Top scientist uses well-honed skills for motherland

Editor's Note: On Jan 9, the central government presented the State scientific and technological awards. Nuclear physicist Yu Min won the top award. Seven foreign scientists and one overseas organization won the International Science and Technology Cooperation Award. Awards were also granted to 318 scientific and technological research projects. A China Daily reporter interviewed some of the award winners.

Half a century ago, NASA found new PhD graduate Norman N. Li and invited him to consult on Project Apollo for his breakthrough research on membrane technologies.

The Chinese-American scientist won great fame in his field because of the consultancy with NASA while he was in his early 30s.