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At present, Tibetan PhDs are playing key roles in the advancement of Tibetan culture, medicine, science, technology, economy and society in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).

According to survey results recently revealed by the Science and Technology Association of TAR, to date, over 60 Tibetan doctoral graduates are working at the frontier of production and research programs in TAR. The data reveals that an equal number of them are working in natural and social science. About one third of them are acting in leading roles in higher education such as Tibet University and Tibetan Agricultural and Animal Husbandry University. Their areas of research include Tibetan traditional and folkloric culture, history, physics, geography, geology and medicine. Some of them also simultaneously undertake leadership roles (sometimes even executive roles) in the areas of geological studies, environmental protection and education by serving in governmental offices and agencies. In time they will make profound changes to the Tibetan economy and its society.

The First Tibetan Doctor Serving on the Governing Board of the Chinese Academy of Engineering

Dorje (54) is a Tibetan member of the governing board for the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He was born in a farming family in Normi Valley of Gyatsa County in TAR. In his childhood, he dedicated himself to studying science. He was successfully enrolled in the Science and T e c h n o l o g y U n i v e r s i t y o f Chengdu. After years of diligent study in science and technology, he graduated from university and then was sent in turn to universities in Italy and the United States to further delve into geothermal science. In due course he was qualified and finally selected as a member of the governing board of the Chinese Academy of Science.

At the end of the 1990s, scientists launched a project to study energy conservation

in Yangpachen of Damshung County in Lhasa. When most of experts argued that it was not feasible to dig a deep well in Yangpachen, Dorje vigorously disagreed. He insisted it was highly feasible to explore for sources of energy in Yangpachen. He was convinced that Yangpachen was rich in high-temperature energy resources. A survey and study of resources in Yangpachen, organized and conducted by Dorje, proved him right. Currently deep, high temperature wells in Yangpachen have become experimental geothermal projects for China in high temperature and a high-energy production. At the same time, the successful exploration in Yangpachen has made history. The production of this single geothermal well could amount to over ten thousand kilowatts.

“At present alternative energy sources, such as wind, sola r and geothermal energy have already begun to serve in the daily lives of Tibetan farmers and herdsman in TAR and gradually begin to advance their quality of life”, said Dorje. He wished his efforts on energy exploration could make changes for the quality of life of all Tibetans. He comments that this is his lifetime

dream.

The First Tibetan Clinical Doctor

In the morning of June 8th, 2000, Kalzang Norbu (32) successfully passed his final doctoral debate and clinical examination with high grades (scoring respectively 95.6 and 94.1) in Peking Union Medical College Hospital, and became the first Tibetan clinical doctor.

Before his studies in Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Kalzang Norbu, as a teenager, was very much devoted to his schooling, with a

Yarmei (second from the left) and Rinchen Gya (second from the right), the two medical PhDs in the first batch of doctorates of Tibet, photographed with their doctorial supervisors in August of 2007 in Lhasa.

“The grassland will always bare its chest, the eagle will always hover in the blue sky, and children will always love their mother.” This is a song entitled as “Toward the sun”, sung by Drolkar, a woman doctor working in meteorology.

Drolkar was born in 1972 in Nyingchi. Since childhood, she has loved to read. She always studies hard, but has also inherited a high intelligence.

Since enrolling at Nanjing Meteorology College in 1989, her career has been closely connected with meteorology. In 1998, she was admitted by the Chinese Academy for Meteorology as a doctoral candidate and her doctorate was conferred on her in 2002 after her successful studies.

In her short career, she has been involved with several key national meteorological research projects, including “Studying areas of severe drought and provisions for forecasting in the northwest of China”, “Challenge-B project, the second round of scientific research on the aerosphere on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau”, “Methodological study on forecasting for climate and the eco-environment in the northwest of China”, and a project entitled “the storm in China”.

Tibetan Doctor Dedicated to Agriculture and Animal Husbandry

“Opportunity will always come to people who are ready for it.” This is the motto of Nyima Tashi, a Tibetan doctor working in the Tibetan Academy of Agricultural Science and Animal Husbandry.

In 1995, Nyima Tashi was studying his master degree in the Chinese Academy of Sciences and in 1999 he was successfully conferred with his doctorate degree. His research was entitled “the outlook for a guarantee for Tibetan foods and studying strategies” is cited as an excellent doctoral dissertation by the Geography and Geology Department of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and later on was sponsored to be translated into English and is going to be published soon.

After graduating from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nyima Tashi studied the application of a geographic information system for the advancement and resource management of Tibetan agriculture. The payoff from his preliminary study has been widely acknowledged in academic circles. His research contributed to the systemic division of Tibetanagricultural and rational changes in food production and supply.

In recent years, Nyima Tashi has also been involved in some national and internationally based research projects, such as the reform of the Tibetan agricultural land cultivation system, technological information on agricultural and animal husbandry, and the improvement of highland barley varieties.

Doctors in Tibetan Traditional Medicine

Excellent doctoral personnel have recently emerged not only in the field of

the modern development of TAR, but also in traditional areas such as religion and medicine.

On August 2nd, 2007, TAR produced its first Tibetan traditional medical doctors. On that day, Dr. Yarmei and Dr. Rinchengya were excited as they were formally conferred with the title of doctor. According to the Tibetan Traditional Medical College, the first master degree program in Tibetan medicine was initiated in 1999. To date, 36 graduates successfully accomplished their master degree in traditional medicine, and there are still 38 master degree candidates in college. The doctoral program was commenced in 2004. Two students have achieved their doctoral degree and one candidate is still studying for his degree.

Tibetan Doctors of Buddhist Religion – Geshe Lharampa

Apart from the aforementioned modern doctors in TAR, the traditional Buddhist religion has its own academic doctoral degree, referred to as Geshe Lharampa in Tibetan. On Feb 24th, 2008, in front of the Sakyamuni Statue in Jokhang Monastery, four outstanding monk scholars from the Sera Monastery, Drepung Monastery and Gendan Monastery, were cheerfully conferred with Geshe Lharamph. Following the introduction of Drukhang Thubten Khedrup, the director of the TAR Branch of the Chinese Buddhist Association, twenty two monk scholars have successfully passed their examinations and debates and have been conferred with this title since the resumption of the academic assessment system of Geshe Lharmaph. The religious ceremony to acknowledge their achievement was held in front of the Skamania.