Lee Tsung-dao's Passing: Academic and Educational Contributions of a Nobel Laureate in Physics

Tsung-Dao Lee, a Nobel Laureate in Physics, lived to the age of 98. He and Yang Zhenning jointly proposed the theory of parity non-conservation, challenging the scientific community's understanding. Born into a scholarly family, Lee faced hardships in his early education. Under the guidance of Shu Xingbei and Wu Dacheng, he went to the United States for further studies. At the University of Chicago, he became a doctoral student of Fermi and, in collaboration with Yang Zhenning, published several significant papers. In 1957, they won the Nobel Prize for their theory of parity non-conservation, when Lee was 31 years old.

Despite the end of his collaboration with Yang Zhenning due to ranking disputes, Lee made immense contributions in academia and education. He promoted the establishment of the Gifted Youngsters class at the University of Science and Technology of China, proposed the creation of a postdoctoral system, and chaired the China-U.S. Joint Physics Examination and Application Program (CUSPEA), injecting vitality into domestic academic research. In his later years, he remained active in the academic frontline and donated his life's collection to Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Tsung-Dao Lee's life is a brilliant chapter in physics and education. His achievements, though summarized in just a few words, reflect his over sixty years of unremitting pursuit.