Academician Wang Dezhao, the outstanding member of Communist Party of China (CPC), passed away at the age of 94 on Dec.28, 1998. He was the founder of acoustics in our country and spared no efforts for its development all his life.
Academician Wang was born in Guanyun County, Jiangsu Province. He worked in the Physics Department of Beijing Normal University since his graduation in 1928. In 1934, he went to Langevin Laboratory, Paris to further his education and got his D.S degree from University of Paris six years later. At the end of 1956, he returned to China with the whole family in answer to Premier Zhou's summon of participating into socialist construction. Since then he has made his great efforts in many positions, such as general director of Equipment Bureau of CAS, the director of Isotope Separation Laboratory of Institute of Atomic Energy and the associate director of Institute of Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IECAS) and so on.
When Institute of Acoustics, CAS (IACAS) was established in 1964, he was appointed as the general director and assumed the new duty of underwater acoustic research, which was to establish an underwater Great Wall ---- Antisubmarine Early-warning System for national defense. In 1957, he was supplemented as the committee member of Academic Division of CAS.
For most of the coastal zones in China are shallow water, Academician Wang and his group paid much attention to the research in Shallow-water Acoustics and carried out in-depth study on the topic of "Shallow-water Sound Fields", which won the National Natural Science Award, 2nd grade in 1982 and 1989, respectively. Thanks to Wang's contribution, the research work on "Shallow-water Sound Fields" has attained great achievements. Furthermore, under his leadership, a series of advanced defense underwater sound systems were developed in IACAS and won many achievement awards internationally and domestically.
In the 60 years of his scientific career, Academician Wang published many academic papers and works. He composed the Acoustics, which was the first work on acoustic study in China.
In view of his outstanding achievements in science and technology research and the great contribution to the international and national science and culture development, he was granted many honors, such as the Highest Award of French Acoustical Society, Award of Chinese Physical Society, Honorable Award of Paris City Government, Honorable Award of Commission of Science Technology and Industry for National Defense of Devoting to the National Defense Enterprises, "Commandeur de la Legion d' honneur" of French Government and so on. He has also been recommended as the candidates of the Nobel Prize by Sweden Academy of Sciences for three times since 1968.
Academician Wang was one of the outstanding representative scientists of older generation. He cared a lot for the young's grown up and was indefatigable in teaching students. He had cultivated a great many distinguished scientists, among them there were 3 academicians of CAS, who has made their great efforts for the continuous development of science and technology in China.