凌道扬与太平洋科学会议

LING Tao-yang and Pacific Science Congress

凌道扬是民国时期中国林学的先驱和杰出开创者。他长期致力于中国林学事业,在林学宣传、教育和林业实践等多方面作出了突出贡献。1933年,由中央研究院派遣,凌道扬代表中国参加第五次太平洋科学会议,当选为林业委员会主任委员,主持太平洋沿岸国家森林资源调查。尽管经费缺乏,但在他的努力下,调查工作颇具成效。由于抗战爆发,调查报告未能最终编竣以供下届会议讨论。凌道扬参加第五次太平洋科学会议、主持森林资源调查的曲折经历表明:一方面,20世纪30年代,中国科学已取得了显著进步,并得到国际学术界的认同,这不仅扭转了早先中国科学研究多由外人越俎代庖的尴尬局面,且在一定程度上提升了中国科学的国际地位;另一方面,这一时期中国科学界走向世界,参加国际学术交流和合作,受到诸多困难的制约,而经费缺乏和国内外局势动荡是其中最主要的因素。

LING Tao-yang is the pioneer and an outstanding founder in forestry in Repulic of China. He had been committed to Chinese forestry and contributed greatly in forestry propaganda, education and practices. In 1933, sent by the Academia Sinica, Ling Tao-yang attended the fifth Pacific Science Congress on behalf of China. At the congress he was selected as the director of the forestry committee, holding the forest resources survey of the pacific countries. Although the fund was shortage, the survey was effective with his effort. Because of the anti-Japanese war, the survey report was not completed at last for the next committee discussion. His experience in this period has following indications. On one hand, Chinese scientific research had made great progress and got the acknowledge of international academia in 1930s, which not only changed the embarrassing status that the earlier Chinese scientific research was conducted by foreigners, but also improved the international position of Chinese scientific activities. On the other hand, Chinese science was influenced by many difficulties when it tried to communicate with the outside world and attend the international academic communications and cooperation. The shortage of fund and the instable situation at home and abroad were the main reasons.