[Bright Time Comment] Revelation caused by astronomy majors

【Light Review】

By the beginning of the school season, the "unpopular" astronomy major has attracted much attention. In the past, astronomy has been regarded as the choice of idealists, and the price of looking up at the moon seems to be the six pence on the ground. In recent years, as the state has increased investment in basic disciplines and more astronomical space projects, the demand for domestic astronomy talents has increased further.

Chen Pengfei, a professor at the School of Astronomical and Space Sciences of Nanjing University, wrote that from 1999 to 2020, the average domestic department was added every year in China. Essence In 2018, based on the original 5 disciplines (mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological science, computer science), the basic discipline training plan added 12 disciplines such as astronomy, so that the astronomy as one of the basic disciplines was even more affected by more astronomy. Pay attention to.

From the perspective of organizing an astronomy major and the development of astronomy education, although domestic astronomy education has started late, it has entered a stage of high -speed development, and various colleges and universities have successively established astronomy majors. In view of this, many observers point out that the traditional unpopular major in the college entrance examination of astronomy will usher in the opportunity to heat up.

In recent years, my country has attached great importance to the training of basic disciplines. Since 2020, the Ministry of Education has launched the implementation of the "strong base plan", focusing on major national strategic needs, and exploring the selection and training basic disciplines and top innovative talents. In the past three years, more than 18,000 people have been recruited, including enrollment and training astronomy talents. More and more colleges and universities attach importance to the training of basic disciplines including astronomical talents.

We are happy to see the heating of astronomy majors. Therefore, it is necessary to reiterate the law of respect for the training of basic disciplines. When universities open an astronomy major, it is necessary to objectively evaluate the existing astronomical cultivation and the needs of social talents. From a practical point of view, according to the current scale of professional talent training, the "employment counterpart rate" of astronomical education and scientific research is not high, only about 50%. According to statistics, undergraduate graduates of astronomy are mainly studied, and some colleges and universities are as high as 70 %. Although the undergraduate education of the basic discipline has not been guided by employment, and focuses on cultivating students' generous basic discipline ability and quality, there is no doubt that the "counterpart rate" of graduates will inevitably affect a certain extent affecting a certain extent. Go to professional construction and development. As more schools establish an astronomy major, this issue is worthy of attention. The universities that open astronomy majors should conduct scientific and rigorous arguments on new majors in the school's running positioning and running conditions.

Another issue worthy of attention is that my country ’s basic education should attach importance to the cultivation of students' interest in basic disciplines and become a topic of talent in the field of basic disciplines. In the basic education school in my country, we must pay attention to the curiosity of taking care of students. In classroom teaching and after -school community activities, we must pay attention to the training of students' subject literacy and discipline interest. Especially during the high school education stage, through various channels including the establishment of elective courses to broaden students 'vision, help students understand the forefront of different discipline development, not only cultivate students' interest in the discipline, but also guide students to choose the university and majors that suits them. Determine your career and career development direction.

On the one hand, high school requires high school to reverse the tendency to "enlightenment". In addition to compulsory courses, students provide students with elective courses and various exploration activities to allow students to discover and develop their interests. Basic education, for example, to set up basic disciplines for high school students, in order to cultivate students' interest in basic disciplines and attract more students to choose basic disciplines. Universities and majors based on interest are their own "popular" schools and majors for students. Basic disciplines are "long -term majors". Only interests allow students to have internal drivers to learn well. Stimulating students' interest in basic disciplines is also the key to cultivating basic disciplines.

(Author: Xiong Bingqi, Dean of the 21st Century Education Research Institute)

【Edit: Wang Yu】

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