最近到处都有转载一个杭州籍23岁中国博士生成英国皇家天文学会会士的新闻。
http://edu.cn.yahoo.com/ypen/20120620/1124927.html
http://news.163.com/12/0619/06/84BGK5TM00014AED.html#from=relevant
不得不说,该生确实已经展现了相当的才华,不过这些所谓的“会士”的炒作其实太过了。该学会我略知一二,该学会的网页(http://www.ras.org.uk/membership)上写的很清楚:
“Members of the Society are 'Fellows'.....Around half the Fellowship consists of PhD-level professional scientists (including more than 90% of UK Professors of Astronomy); a quarter are postgraduate researchers or retired scientists; and the remainder are amateur scientists and undergraduates.”
所以很明显,RAS的会员就直接叫Fellow,虽然其他很多协会如IEEE,ASME都是会员(Member),高级会员(Senior Member),然后才是荣誉性的会士(Fellow)。而且RAS的会员一半的人有博士学位,1/4的有研究生学位或退休科学家,剩下的是本科生和业余科学家。