passed away on March 5, 2014. She was born in Wujiang County of Jiangsu Province, China.
She was one of the founders, and former Director of Cell Research of Institute of Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Science, the People’s Republic of China.
She obtained her Bachelor of Medical Science degree in 1950 at Huaxi Medical School in Sichuan Province, and became an assistant professor at Huaxi Medical School. She was selected as one of the young women scientists to represent the People’s Republic of China in the late 1950’s to attend the Festival of World Young Leaders.
Ying Xian, as one of the few women graduate students, studied biological science in Chinese Academy of Science. She obtained her Master Degree of Science from the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Science. She joined Dr. and Professor Di Zhou Tong, a world-famous Chinese Developmental Biologist, at Institute of Zoology as a junior scientist after her graduation. She later became an Associate and then a Senior Scientist there.
At the Institute of Zoology, she researched on transgenic animals, and assisted Dr. and Professor Di Zhou Tong to develop fusion cell technology. They then established the laboratory for genetic engineering. They cloned bovine somatotropin cDNA, bovine prolactin cDNA, and invented a cattle gender DNA probe. She published more than 30 research papers in Journal of Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Science. While doing research, she also taught at Science and Technology University, and giving lectures at many universities in China, including Chinese Science & Technology, Peking and Qing Hua Universities. She became adjunct professor at Chinese Science & Technology University.
In 1977, Ying Xian and De Yu Lu became the first scientists to visit the United States of America to promote science and technology exchange between the two countries. They were interviewed by the “Voice of America” and this interview was broadcasted around the world. Their visit to America was two years before the establishment of the relationship between the People’s Republic of China and the United States. They visited and researched at Temple University, New York University, Marine Biology Institute at Woods Hole, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute.
After returning to China, Ying Xian devoted her life to promote science and technology exchange between China and America. She and others advocated for the establishment of Institute of Developmental Biology. She was involved in many negotiations to obtain funding from The Rockefeller Foundation. In June 1979, with the help from both the Chinese Academy of Science and the Rockefeller Foundation, the Institute of Developmental Biology; Chinese Academy of Science was established.
Ying Xian has many students and many of them now are working in America, Canada, and Europe. She received many awards from Chinese Academy of Science and Universities, among them, the Award for the Promotion of China and United States Academy Exchanges from the International Association of the Temple University. She also received the Third Medal of Scientific Progress Award from the Chinese Academy of Science.
After nearly 30 years research in Chinese Academy of Science, in 1989, she was invited by Dr. Barbara Bennett as a senior research associate working in Memorial Sloan-Kettering Institute, and later with her, moved to University of Texas at Austin. After the passing of Dr. Barbara Bennett, she joined the Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina and studied the biological function of Oxytocin. She then worked and researched at North Carolina State University until she retired in late 1999.
Ying Xian is survived by her husband of 61 year marriage, Professor Chao Chen Wang, three daughters, Siyan, Siping, and Siming, three grandsons, and two granddaughters.
A visitation will be held on Monday, March 10, at 10am to 12pm, at Aycock-Riverside Funeral and Cremation Center.
史瀛仙女士的生平
(1927年9月25日 - 2014年3月 5日)
史瀛仙女士因患心脏血栓医治无效于2014年3月 5日在美国佛罗里达州棕榈花园医院逝世,享年86岁。
史瀛仙女士是中国科学院发育生物学所的奠基人之一,曾任该所细胞室主任。
史瀛仙女士生于1927年9月25日,江苏省吴江县人。她1950年毕业于四川省华西医科大学。五十年代末,她作为年轻女科学家代表中国参加了世界青年节。
在当年中国少有的女大学毕业生中,史瀛仙女士考入中国科学院攻读生物学研究生,并于1961年研究生毕业。毕业后她在中国科学院动物研究所童第周教授 - 世界著名生物学家 - 手下历任技术员,副研究员,和研究员等职。她长期从事转基因动物的研究,协助童第周教授建立融合细胞技术,筹建了基因工程室,克隆了牛生长素cDNA,牛催乳素cDNA,及鉴别牛性别的DNA探针。她发表了论文30余篇,并编著《发育生物学》。在做研究的同时,她还在中国科技大学,北京大学和清华大学授课,并成为中国科技大学的客座教授。
1977年史瀛仙和陆德裕女士成为自新中国成立后第一批与美国科学合作的中国大陆的访问学者。她们的访问是在中美建交之前。在美国期间她们被美国之音采访。这个采访曾在全球传播。她们在坦普尔大学,纽约大学,海洋生物学院,和斯洛-科特因癌症学院开展交流和研究。她们的访问促进了中美技术和科学的交流和发展。为中美科技合作奠定了基础。
初次访美回国后,史瀛仙女士致力于推动中美两国科学技术交流。她参与了从洛克菲勒基金会筹资并组建中国发育生物学所。该所与1979年6月正式成立。
史瀛仙女士培养了许多研究生。她的研究生遍布于中国、美国、加拿大和欧洲。她获得许多中国科学院和大学的奖励,其中包括美国坦普尔大学国际学联“中美学术交流贡献奖”和中国科学院科学进步三等奖。
在中国科学院工作和研究近30年后,她应巴巴拉比奈特教授邀请来到斯洛-科特因癌症学院工作,后随比奈特教授转入得克萨斯大学。比奈特教授去世后,她进入北卡罗来纳大学神经系从事研究。她最后在北卡罗拉纳州立大学工作并在那里退休。
史瀛仙女士1953年与王超尘教授结婚,育有三个女儿:王思燕,王思平和王思敏, 并有三个外孙子和两个外孙女。
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