On November 12, the 2022 World Young Scientists Summit was held in Wenzhou. At its opening ceremony, the list of winners of the 17th China Youth Science and Technology Award was unveiled. Dr. Sun Tao won the award. 

Sun Tao, born in 1985, is a researcher of the Institute of Applied Ecology (IAE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). He has been engaged in the research of tree root biology and forest soil science for years, and has made major achievements in the forest soil carbon pool research. His research confirmed that root carbon input is the main source of forest soil carbon pools in China, and its contribution can be as high as 65%. This finding overturns the misunderstanding that “soil carbon pool mainly comes from litter on the ground surface”, and provides important theoretical support for forest soil conservation and carbon sink enhancement.

The China Youth Science and Technology Award was jointly sponsored by the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the China Association for Science and Technology and the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League.

Initiated in 1987 under the proposal of the celebrated scientists such as QIAN Xuesen and ZHU Guangya, this award aims to commend the outstanding achievements of young academic and technical experts who have been working for economic development, social progress and scientific and technological innovation, and call on them to come to the world's scientific and technological forefront. The award event is held every two years and no more than 100 awardees are selected each time.