On the morning of September 9th, Han Qide, President of CAST, had a discussion with students of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in the central Chinese city of Wuhan on how to foster the spirit of science.

Han Qide said that a very important feature of science is skepticism about all the unproved conclusions and claims and unremitting pursuit of truth. This is the most fundamental aspect of the spirit of science. Han said, man's pursuit of science originates from his desire to understand the nature and discover the truth. There is no limit to human's understanding of the Universe, so the process in pursuit of truth will never end. We should foster the spirit of inquiry and truth-seeking. President Han said that science is in a never-ending process, and scientists should have the spirit of skepticism and dare to challenge authorities. In the meanwhile, scientists should have rigorous scholarship and realistic approach, and work with perseverance. You can hardly acquire any real understanding of science if you have not devoted yourself to it heart and soul for at least a dozen years. 

When talking about the issues that are of concern to many students such as the relation between science and humanities, and interdisciplinary studies in science, etc., Han said that the university cannot be isolated from the outside world. The students should not be confined to their own disciplinary fields. They should learn more about humanities, and use humanities to guide their life and understand the society.  Han said that interdisciplinary subjects involve many mysterious issues and research in these issues could very likely lead to the creation of entirely new disciplines. It has been a trend in science of the present-day world that more and more importance has been given to interdisciplinary research. The students should not confine themselves to just one field of study, and they had better acquire at least two admission tickets: one is for the main discipline where they are most proficient, and the other another disciplinary field so as to get prepared for the future endeavor of interdisciplinary or cross-field research.