The first episode of "PUMCH Cafe” science salon was held in the coffee shop of Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) Xi Dan Branch on the evening of August 28, 2019. Fan Heng, director of Solid State Quantum Information and Computation Laboratory of the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, gave a lecture titled "Quantum Computers: Progress and Prospects". The attendants included: Jiang Wen, deputy secretary of the Party Committee and secretary of the Disciplinary Committee of China Population Communication Center; Qiu Chengli, Department of Policy, Regulation, and Innovation System Construction of the Ministry of Science and Technology; representatives from China Association for Science and Technology; Medical Science Popularization Committee, West Branch Administration Office, Information Management Office, Information Center, and Youth League Committee & Young Worker Office of PUMCH; and journalists from media including China Science Daily, Science and Technology Daily, and China Popular Science (kepu.gov.cn).
The science salon was held under the guidance of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Health Commission, and the China Association for Science and Technology. Each session consists a 30-minute presentation and a 30-minute live Q&A discussion with the expert. Participants in each salon, about 30 people in size, are specially invited according to the session theme. The “small but fine” salon with the “specialized and smooth” communication mode allows the in-depth exchanges among the participants and thus may trigger incredible cross-border insights.
Fan Heng, the first speaker in the salon, outlined the macro blueprints of superconducting quantum computers and virtual quantum computers from their very beginning to international progress. Based on the scientific expertise of the audience, he introduced the possible applications of quantum computers in artificial intelligence, big data processing and searching, biopharmaceuticals, medical tests, and supply chain optimization. “As a revolutionary technology, quantum computer has a promising future.” Said Fan Heng. During the Q&A discussion, many questions were raised by the participants: Why do quantum computers have extraordinary computing capabilities compared to traditional computers and can they end the Moore's Law? Which security guarantees can quantum computers provide for Internet security? What are the applications of quantum precision measurement in medicine? What’s the difference between a quantum chip and a photonic chip? Physicists and medical scientists talked freely in a relaxing coffee shop to discuss the potential applications of quantum computers in the medical fields and to search for new research ideas and for entry points of cross-border studies.
Historically, the advancement of the natural sciences has dramatically promoted advances in medical sciences and contributed to the improvements in human health and quality of life; meanwhile, advances in medicine also promote the in-depth development of related disciplines. All things are interconnected and knowledge is interdependent and interrelated. "PUMCH Cafe” science salon is dedicated to building a relaxing and pleasant cross-border communication and cooperation platform for clinicians, scientists, and engineers, where the light of science can illuminate the unknown, bring more insights to the medical scientists and clinicians, and add more achievements through cross-border integration.
Group photo of the participants of the first "Concord Cafe" science salon
Salon venue (Photo: Wang Pengfei)