2009 Nobel Laureate Gao Kun: I'm a man of the world

"The Nobel Prize is an international prize. It aims to commend those achievements and contributions which benefit mankind. Currently, there are only a few Nobel Laureates of Chinese ethnicity. Now another member has been added to the list. It goes without saying that the Chinese people around the world are exhilarated and proud to hear the good news."

After winning the Nobel Prize in Physics on October 6, Gao Kun, "father of optical fibers," have been fully aware of all the Chinese people's excitement, though he is away in the US. On October 13, deeply touched by the care and attention from his compatriots in China, Gao Kun and his wife forwarded an open letter to our newspaper by way of CUHK. In the letter, he extended thanks to the all Chinese people for their best wishes and congratulations. He also said that he was so excited to win an "unexpected Nobel Prize," but that he and his wife also hoped to return to a quiet and undisturbed life.

Winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics Gao Kun

Hoping to return to a quiet and undisturbed life

On October 6, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (RSAS) announced that the Nobel Prize in Physics for 2009 would be awarded to the Chinese-British scientist Gao Kun, and the American scientists Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith. Among them, as early as 1966 Gao Kun made groundbreaking achievements in the field of optical fiber. Through calculation, he found a way to realize remote transmission of light in optical fibers. This achievement finally led to the emergence of optical fiber communication systems.

On the afternoon of October 13, CUHK forwarded to our newspaper an open letter from Professor Gao Kun and his wife Madame Huang Meiyun. In the letter, the couple extended their heartfelt thanks to people from Guangzhou, the rest of China and abroad for their best wishes and congratulations. "Charles (Gao Kun's English name) is very proud of his past research achievements, and he is very thrilled to have won a very unexpected Nobel Prize." In the open letter, Gao Kun and his wife expressed their thanks to the people who had put forward interview requests, but they also hoped to return to a quiet and undisturbed life.