Bulletin Supplement May 1969

C h i e n - s h i u n g W U , P H .D., D.Sc. The ch a rm in g la d y w ho is be ing honou red on th is occasion is repu ted as the w o rld 's fo rem o s t fem a le e xp e rim e n ta l physicist. Am ong m any o th e r s c ien tific con tribu tion s , she has, th ro u g h e xpe rim en ta l dem ons tra tion , d isp roved the la w o f the conse rvation o f p a rity , w h ich f o r lo n g had been accepted as a fu n d am e n ta l la w o f n a tu re . Thus, D r. W u has made one o f the g rea test con trib u tio n s to the know ledge o f the universe. P ro fesso r W u was the firs t w om an to be honou red w ith a m a jo r aw a rd b y the N a tio n a l A cad em y o f Sciences o f the U .S .A ., o f w h ic h she is a d is tingu ish ed m embe r. Several p rom in e n t academ ic in s titu tions, in c lu d in g Y a le and P rin ce ton , have co n fe rre d h o n o ra ry degrees upon he r. She was also the fir s t woman to receive the Research C o rp o ra tio n A w a rd o f the U .S .A . and honou red as the W om an o f the Y e a r (1962 ) b y the Am e ric a n A ssoc ia tion o f U n iv e rs ity Women. D r. W u rece ived h e r e a rly edu ca tion in China, and to o k the degree o f B a che lo r o f Science a t the N a tio n a l C en tra l U n iv e rs ity in 1936. She then en te red the U n iv e rs ity o f C a lifo rn ia fo r g radua te w o rk , w he re she ob ta ined the Ph .D . degree in 1940. She has a r ic h tea ch ing career, and ta u g h t a t Sm ith College and P rin ce ton U n iv e rs ity . She jo in e d the sc ien tific resea rch s ta ff o f the D iv is io n o f W a r Research a t Co lum b ia U n iv e rs ity in 1944, and became associate p ro fesso r o f physics in 1952 and a f u ll p ro fe sso r in 1959. She has so f a r p roduced abou t 100 research pape rs pub lishe d in lead ing academ ic jo u rn a ls . P ro fesso r W u has ded ica ted h e r ca ree r p r im a r ily to th e study o f n u c le a r fo rces and s tru c tu re . F o r a lo n g tim e , the la w o f th e con se rva tion o f p a r ity was accepted in physics th a t in na tu re the re was no in trin s ic d iffe rence be tween r ig h t and le ft. Th is was cha llenged by D r. W u 's close associates, D r. Tsung-dao Lee and D r. Chen-ning Yang . T h ro u g h the e xp e rim en ta l p ro o f b y P ro fesso r W u , th is la w was dis p roved , thus open ing up new ho rizon s o f th in k in g abou t the basic p h ys ica l s tru c tu re o f the un ive rse and m a k in g an unp receden ted advance in bo th the th e o re tic a l and e x p e rim e n ta l s tud y o f n u c lea r physics. B y d is p ro v in g the la w o f the conse rva tion o f p a rity , she also e ffe c tiv e ly re a ffirm e d in te lle c tu a l p a r ity be tween women and men. D r. W u is a mem be r o f the A d v is o ry B oa rd on N a tu ra l Sciences o f The Chinese U n iv e rs ity o f H o ng Kong . She has been generous in he r advice and services. In th a t capa c ity , she has g re a tly c o n trib u te d tow a rd s the deve lopm en t o f the academ ic p rog ramm e a t th is U n iv e rs ity . In re co g n itio n o f h e r b r illia n t achievements in science and la s tin g c o n trib u tio n to o u r academ ic deve lopmen t, i t is w ith the g rea te s t p leasure th a t I p resen t to you, M r. C hance llo r, Ch ien -sh iung W u as the firs t w om an scho la r f o r co n fe rm e n t b y ou r U n iv e rs ity o f the degree o f D o c to r o f Laws, h o n o ris causa. — 9 —