PANEL Achievements of Chinese American Scientists/Engineers An Expanded Edition to the Remarks by Tzy C. Peng, at the CAF Banquet, UMSL, St. Louis, MO. 23 October 2004, and at a Pane] discussion, AAEOY Conference, Hanover Marriott Hotel, Whippany, NJ, 26 February 2005. The Beginning infrastructures desperately needed in China. The The roots of Chinese American Scientists following data illustrates the careers of these and Engineer can be traced back to a Chinese CEM students. pioneer in the United States named Yung Wing in Business 13, America and his Chinese Education Mission Customs 3, (CEM) in Hartford, CT (1872). Diplomatic service 9, Yung Wing was the first Chinese born [Chinese] Government Official 6, students in the Yale University (1850). Upon his Mining Engineer 9, graduation (1854), Yung decided to establish his [Chinese] Navy 20, Railroad 16, education mission for Chinese youth with the Telegraph Service 15, twin goals that: Teachers 3, • the "rising generation of China should Others 8, enjoy the same educational advantages Not Available 18. that I had enjoyed It is no surprise that the majority of these • through western education China CEM students chose Navy, Railroad and might be regenerated, become Telegraph service since these were the greatest enlightened and powerful." needs in China for national defense, He spent next 20 years working with transportation and communication at that time. Chinese officials of the Qing Dynasty through One famous CEM student named Zhan Tai Ping Rebellion, and finally succeeded to start Tien-You who built the railroad linking Beijing his beloved CEM in Hartford, CT (1872). With and Zhang Jia Kou in 1905. This rail-line went the advice from the then president of the Yale through a very rugged mountain terrain so University, Noah Porter and then the State treacherous that no Chinese engineer can be Commissioner of Education, B.G. Northrop, and expected to know how to build this railroad, so the support of many close friends in the Harford said by all the Western and Japanese experts. Yet, area, Yung Wing formally opened his CEM a U.S. educated Chinese engineer, Zhan Tien- program. you, led an all Chinese team did it and did it in a Between 1872 and 1875, Yung Wing splendid fashion. brought about 120 Chinese youth through the (For a more comprehensive description about CEM program into the U.S. going through high Yung Wing and his Chinese Education Mission School and college educations. Many of them (CEM), see Yung Wing/CEM articles in the became scientists and engineers, and had Chinese American Forum (CAF): Part 1, CAF contributed immensely to the construction of the October 2002, pp. 19 - 24; Part 2, CAF January early transport and communication 2003, pp. 17 - 18; Part 3, CAF April 2003, pp 16 mainland started and became a major trend in the - 18; and part 4, CAF January 2004, pp. 16 - 21.) 1990s and is still continuing today. The same Zhan Tien-you later formed the Most of Chinese students enrolled in the Chinese Institute of Engineers (CIE) in Beijing graduate schools as teaching/research assistants, (1912). Following Mr. Zhan's lead, a group of acquired their Ph. D. and became professors Chinese Students founded the Chinese themselves from 1960s to present. Many others Engineering Student Association m New York have gone to industries and became engineers and (1917). These two organizations merged and scientists. evolved to become a new CIE. This CIE went a Given the Chinese tradition of number of transformations, and finally settled in hardworking and inherited creativity under the 1978 the name CIE/USA. right environment of American universities and (For details of CIE history. See the CIE article in industries, it is only a matter of time that these CAF July 2002 issue, pp. 2-5. For more details of former Chinese students became distinguished the current CIE/USA organization, see scientists and engineers in the U.S. www.cieusa.org ) The number of these Accomplished Between the 1882 and WWII, there were Chinese Americans is probably in the ten or even few. if any, recognized Chinese American hundred thousands. It will take a real concerted Scientists and Engineers in the U.S. due to mainly effort to compile the statistics of the past two major masons. 50+years. The Chinese American Forum (CAF) has started a series of articles entitled the 1. The Chinese Exclusion Acts of 1882- "Accomplished Chinese Americans" since the 1888 enacted by the U.S. Congress April 1998 issue. destroyed, for all practical purposes, all and every opportunity for Chinese For now, we can only illustrate some of immigrants coming to the U.S.. let alone these people by citing the following. study in the American university and From the list of Asian American colleges. Engineer of the Year Award (AAEOY) 2. China continued to suffer poverties sponsored by the Chinese Institute of Engineers resulted from European and Japanese (CIE)/USA, we find the following: Imperialism, the Japanese invasion and At Dallas, TX on February 23, 2002, occupation (1895 - 1945), and internal turmoil and revolutions. • Changlin Tien, Educator, Distinguished Lifetime Achievement The Post WWII era Award Shortly after W.W.II, foreign students all over the world came to the U. S. seeking higher • Paul Chou, Electrical learning in universities across America while • Y. T Tung, Aerospace other countries were still recovering from the • Sheau-wei Johnny Fu, Aerospace wartime's ruins. This is known as the "Brain • Charles Shih-Tung Liang, Defense Drain". • Shawn-Yu Lin, Defense • Gerry Liu, Computer Those coming from China • Paul Pan, Defense (Mainland/Taiwan) began with a trickle in the • David Shih, Aerospace 1940s and 1950s, became a flow in the 1970s and • Jeff Tian, Computer 1980s, primarily from the Taiwan region. After 1980, a new flow of students from Chinese • Alwin Tsao, Computer • David Wang, Communication • Bei-dwo Chang, Airborne systems • Man-Feng Chang, Control & Diagnostics At Dallas, TX on February 22, 2003, • Tze-chiang Chen, Microelectronics • Samuel Chao-Chung Ting, Scientist, • Ying J. Feria, Networking Architecture Distinguished Science &- Technology' • Benedict Ho, Gas, liquid & LNG Award processing • Chih-Tang Sah, Scientist, • Quanxi Jia, Electronic Materials & Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Devices Award • Spencer Kuo, Plasma Torch • Wei-san Lily O'Byme, Computer • Josephine M. Cheng, Computer Engineering • Charlotte Lin, Missile Defense •Stephan • George Wang, Computer S. Liu, Communication Research/Management • Peter S. Pao, Defense • Peter G. Hwang, Product Design • Chon-Yin Tsai, Missile Systems • Jenne-Tal Wang, Auto Research Chinese American Nobel Prize Winners • Andy Yeong-Wei Wu, Spacecraft The ultimate distinction in the field of • Guanghan Xu, Communication science is of course the Nobel Laureates, the Nobel Prize Winners. Chinese Americans started At Santa Clara, CA, February 28, 2004, out somewhat late simply because of lack of • Steven Chu, Physics, Distinguished adequate education due to continuous internal Science S Technology Award turmoil and European Imperialism since the First Opium war (1839) and almost 51 years of naked • Yuan-Cheng Fung, Bio-engineering, aggression against and partial occupation of Distinguished Lifetime Achievement China by Japan (1894-1945). In the U.S., Chinese Award Americans have suffered severe racial • Y. C. Yang, Structure discrimination since 1850s and institutional • Tze-Yao Chu, Engineering Science discrimination since 1882. • Er-Ping Chen, Applied Science In 1943, the institutional discrimination • Wu-Chun Feng, Defense was repealed, and the social discrimination, • Li-Fung Chang, Wireless Comm though still exists, have also lessened a great deal. • Lawrence Dong, Aircraft In 1957, when two China-educated U. S.- • Heidi Shyu, Space/Airborne Systems nurtured physicists Yang & Lee, were awarded • Man-Chung Tang, Professional Engineer Nobel Prize in physics for their pioneer work in • William C. Lin, Auto Engineering disproving the long held Parity Law of • Tuchih Tsai, Computer elementary particle, a new era was established for Chinese Americans. Since then, six (6) Chinese At Newark, NJ, February 26, 2005, Americans have been recognized for their Nobel • Shu Chien, Bioengineering, Prize. They are: Distinguished Science and Technology! Award 1. Chen Ning Yang (Physics, 1957) 2. Tsung Dao Lee (Physics, 1957) Note: • Daniel Chee Tsui, Electrical Chien-shiung Wu, her experiment Engineering & Physics, Distinguished verified the Yang-Lee theory for their Lifetime Achievement Award Nobel prize 3. Samuel Chao Chung Ting (Physics, • Bi Qi, Wireless 1976) 4. Yuan Tseh Lee (Chemistry, 1986) Dr. T. C. Peng has been a retired aerospace 5. Steven Chu (physics, 1997) scientist since 1 January 1992. He has been very active in 6. Daniel C Tsui (Physics, 1998) the Chinese American Community in St. Louis, MO since 1967. Beginning 1991, he frequently went to local high For more detailed biographies (1-5), see schools and community colleges to speak on the Chinese "Accomplished Chinese Americans: Part 1," culture, focusing primarily on Confucianism. From 1 Chinese American Forum, April 1998, pp: 2-6. January 1997 to 31 December 2004, Dr. Peng dedicated For biography 6, see Google.com - Asian himself to the publishing this magazine, the Chinese American Engineers Scientists: Notable Asian American Forum, a nonprofit cultural quarterly for American scientists and Researchers. promoting the mutual understanding between Chinese Americans and the American public at large.