Henry T. Yang

Henry T. Yang

Yang in October 2005
Native name Chinese: 楊祖佑
Born Henry Tzu-Yow Yang
November 29, 1940
Chongqing, China
Residence Santa Barbara, California, United States
Education National Taiwan University (B.S. 1962)
West Virginia University (M.S. 1965)
Cornell University (Ph.D. 1968)
Occupation Engineer and university chancellor
Spouse(s) Dilling Yang
Website
chancellor.ucsb.edu/about/

Henry Tzu-Yow Yang (Chinese: 楊祖佑, born November 29, 1940) is an engineer and educator currently serving as the fifth chancellor of the University of California, Santa Barbara, a post he's held since 1994.

Early life and education

Yang is believed to have been born in Chongqing, China, on November 29, 1940,[1][2] however a conflicting account says he was born in Taiwan.[3] In 1949, his family moved out of China to Taiwan.[4] Yang earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from National Taiwan University in 1962 before moving to the United States to earn a Master of Science degree in structural engineering from West Virginia University in 1965, and a Doctor of Philosophy in structural engineering from Cornell University in 1968.[3][5][6]

Career

Career at Purdue

Regarded as an expert in aerospace structures, structural dynamics, transonic aeroelasticity, wind and earthquake structural engineering, intelligent manufacturing systems, and finite elements,[3] Yang was on the staff of Purdue University for 25 years.[7] He first joined the faculty as an assistant professor in 1969, before being elevated to the head of the Purdue University School of Aeronautics and Astronautics which he served for five years from 1980 to 1984.[7][8] Yang was named the dean of the Purdue University College of Engineering on July 1, 1984, a role he held for 10 years until his departure to UC Santa Barbara.[7][8]

Yang is an eight-time winner of the Elmer F. Bruhn Award, which honors outstanding teachers at the Purdue University School of Aeronautics and Astronautics.[9] He was named as the university's Neil A. Armstrong Distinguished Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, a title bestowed on him from 1988 through 1994.[7][8]

Career at UC Santa Barbara

After a seven month search process by the University of California, Santa Barbara of over 150 applicants, Yang was named as the school's fifth chancellor in March 1994.[10] He began his post on June 23, 1994.[10]

He has authored or co-authored 170 articles for scientific journals, as well as a widely used textbook on finite element structural analysis. He has guided 54 Ph.D. and 20 M.S. recipients. In addition to his role as chancellor, he is also a professor of mechanical engineering at UC Santa Barbara, and continues to teach an undergraduate engineering course each year. He is currently supervising three Ph.D. students with support from National Science Foundation grants. He is also a co-principal investigator for the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program of the University of California.

Boards and committees

Yang has served on scientific advisory boards for the Department of Defense, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, NASA, and the National Academy of Engineering. He is a past chair of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (2010–2014) and the Association of American Universities (2009–2010).[11][12][13][14][15]

Yang currently serves on the President's Committee for the National Medal of Science, being appointed originally by George W. Bush in 2009 and again by Barack Obama in 2011.[6][16] He was named as chairman of the board for the Thirty Meter Telescope project in 2007 and still holds the position.[17][18] He also currently serves on the board of directors of The Kavli Foundation.[19]

Awards and honors

Yang holds honorary doctorates from Purdue University (1996),[20] Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (2002),[21] National Taiwan University (date unknown), City University of Hong Kong (2005),[22] Chinese University of Hong Kong (2008),[23] West Virginia University (2011),[24] and Hong Kong Polytechnic University (2011).[25]

He is the 1998 recipient of the Benjamin Garver Lamme Award from the American Society for Engineering Education and the 2008 recipient of the Structures, Structural Dynamics, & Materials Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.[26][27]

References

  1. ↑ "Henry T. Yang". chiamonline.com. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Chinese American Hero: Henry Yang". AsianWeek (San Francisco, California). June 22, 2009. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Zhao, Xiaojian; Park, Edward J.W. (November 26, 2013). Asian Americans: An Encyclopedia of Social, Cultural, Economic, and Political History. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781598842401.
  4. ↑ "21世纪：知识和天才都没有疆界". news.sciencenet.cn (in Chinese). January 21, 2008. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  5. ↑ Lee, Chin-chuan. "Honorary Doctor of Engineering Professor Henry T YANG" (PDF). cityu.edu.hk. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 12/21/2011". whitehouse.gov. December 21, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Grandt, Jr., Alten F.; Gustafson, W.A.; Cargnino, L.T. (November 5, 2010). One Small Step: The History of Aerospace Engineering at Purdue University. West Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue University Press. p. 335. ISBN 9781557535993.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Grandt, Jr., Alten F.; Gustafson, W.A.; Cargnino, L.T. (November 5, 2010). One Small Step: The History of Aerospace Engineering at Purdue University. West Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue University Press. p. 208. ISBN 9781557535993.
  9. ↑ Grandt, Jr., Alten F.; Gustafson, W.A.; Cargnino, L.T. (November 5, 2010). One Small Step: The History of Aerospace Engineering at Purdue University. West Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue University Press. p. 451. ISBN 9781557535993.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Ku, Beulah (April 29, 1994). "Henry Yang Named UCSB Chancellor". AsianWeek (San Francisco, California).
  11. ↑ "APRU Steering Committee". apru.org. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  12. ↑ "UCSB Chancellor Henry Yang To Chair Association of American Universities". ia.ucsb.edu. October 20, 2009. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Carnegie Mellon University President Jared L. Cohon Elected Chairman Of Executive Committee of the Association of American Universities". cmu.edu. October 19, 2010. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Collective Elects Yang as Chair". Daily Nexus (Santa Barbara, California). October 21, 2009. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  15. ↑ Lane, Jackson (November 1, 2010). "Cohon elected chairman of the AAU Executive Committee". The Tartan (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  16. ↑ "AIAA CONGRATULATES DR. HENRY T. YANG ON HIS APPOINTMENT TO THE PRESIDENT’S COMMITTEE ON THE NATIONAL MEDAL OF SCIENCE". aiaa.org. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  17. ↑ White, Randol (March 25, 2014). "UC system helping to build massive telescope in Hawaii". kcbx.org. KCBX. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  18. ↑ Brugger, Kelsey (March 25, 2014). "UCSB Chancellor Henry Yang & Co. Building $1.4 Billion Telescope". Santa Barbara Independent (Santa Barbara, California). Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Henry T. Yang, Chancellor of UC Santa Barbara, Joins Board of Directors". kavlifoundation.org. The Kavli Foundation. April 11, 2007. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Purdue Honorary Doctorate Degree". engineering.purdue.edu. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Honorary Graduates". ab.ust.hk. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  22. ↑ "City University of Hong Kong Honorary Award Holders". cityu.edu.hk. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  23. ↑ "The Chinese University of Hong Kong Holds 65th Congregation for Conferment of Degrees". cpr.cuhk.edu.hk. December 4, 2008. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  24. ↑ "WVU 2011 Honorary Degree Recipients". honorarydegrees.wvu.edu. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  25. ↑ "Five prominent figures conferred honorary doctorates". polyu.edu.hk. October 2011. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  26. ↑ "Past National Award Winners: Benjamin Garver Lamme Award". asee.org. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  27. ↑ "Structures, Structural Dynamics, & Materials Award Recipients". aiaa.org. Retrieved December 9, 2014.

External links

Media related to Henry T. Yang at Wikimedia Commons

Academic offices
Preceded by
Barbara Uehling		 Chancellor of the University of California, Santa Barbara
1994–present 		Incumbent