Posts by Sophia Li
July 8, 2010, 02:00 PM ET
At Age 110, Is This Man the World's Oldest Academic?
At the age of 110, Zheng Ji has been called the world's oldest living academic.
The Chinese biochemist was recently misdiagnosed with cancer and fell ill following his treatment at a Nanjing hospital. That's where he was when a delegation from Ohio State University stopped by for a visit on Friday, says Katherine Wolford, assistant to the president and director of operations at Ohio State.
Ms. Wolford accompanied President E. Gordon Gee and other university representatives to last week's meeting with Mr. Zheng, who enjoyed a long career at Nanjing University before becoming an emeritus professor. Two Ohio State students from China — a rising sophomore and an entering freshman — have volunteered to tend the recuperating professor, who might be the university's oldest alum.
The visit was the highlight of the trip for the Ohio State delegation, which was in China to connect with...
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Tweed is The Chronicle's blog about the lighter side of academe. Don Troop investigates higher education's odd characters and amusing nooks.