Weng Wenhao

Weng Wenhao was a Chinese geologist and politician who was one of the earliest modern Chinese geologists, and is regarded as the founder of modern Chinese geology and the father of modern Chinese oil industry. He graduated from Tsinghua University in 1912 and obtained his PhD from the University of Munich in 1918. He returned to China in 1920 and worked at the Geological Survey of China, where he established the Department of Physiological Chemistry and the National Geological Survey. He also served as a professor and the director of the Department of Geology in the National Central University and Nanjing University. He was a pioneer in the study of geology, paleontology, and meteorology in China. He named and described many new fossils, minerals, and meteorological phenomena. He also participated in the excavation and research of the Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian, which was a major discovery of human evolution. He was awarded the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award in 2005, which is the nation's highest scientific prize, and the International Meteorological Organization Prize in 2003, which is the highest award in meteorology. He was also a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He served as the President of the Executive Yuan (Premier) of the Republic of China from May to November 1948. He died in 1971 at the age of 81 and was honored as a pioneer, a visionary, and an inspiration to many.