The First National Forum on High-End Scientific Computing in Social Sciences
On August 28-29, the inaugural National Forum on High-End Scientific Computing in Social Sciences was held at Tsinghua University. This prestigious event brought together over 20 universities and research institutions from across the globe, along with more than 60 experts, scholars, and practitioners. The forum was jointly organized by the Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, and the Data Academy of Sciences, with the aim of fostering a deeper understanding of the intersection of high-end computing and social sciences.
A Gathering of Minds
The forum attracted a diverse range of participants, including scholars from economics, sociology, political science, psychology, computing science, communication, and public administration. These experts and scholars converged to share their research findings, ideas, and perspectives on the latest developments in social science research. The discussions centered around innovative approaches, disciplines, and topics related to social science research areas.
Keynote Addresses
The forum was officially opened by Professor Fang Hongwei, a renowned expert in the field of research and development at Tsinghua University. Professor Fang highlighted the vast potential of integrating high-end computing and social sciences, and emphasized the importance of Tsinghua University’s role in driving this development. He noted that the university’s existing computing power, academic background, and environmental advantages have laid a solid foundation for progress in social science research in the era of big data.
Expert Insights
The forum featured a series of keynote reports from esteemed scholars, including Professor Li Qiang, Director of the China Social Investigation Center and Big Data Research Center at Peking University; Professor Feng Shizheng, Dean of the Faculty of Social and Population Sciences at Renmin University of China; and Professor Liutao Xiong, Party Secretary of Social Sciences and Economics Director at Tsinghua University. These scholars offered insightful perspectives on the development of social sciences, opportunities, and challenges, as well as viable development paths.
Collaborative Efforts
The scholars who spoke at the forum jointly appealed to domestic institutions to collaborate and promote the rapid development of computational social science. They emphasized the importance of working together to address the challenges and opportunities in this field.
Roundtable Discussions
During the forum, two roundtables and six thematic sub-forums were organized to facilitate in-depth discussions on common problems and main subject areas in computing and social sciences. The roundtables focused on “Social Science Methodology and Computing Disciplines” and “Innovative Applications of Scientific Computing Community.” The thematic sub-forums covered a range of topics, including “Economic Data,” “Social Computing and Social Computing,” “Big Data Technology and Society,” “The Social Network and Social Media,” “Politics and International Relations Big Data,” and “Psychological Big Data.”
Academic Papers
The forum featured over 30 high-level academic papers, which showcased the advanced level of research in computing and social sciences. These papers reflected the collaborative efforts of experts and scholars from diverse disciplines.
Key Takeaways
The forum concluded with a series of key takeaways, including the importance of promoting public data and making it accessible for academic research; the need to balance information disclosure and privacy protection; and the complementarity of traditional research methods and big data research paradigms. The experts and scholars who participated in the forum emphasized the importance of data-driven research and the relationship between theoretical paradigms and driving forces.
Conclusion
The First National Forum on High-End Scientific Computing in Social Sciences provided a unique platform for experts and scholars to share their research findings and ideas. The forum highlighted the vast potential of integrating high-end computing and social sciences, and emphasized the importance of collaborative efforts to drive progress in this field.