DETERMINATION, ingenuity and a desire to contribute to China’s scientific development are behind the achievements of an engineer and an IT specialist who won the city’s top science awards.

Jin Donghan, a machinery engineer, and He Jifeng, a computer scientist, on Tuesday received the Shanghai Science and Technology Awards, conferred annually on two scientists.

Jin and He were each given 500,000 yuan (US$80,500) for advancing China’s technology and boosting its global status in science.

Jin, 53, is the president of the Shanghai Marine Diesel Engine Research Institute. He lead the team that developed China’s first energy-efficient thermal engine, which has a wide range of military and civilian uses.

He, 70, a director of East China Normal University’s Software Engineering Institute, developed software for the auto, aeronautics and space industries. He’s achievements have led to significant safety improvements in the two sectors.He Jifeng, 70

A director of East China Normal University’s Software Engineering Institute

He Jifeng looks much younger than his 70 years, lives simply and is clearly a workaholic.

“I am a simple person with few hobbies,” he says of receiving this year’s top science award in Shanghai.

“I have great interest in my work, which makes me energetic and devoted,” he says, adding that he likes to read professional works in his office and history, philosophy and culture at home.

“My life is simple, no alcohol or smoking,” he says. He only drinks water and takes a walk every day with his wife, who has been visually impaired for 33 years.

He always works late during the week at East China Normal University and often works on weekends. He returned to work on the second day of the weeklong Spring Festival holiday.

He joined the university in 1965 and focused on computer software in 1972, when China started to emphasize IT research and set up many university projects.

He is a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

He was honored for researching and developing “highly reliable methods for specification of computer systems, communications, application and standards, and techniques for designing and implementing those specifications in software and/or hardware.”

“Our research is closely related to practical needs instead of academic papers. We solve problems in the real world,” he says.

His software is used in Metro operations to improve safety and prevent accidents, and in industry and China’s space program.

As a teacher and institute director, He always puts students first and ensures that courses meet their needs. At the start of every semester, he visits freshmen in their dormitories and asks if anyone needs help.

“Parents are entrusting their children to us and we mustn’t let them down,” he says.

He is also famous for his long and devoted marriage. He and his wife, Zhang Leilei, are considered a model couple at the university.

Thirty-three years ago, his wife lost her eyesight in a traffic accident while he was studying abroad. He didn’t find out until he returned to Shanghai — she hadn’t wanted to worry him and disrupt his studies.

“I am my wife’s eyes and she is my lifelong partner,” He says.

He always takes his wife to important events and social gatherings, introducing her to everyone.

“I am a scientist with a simple and straightforward mind,” He says. “My wife helps me sort out personal issues and gives me suggestions. She is my best friend and we share everything.”Jin Donghan, 53

President of Shanghai Marine Diesel Engine Research Institute

Jin Donghan dreamed of putting “a Chinese-made heart” — an engine — into military vessels and now hopes it can be the future of propulsion in aircraft and autos.

When he graduated from university in the early 1980s, the energy-efficient Stirling heat engine was only a theoretical machine. Jin spent nearly 30 years to make China’s first thermal engine a reality. It’s his “Chinese-made heart.”

The engine has wide use in military naval vessels and has many civil applications. It has promise in aerospace projects.

The Stirling engine, named after Scottish minister Robert Stirling, was invented in 1816, with potential to be much more energy efficient than a steam, gasoline or diesel engine. It is also much quieter.

It’s a closed-cycle engine with a gaseous working fluid permanently contained — meaning it uses very little fuel. “I was excited by the advantages of the thermal engine and confident about its future, so I devoted myself to research over the decades. I believe this engine is a trend of the 21st century,” Jin says.

“I had a dream about putting a Chinese-made heart into Chinese military vessels, and I made it,” he says. “I did only one thing in the past decades, but it filled a void.”

Jin adds that it can use any kind of energy, such as diesel, solar power and biomass energy and it can work whenever it is heated. There’s no shaking or noise, as with a diesel engine. It involves both new energy and environmental protection.

Development was very difficult, especially when Jin started because there was no proper equipment and insufficient funding.

“When it was only a plan, no one wanted to spend money on the project. We had to everything by ourselves,” he says.

For instance, research equipment required a wire mesh of many layers compressed very tightly, but there was no compressor. “We had to use a big hammer,” Jin recalls. “Our team stayed at the laboratory overnight and played cards. Whoever lost had to hammer.”

He compares the research and developing to climbing a huge mountain. “We had to solve every problem because we could not learn from others and there was no one to teach us,” he says. “The engine is the pearl of industry and we had to grasp the key technology ourselves, instead of depending on imports.”