Shen Changyu, an expert of plastic molding and tooling, has been elected to the Chinese Academy of Sciences. One of his best-known achievements is the development of the space suit helmets used in China's first space walk last September.

Professor Shen, 46 years of age, is president of Zhengzhou University and director of the National Engineering Research Center for Plastic and Rubber Molds. His research fields include cooling systems for injection molds, and the formation and evolution of microstructures in the molding process.