On April 16, 2026, Hainan University held its 60th Distinguished Scientist Lecture, delivered by Wang Chengshan, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and professor at China University of Geosciences (Beijing). His talk was titled “Scientific Drilling: A Telescope and Time Tunnel Into the Deep Earth”. Chen Mulong, President of Hainan Institute of Mineral Resources Exploration, attended the event. The lecture was hosted by Prof. Li Buhong, Vice President of Hainan University.

The 60th Hainan University Distinguished Scientist Lecture is held on April 16, 2026.

Prof. Wang noted that scientific drilling, hailed as “a telescope probing deep into the Earth and a tunnel stretching back through geological time”, is a key indicator of a nation’s scientific and technological strength, and an indispensable strategic imperative for China to advance into the Earth’s deep interior.

He reviewed the historical development of scientific drilling worldwide, highlighting the significance of ocean drilling to the revolution in plate tectonics theory, as well as the global layout and research priorities of the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP).

He also introduced the Continental Scientific Drilling Project of the Cretaceous Songliao Basin (SK), the third ICDP project in the Chinese mainland, presenting its major scientific breakthrough in providing critical evidence for paleoclimatic evolution, dinosaur extinction mechanisms, and terrestrial oil-generation theory, along with its benefits in technological innovation, international collaboration, disciplinary development, and social impact.

Drawing on decades of research by himself and his team, Prof. Wang said, “Drilling to the Earth’s core is humanity’s eternal dream.”

Prof. Wang Chengshan speaks at the 60th Hainan University’s Distinguished Scientist Lecture.

The lecture hall was filled to capacity. The lecture was followed by a lively Q&A session where faculty and students posed questions on topics including sea-level rise and scientific drilling in the Songliao Basin.

The Q&A Session of the 60th Hainan University’s Distinguished Scientist Lecture on April 16, 2026

The event was attended both online and offline by representatives from the Hainan Institute of Mineral Resources Exploration and the Hainan Geological Bureau, officials from the Hainan Association for Science and Technology, and relevant administrators from Hainan University, as well as faculty and student representatives across all campuses of Hainan University: Haidian, Danzhou, Mission Hills (including Chengxi Teaching Site) and Yazhou.

Translated by Huai Beibei

Proofread by Jin Ying