Academic fraud
It is nothing glorious, but it is worth celebrating. The Ministry of Science and Technology has finally decided to recall a prestigious prize it awarded in 2005 to former professor Li Liansheng of Xi'an Jiaotong University. The thesis on scroll compressor design involved serious plagiarism, the award was unjustified and the economic benefits the professor claimed for the design were untrue, according to an official statement by the ministry.
This is a disgraceful first in the short history of the National Science and Technology Awards. But it is a badly needed warning against the prevailing malpractices in domestic academia, which, many hope, will serve as a de facto "declaration of war" on such dishonest activities.
Congratulations to the six former colleagues of Li's, who, since late 2007, have persistently tried to expose Li's cheating. They turned out to be among the very few whose accusations have not fallen on deaf ears.