China—— The gates are openChina—— The gates are open.docVIP

China: The gates are open Jane Qiu 1 Journal name: Nature Volume: 481 , Pages: 535-537 Year published: (2012) DOI: doi:10.1038/nj7382-535a Published online 25 January 2012 This article was originally published in the journal Nature Subject terms: Careers Culture Research community Jacob Wickham knew just a few words of Chinese and still struggled to use chopsticks when he first set foot in Qingtongxia, a remote village in western China. In 2008, Wickham, then a PhD student studying insect biology at the State University of New York in Syracuse, had a fellowship from the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes (EAPSI), part of the US National Science Foundation (NSF). He was in China to study the Asian longhorn beetles plaguing tens of thousands of hectares of poplar trees that had been planted to slow desert encroachment. The experience gave Wickham the chance to network and identify research topics relevant to both China and the United States. ? His work in the field and his brush with Chinese culture made such an impression on Wickham that he decided to pursue postdoctoral research in the country. Two years after his EAPSI fellowship, he returned to China on a three-year postdoctoral grant from the NSFs International Research Fellowship Program, studying insect species — in particular the Japanese pine sawyer beetle — that are pests in China and could become invasive if accidentally introduced to the United States. He now works at the Institute of Chemistry in Beijing, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Opportunities abound Wickham is one of a growing number of scientists seeking to jump-start their careers in China, attracted by the countrys new research infrastructure, expanding scientific community and thirst for talent. There were 127 applicants for the CAS Fellowship for Young International Scientists in 2011 — an increase of 41% since 2009. About 67% of applications are successful. ? China has unique ecological problems that mak