Zhang Xiaoqin, a senior technician at the Electric Power Research Institute of State Grid Jiangsu, received the Second Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award. [Photo/WeChat account: rugaofabu]

Two researchers from Rugao were among those recognized at China's National Science and Technology Awards Conference, held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on July 8, where the country's highest honors for scientific and technological innovation were presented.

This year's awards recognized 258 projects and 11 outstanding scientists.

Zhang Xiaoqin, a senior technician at the Electric Power Research Institute of State Grid Jiangsu, received the Second Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award for leading the project "Near-Zero Emission of Sulfur Hexafluoride in Power Grids". Zhang was the youngest award recipient from Jiangsu province this year.

Another Rugao native, Zhou Xiaoyang, executive dean of the Institute of Electromagnetic Space Science and Technology at Southeast University, was also honored for a project that achieved major breakthroughs in electromagnetic industrial software. The technologies have since been widely adopted across the industry.