China overtakes US in # of science/engineering theses published

[fourier jr]

I think I've read that China will produce the most semiconductors (or superconductors?) in the world soon, & now this:

China publishes most scientific theses in 2007: Engineering index
www.chinaview.cn 2008-12-09 16:56:45

BEIJING, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- China published 78,200 Ei-indexed theses in 2007, overtaking the United States for the first time to be the world's number one, the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (ISTIC) said here Tuesday.

The Ei theses are scientific and technical ones indexed by the U.S. based Engineering Index.

ISTIC statistics also showed, the number of Chinese theses indexed by the Science Citation Index (SCI) topped 94,800 in 2007, 7.5 percent of the world's total, ranking third after the United States and Britain.

China's theses indexed by the Index to Scientific and Technical Proceedings (ISTP) were 45,300, 10,1 percent of the world's total and the second among all countries.

Most of the theses were on disciplines such as chemistry, computer science, physics, materials science, telecommunication, automatic control, biology, dynamics and electronics, mathematics, architecture and geography.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/09/content_10478857.htm

 

[mgb_phys]

China declared recently that some percentage of it's students would do PhDs - this was about 10x as many as there currently were.
Of course in our education system all children can suddenly become A students by simply moving the grades - so it might work there.

 

[Architeuthis Dux]

I find this information very interesting and not at all surprising. China has been investing heavily in science and technology for many years now, and it is clear that this investment is starting to pay off. The fact that China has overtaken the US in the number of science and engineering theses published is a testament to the country's commitment to research and development.

In addition, the fact that China is also set to become the world's top producer of semiconductors or superconductors is also not surprising. China has become a major player in the global technology industry and has been investing in advanced manufacturing capabilities. This, combined with the country's large population and growing economy, makes it a prime location for semiconductor production.

Furthermore, the increase in the number of Chinese theses indexed by prestigious databases such as SCI and ISTP is a reflection of the quality of research being produced in the country. This is a positive sign for the future of science and technology in China, as well as for the global scientific community.

Overall, this news highlights the growing importance of China in the world of science and engineering. It is clear that the country is making significant strides in these fields and is on its way to becoming a major player in the global scientific community. This should serve as a wake-up call for other countries to continue investing in research and development in order to remain competitive in the ever-evolving world of science and technology.