China Academy of Sciences

							Dr Yonglin Ren Transcript – Mandarin

各位听众朋友欢迎收听我们的CSIRO
“broadcast”。今天呢我们是邀请了我们CSIRO昆虫所袁永林博士来给我们谈一下：

梁博士：袁博士，您好！

袁博士：恩，那个，梁博士，您好！

梁博士：先请你给我们介绍一下你是怎么来到澳大利亚CSIRO工作的？

袁博士：我是在澳大利亚那个堪裴拉大学做博士，我的导师呢是CSIRO        Entomology
昆虫部的联合导师，所以我毕业以后呢，因为我对昆虫部，对CSIRO比较有很好的了解，
所以毕业以后呢，我就极力地想留在了CSIRO。

梁博士：那你在CSIRO一共有多长时间呢？

袁博士：那么现在我在CSIRO大概工作有十二年了。

梁博士：那可以不可以给我们介绍一下你的研究的内容。

袁博士：谢谢梁博士，我完全可以介绍这个研究内容。我想在介绍研究内容之前呢，我想
介绍一下CSIRO。

梁博士：很好，那请你介绍一下吧。

袁博士：因为根据我的经验呢在和中国朋友和中国的学校，大学和研究单位在相处的过程
中呢，他们知道澳大利亚有一个很大的研究机构。但是当提到这个CSIRO的时候呢，因为
它的英文全称呢实际上是澳大利亚联邦科学与工业研究组织。所以提到组织呢，很多人就
想到联想到了联合国两种组织和联合国卫生组织，因此的话就很少和这个是一个具体的研
究单位，实际上呢CSIRO它相当于中国科学院，中国农业科学院，中国林业科学院和中国
国防科工委的一部份的一个总和，她除了临床医学和原子能不搞以外，它囊括了所有自然
科学的各个领域，因此的话呢CSIRO它是一个具体的科研的实体，而我所在的单位呢，只
是CSIRO里边一个研究所，昆虫研究所。

梁博士：那请你给我们介绍一下你的这个研究内容，有什么贡献。

袁博士：我自从在CSIRO工作这十二年以来，主要在昆虫部，但是我不是昆虫学家，我的
主要研究方向呢是在那个生物安全性的大的领域，因为澳大利亚的生物链比较短，所以大
家都知道，由于在十七世纪澳大利亚引进了一对兔子，所以现在兔子呢成灾，因此的话呢
，澳大利亚的科学家们要花很大的力气来发展开发一些技术，来控制兔子，否则的话草原
牧场就会遭到很严重的破坏，外来入侵物种对这个澳大利亚的危险，也就是危险性的评估
，是这个生物安全性的很重要的一部份。同时呢，外来入侵物种对澳大利亚的经济，对它
的农业、林业、畜牧业以及草原牧场的破坏呢的经济的危害呢也是在评估的范围之内。同
时呢，外来入侵物种对这个澳大利亚的这个生物多样化也有很严重的影响，特别是现在这
个气候变化，全球气候变化。对入侵物种的影响以及呢外来入侵物种对这个气候变化的影
响呢，也是我们研究的内容，这是我的研究的大方向。具体到我个人所管的实验室和我的
研究方向我主要是现在目前致力于这个来开发新的一些气体药剂熏蒸剂，对土壤、对木材
、对检疫处理以及对粮食农作物的处理呢开发新的药剂来替代目前的这个溴甲烷，因为溴
甲烷是臭氧的破坏物质，而且是现在唯一的一个没有被替代的一个药剂，因为它现在还是
很困难来替代它。

梁博士：这个不但是涉及到我们的食品的安全也涉及到全球的这个环境的破坏，这个对人
类来讲是一个很大的贡献，还有其他什么令人兴奋的这个研究吗？

袁博士：是的，您说的非常好。这个应该是对人类的一个很大的一个很有兴奋的一个贡献
，因为这个臭氧层，臭氧对保护地球是人所共知的，所以的话呢通过我们的努力能够把目
前的臭氧层破坏物质呢替代掉，也算是我们作为科学家所做的贡献，另外一方面，我们现
在所做贡献就是刚才我讲过这个生物安全性，我们有了风险评估，我们知道了它对经济的
危害，我们知道了它对那个生物多样化的危害，同时也知道它对由于目前气候变暖的，对
这个外来入侵物种的影响，所以得话呢我们还有两件事必须要做：第一个呢，我们怎么样
发现外来入侵物种，就是这个诊断，同时呢发现了以后，怎么样进行处理，也就是我们如
何在它这个生物多样化的处理这个工具箱里开发什么样的工具。

梁博士：对中国来讲，尤其是中国这个粮食这方面来讲是一个很重要的课题，当然了，它
跟中国在这方面有没有合作呢？

袁博士：我们有过很多的合作，除了在粮食方面，我们都主要是在八十年代中后期的合作
，因为那个时候中国正在搞世行项目，世界银行投入了大量的资金给中国盖了大量的现代
化的粮食储运设施，因此的话呢在很大的程度上改善了中国在粮食流通领域方面的这种状
况，所以得话呢也大大得减轻了减少了粮食在收割后的损失，也正像我们所说的CSIRO呢
在早期的工作中呢八十年代中期的帮助工作中呢帮助中国政府建立了一些可行经济可行的
办法来减少粮食收获后的损失。从而呢也等于开发了无形的良田。

梁博士：你跟中国的合作手段是什么单位呢？

袁博士：在八十年代，在粮食储存的合作中呢主要跟中国当时的国内贸易部的成都粮食储
藏研究所，那么现在呢因为大量的工作集中在这个生物多样化和为了促进两国贸易的发展
，而减少这个贸易，而使贸易更加平滑，因此的话我们现在大量的工作是和这个中国国家
质检总局进行合作，也就是在检疫处理方面工作的合作。

梁博士：你在CSIRO十多年对这里的工作的经验有什么可以给大家推荐的吗？

袁博士：这是一个很好的话题，在CSIRO呢正像我刚刚开始讲到的它不是一个在我们中国
人心目中的一个组织，它是一个大的科研机构，它囊括了各个研究的，自然科学研究的各
个领域，特别是农业环境方面的有很大的贡献，这点呢应该说它的研究工作是领导世界潮
流的，而且呢CSIRO，特别是现在这种体制呢，它强调团队精神，因此的话呢，CSIRO目
前的研究它不是以一个所为一个研究独立单位，而是一个以这个研究方向，这个研究方向
已经打破了所的界限，

梁博士：跨所级……

袁博士：跨所级的界限。比如说这个我现在所在的这个大的研究方向就是生物多样化、生
物安全性。生物安全性涉及到了昆虫所也涉及到了一些其他的研究所，另外呢一个典型的
例子呢就是我们讲的国家旗舰形象，旗舰形象不光打破了所的界限，跨所的研究，而且呢
实际上还跨单位，和大学也有研究，因此的话呢，对我来说，在CSIRO工作，最大的收益
就是CSIRO本身的科学的文化的影响和团队合作精神的影响，而且呢澳大利亚本身就是一
个多元文化的国家，在CSIRO就更加体现出多元文化，因为CSIRO注重的是科学的发明与
创造对澳大利亚工业、农业、畜牧业、草场以及环境和社会的贡献和影响，和解决问题。
因此的话呢，它吸收的都是世界上最好的科学家，因此的话呢，它对我来说对我有很大的
收益，跟他们学了很多的东西，自己也有很大的进步。

梁博士：谢谢你，袁博士！

袁博士：谢谢，梁博士！


Dr Yonglin Ren Transcript - English
L: Welcome to our CSIRO podcast. Today we have invited Yonglin Ren from CSIRO
Entomology to join us for a chat. Hello Dr. Ren!
R: Hello Dr. Liang!
L: Please could you tell us how you came to work at CSIRO?
R: I completed my PhD at the University of Canberra and my supervisor was working
at CSIRO Entomology. After I graduated, because I had a good understanding of the
research at CSIRO Entomology, I wanted to work there.
L: How long have you been working at CSIRO?
R: I’ve been working at CSIRO for around 12 years.
L: Could you talk about your research?
R: Thanks, I would be happy to talk about it. But before I do so, I think I should talk
about CSIRO.
L: Very good, please go ahead.
R: Most of the friends and people I’ve met while working with research institutes,
universities, and research companies are aware that there is a large research
institute in Australia. But because of the full name in English of CSIRO -
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation – people who hear it
think of a UN organization or the WHO, and they don't think of it as an actual
research centre. In fact CSIRO is the same as the China Academy of Sciences,
Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Forestry, and
Commission of Science Technology and Industry for National Defence combined
together. Apart from not getting involved in clinical medicine or nuclear energy, it
includes all fields of the natural sciences. So CSIRO is an actual research centre,
and my division is one of the internal research divisions - the Entomology division.
L: Please could you talk about your research, and contributions you’ve made.
R: Since arriving at CSIRO 12 years ago, I’ve been working in the Entomology
division, but, I’m actually not an entomologist. Most of my research is in the field of
biological safety. Everyone knows that in the 18th century a pair of rabbits arrived in
Australia, and nowadays the numbers of rabbits are a disaster to the environment.
Australian scientists have to put in a great deal of effort to develop technology which
can be used to control rabbits, otherwise the grassland and farms would suffer from
serious damage. One important part of biological safety is looking at the risk of
importing species into Australia, and estimating this risk. Also estimating the
economic damage caused to Australian agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and
farming falls under our scope. Biological diversity is also heavily impacted by these
invasions, especially now during global climate change. So my research looks at the
influence of biological invasions and how they are effected by climate change – this
is the main direction of my research. My specific research projects are to develop
new gas fumigants to replace methyl bromide currently used for treatments of soil,
timber, quarantine, and to control insects, moulds and bacteria in stored food crops.
Methyl bromide is harmful to the ozone layer, and also because of lack of alternatives
it is the only fumigant that hasn't been replaced.
L: This doesn’t only affect the safety of our food products, it also causes
environmental damage. Do you have any other exciting research?
R: That’s correct, you were correct. This is very large and exciting contribution
towards mankind, because the ozone layer – the fact that it protects the planet is
something everyone knows. So working hard and replacing things which are harmful
to the ozone layer could be considered the contribution of our scientists. Another
aspect, another contribution is in biological safety I just mentioned. We have
performed risk estimates; we can estimate the level of damage to the economy and
to biological diversity. We also know the effect it will have on global warming, and on
invasive species, so we have two things to do: Firstly, how we can detect invasive
species - the diagnosis. And, after discovering them, how we control them. In other
words, how we develop tools.
L: For China, this is an important topic, particularly towards foodstuffs. Has there
been any cooperation with China?
R: CSIRO has cooperated for a long time. Our main involvement was in the late
1980s, because at that time, China was involved in many collaborative international
projects. The World Bank invested a large sum of money in China to modernize the
food preservation and transportation facilities. This improved the situation of China’s
food transportation to a great extent. So they were able to greatly reduce and
minimize losses and damage to food after harvesting. So CSIRO at that time in the
1980s helped establish economically feasible methods to reduce damage to food
after harvest, so that involved developing good storage practices.
L: When you worked with China what groups did you deal with?
R: It was the 1980s, so the cooperation was mainly with the Centre for Stored
Products at the Ministry of Commerce, People's Republic of China (Chengdu,
Sichuan). Most of the work was concentrated on biological diversification and
improving both countries economic development. Now most of our work is in
cooperation with the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and
Quarantine of P.R.C. involving quarantine treatment.
L: Having worked at CSIRO for more than 10 years, would you recommend it to
everybody?
R: This is a good question. Like I mentioned earlier, CSIRO isn’t a single group that
is in the minds of many Chinese people. It is a large scientific group, including all
kinds of research - all kinds of fields in natural science. There are specific
contributions in agriculture and for the environment. In that respect the research can
be considered to be leading world trends. Furthermore, CSIRO, especially this kind
of structure, emphasizes team spirit. So the research departments are not separate
single departments, but rather, in terms of research, is an institute which collaborates
across boundaries.
L: Interdepartmental
R: Free of interdepartmental demarcations. For example my current research
direction is biological diversification and biological safety. Biological safety involves
Entomology, as well as some other research divisions. Additionally, the classic
example is the Flagship concept – this doesn’t just break down demarcations, inter-
departmental research, but also allows work with different organisations such as
universities, government departments and business. Thus, working at CSIRO, in my
opinion, the best benefit is that CSIRO's own scientific culture and the influence of
team spirit. Also, Australia is a multicultural country, so CSIRO also represents this
multiculturalism. Because CSIRO concentrates on scientific discoveries and creation,
it has a strong influence and problem solving effect for Australia's priorities in
industry, agriculture, animal husbandry, farming, environmental and society. So it has
taken many of the best scientists in the world, and it is beneficial for me to work with
them and learn many things. It means that I’ve also improved myself.
L: Thanks Dr Ren!
R: Thanks Dr Liang!