CFINS. Second, CFINS is gaining in world widerecognition. This is not on my say so but on objective evidences. For the pasttwo years, internationally well known persons at MIT, UC Berkeley, and a well establishedDutch University have independently approached CFINS for cooperative researcheffort with promised financial contribution. These overtures came directly toCFINS scientists without intervention and effort of the professorial team forintroduction and connections. Nothing speaks louder than such peer recognitionwhich can ONLY be accomplished with the effort of the resident Center staff.You can say now CFINS is ON THE MAP. Or in the words of Chairman Mao, “CFINShas stood up”

In conclusion, let me say thanks tothe effort of the entire CFINS personnel for their devotion in the past decade.You are well on your way to be among the top rank in world widescience/technology research centers and help Chinese S&T to claim herrightful place in the world.

在清华大学何毓琦讲席教授组及智能与网络化系统研究中心

成立十周年纪念会上的致辞

首先，我想代表讲席教授组感谢清华大学的各位领导：前校长王大中院士，校长顾秉林院士，基金会主席贺美英教授。感谢他们十年来对智能与网络化系统研究中心的强有力的帮助和财政上的支持。那是在2000年，当王校长和李衍达院士得知我将从我工作了40多年的哈佛大学的职位上退休后，他们问我在2001年退休后是否有兴趣到清华来担任讲席教授。我在美国长大成人，连续60年生活在那里。我意识到依我的情况可能不太适合长时间在中国生活。不过，我想到了另一种方案，就是由我着手组建一个讲席教授组，其中的成员来自不同的学校但学术造诣深厚，这个讲席教授组共同分担讲席教授的职责，每位教授每年在清华本地工作一个月，其余时间则通过E-MAIL和其他通讯方式自愿履行职责。讲席教授组的想法就这样产生了。我们还建议成立智能与网络化系统研究中心作为自动化系研究生培养和尖端研究的联络点来配合讲席教授组的工作。

在中心组建之时，清华的本科生已经在世界上享有盛誉，他们为研究生阶段的学习做好了准备。讲席教授组需要尽力培养研究生特别是博士生使他们能够达到世界一流水平。我们能问心无愧地说，在这十年里我们做到了这一点。就我而言，我在清华培养了三位博士生，我敢保证我对他们每一位的关心，付出和标准与在哈佛培养的50位博士生完全一样。

然而，私下里我还有两个不曾说出的目标，在今天十年庆典之际我想透露给各位。首先，正如孩子与父母的关系，孩子幼小的时候需要父母的支持。但每个孩子必须学会自立并回报父母。同样的，如果经济上不能独立和自立，没有哪个机构可以长久存在下去。我很高兴在过去5年中，CFINS能够自立并利用从中国和美国获得的研究经费支持了一批硕士生和博士生。从这个角度看，可以说清华对CFINS的投资获利颇丰。再者，CFINS赢得了国际上的承认。这不由我说，是有客观证据的。这两年来，分别来自MIT， UC Berkeley 以及荷兰的一所著名大学的国际上著名的教授找到CFINS主动表示提供经费进行合作研究的意向。这一切讲席教授组并没有介入也没有利用讲席教授组的引荐。没有什么比得到同行的认可更能说明问题，而这些只能由中心本地的员工才能做到。可以说，现在CFINS已经成为地图上的一个点。或则可以借用毛主席的话“CFINS站起来了。”

总之，我要感谢CFINS的全体员工十年来的努力和付出。CFINS正朝着世界一流的科学技术研究中心迈进，同时也正在帮助中国的科学技术在世界上赢得应有的地位。