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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: July 1, 1997
Contact: Justin Harmon 609/258-5732
Gordon Wu Fellows in Engineering Named
PRINCETON, N.J. -- Six students from four countries have received Gordon Wu Fellowships for graduate study in engineering at Princeton University's School of Engineering and Applied Science, starting in the fall of 1997.
The 1997 Wu Fellowship winners represent the fields of chemical engineering, civil engineering and operations research, computer science, electrical engineering and mechanical and aerospace engineering. At Princeton, the fellows may choose to study in one of those fields, or they may consider an interdisciplinary program within one of the Centers that unite the School of Engineering and Applied Science with the rest of the University. These interdisciplinary centers include the Advanced Technology Center for Photonics and Optoelectronic Materials, the Princeton Materials Institute, the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies, and the Princeton Environmental Institute.
The 1997 Wu Fellowship winners and their undergraduate institutions are:
David Brooks, University of Southern California, U.S.A.
Han Chen, Tsinghua University, China
Yu Cheng, Tsinghua University, China
Pai-hui Hsu, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
Emil Praun, California Institute of Technology, U.S.A.
Troy Smith, University of Adelaide, Australia
The fellowships, made possible by the generosity of Gordon Y.S. Wu, Class of 1958, are Princeton's most prestigious awards for graduate study in engineering and are made to incoming graduate students who demonstrate the potential to be world leaders in their fields in the 21st century. Wu Fellows are awarded four years of full financial support, including full tuition and a premium stipend. In addition, the award provides funds that can be used by the student to cover research costs and for travel to international professional conferences.
In the fall of 1995, Gordon Wu pledged a gift of $100 million to Princeton University's School of Engineering and Applied Science in connection with the celebration of the University's 250th anniversary. Of that total pledge, $40 million was earmarked for graduate fellowships.
"Appointment as a Gordon Wu Fellow is the highest honor that our School can bestow on an incoming graduate student," said James Wei, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Princeton. "They are chosen based on their outstanding achievements as undergraduates and their potential for success at Princeton and beyond. We expect that the Wu Fellows will form a cadre of the most outstanding young engineering scholars from around the world."
After earning his bachelor's of science in engineering from Princeton, Mr. Wu returned to Hong Kong where he founded his own construction business with a loan cosigned by his father. Though his company, Hopewell Holdings, Wu has led the development and construction of highways, railroads, and power generation stations across Asia. He has become one of the most influential engineers and businessmen in the world.
For his building projects, Wu developed the slip form method of construction for high-rise buildings, by which the concrete structure of such buildings can be erected at the rate of one floor every three days. He has designed and developed more than 100 buildings, including the 66-story Hopewell Centre (for 10 years the tallest building in Hong Kong), where the Hopewell group of companies is headquartered; the 1,200-room China Hotel in Guangzhou; and the 1,026-room Kowloon Panda Hotel in Hong Kong.