Shu Shien-Siu (; 1912–2001), also known as S. S. Shu, was a Chinese/

Taiwanese Taiwanese may refer to: * Taiwanese language, another name for Taiwanese Hokkien * Something from or related to Taiwan ( Formosa) * Taiwanese aborigines, the indigenous people of Taiwan * Han Taiwanese, the Han people of Taiwan * Taiwanese people, ...

mathematician, engineer and educator.

Biography

Shu was born in

Yongjia, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Yongjia County (; Wenzhou dialect: yon2ko1/ yu3 ''ion ko'') is a county in Wenzhou in the southeast of Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China, located north of the city proper of Wenzhou city, which administers the county. The Nanxi River ...

on 12 Sep 1912. Shu studied at Wenzhou High School. In 1935, Shu graduated from the Department of Mathematics of Tsinghua University in Beijing and obtained B.S. in

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

. He worked as a teaching assistant at the department after his graduation. In 1944, Shu went to the United States to continue his study, and entered the

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

. Shu obtained his PhD in applied mathematics in 1948, under the guidance of

Charles Loewner Charles Loewner (29 May 1893 – 8 January 1968) was an American mathematician. His name was Karel Löwner in Czech and Karl Löwner in German. Karl Loewner was born into a Jewish family in Lany, about 30 km from Prague, where his father Sig ...

. In 1949, Shu worked in Princeton, and in that summer went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to do his postdoctoral research. Shu was a professor of engineering science at Purdue University, and the Chair of

Purdue University School of Aeronautics and Astronautics The Purdue University School of Aeronautics and Astronautics is Purdue University's school of aerospace engineering contained within the Purdue University College of Engineering. The school offers BS, M.S., and PhD degrees in aeronautical an ...

. Shu was also an

adjunct professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, however the genera ...

of National Taiwan University (in Taipei), National Chiao Tung University, and the National Tsing Hua University (both in Hsinchu) in Taiwan. In 1961, Shu founded the Department of Mathematics at the National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), and held summer mathematical seminar annually. From 1970 to 1975, Shu was the President of the National Tsing Hua University.清大數位校史館：徐賢修校長簡介 (National Tsing Hua University Archive: S.S. Shu)
/ref> In 1973, Shu invited

Mao Gao-wen Mao Kao-wen (; 9 February 1936 Fenghua, Ningbo – 28 October 2019 Taipei) was a Taiwanese chemist, politician, and diplomat. He served as the president of National Tsinghua University from 1981 to 1987. He also was the Minister of Education of t ...

to be the Dean of NTHU's engineering faculty,

Shen Chun-shan Shen Chun-shan (29 August 1932 – 12 September 2018) was a Taiwanese physicist who served as president of National Tsing Hua University from 1994 to 1997. He was known as one of the "four princes of Taiwan" along with Chen Li-an, Fredrick Chie ...

to be the Dean of science faculty, and Fung Yan-Hsiung (馮彥雄) to be the Dean of Nuclear Science and Technology. In Shu's office, National Tsing Hua University developed into a first-class comprehensive university of Taiwan. From 1973 to 1980, Shu was in charge of the National Science Council (under the

Executive Yuan The Executive Yuan () is the executive branch of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Its leader is the Premier, who is appointed by the President of the Republic of China, and requires confirmation by the Legislative Yuan. ...

) of Taiwan. From 1979 to 1988, Shu was the chairman and director-general of the Industrial Technology Research Institute. Shu advised to establish the world-famous

Hsinchu Science and Industrial Park The Hsinchu Science Park (HSP; ) is an industrial park established by the government of Taiwan on 15 December 1980. It straddles Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County in Taiwan. History The idea of the establishment of the Hsinchu Science Park was f ...

(HSIP), thus he is widely known as the "Father of HSIP".

Contributions and honors

Shu made great contributions to Taiwan's education, especially to its mathematical education and higher education. He also contributed greatly to the development of

Taiwan's economy The economy of Taiwan is a Developed country, highly developed market economy. It is the 8th largest in Asia and List of countries by GDP (PPP), 18th-largest in the world by purchasing power parity, allowing Taiwan to be included in the advanc ...

and industry, especially Taiwan's

high-tech High technology (high tech), also known as advanced technology (advanced tech) or exotechnology, is technology that is at the cutting edge: the highest form of technology available. It can be defined as either the most complex or the newest te ...

industries. Shu received an honorary doctorate from Purdue University in 1993 and also elected Academician of the

Academia Sinica Academia Sinica (AS, la, 1=Academia Sinica, 3=Chinese Academy; ), headquartered in Nangang, Taipei, is the national academy of Taiwan. Founded in Nanking, the academy supports research activities in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from ...

in Taiwan.

Family

Shu's son, Frank Shu, an astrophysicist, was born in

Kunming Kunming (; ), also known as Yunnan-Fu, is the capital and largest city of Yunnan province, China. It is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province as well as the seat of the provincial government. The headquar ...

during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Frank is former President of the

American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the adv ...

(AAS), and like his father, has also served as President of National Tsing Hua University.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shu, Shien-Siu 1912 births 2001 deaths People from Yongjia County Tsinghua University alumni Brown University alumni Purdue University faculty 20th-century Taiwanese mathematicians 20th-century Taiwanese engineers Taiwanese educators Taiwanese expatriates in the United States Members of Academia Sinica Scientists from Wenzhou Presidents of National Tsing Hua University Taiwanese people from Zhejiang Ministers of Science and Technology of the Republic of China Republic of China politicians from Zhejiang Mathematicians from Zhejiang Engineers from Zhejiang Politicians from Wenzhou Educators from Wenzhou