Stargazing fetches Chinese woman honor for research

Gazing at stars has always been her thing since childhood. So it wasn't entirely surprising when Chen Xuefei was recently recognized along with nine others for contributions to the sciences.

Awardees of the China Young Women in Science Fellowships received 100,000 yuan ($16,000) each and were chosen by a panel of 37 academicians from nearly 200 candidates. The All-China Women's Federation, the China Association for Science and Technology, the China National Commission for UNESCO, and French cosmetics company L'Oreal China jointly launched the awards in 2004.

"Interest is very important for scientific research because it is interest that guides you to go forward, just like a lamp. Confidence is very important for women who want to be researchers," says Chen, 39, a researcher at Yunnan Observatory of the Beijing-based Chinese Academy of Sciences.