Emigrating from China to the US in 1950, Y. Austin Chang obtained a PhD in metallurgy and became a world-renowned expert in thermodynamics and metal alloys. In addition to his scientific accomplishments, his role as a beloved educator, mentor, and devoted family man is told in this warm biography.
MATERIALS PARK, OHIO— Immortal Mentor: A Warm and Inspirational Biography of Y. Austin Chang is the English translation by Alexandra Chiang of A Person Having Stories—Academician Yong-Shan Chang, copyright 2016 by National Tsin Hua University, Taiwan, and edited by P. Jean Chang.
Born in China in 1932, Y. Austin Chang immigrated to the US in 1950, obtained a PhD in metallurgy from the University of California, Berkeley, and became a world expert in thermodynamics of metal alloys. He was a Distinguished Professor Emeritus in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and founded CompuTherm LLC, a company that developed powerful, user-friendly computer software and an alloy database for thermodynamic calculations.
Among the many awards he earned, he was a Fellow of ASM International and TMS and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. He received the J. Willard Gibbs Phase Equilibria Award, the Albert Easton White Distinguished Teacher Award, the Albert Sauveur Achievement Award, and the Edward DeMille Campbell Memorial Lecture Award from ASM.
Prof. Bai Chunli, President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences stated, “The noble spirit that Prof. Chang has demonstrated in seeking the truth, his braveness in exploration, his meticulous attitude to academic research, and his self-critical spirit set an excellent example for all of us.”
Chang was equally known as a role model to his students and colleagues and as a loving and devoted family man. As an inspiring educator, he mentored hundreds of students and younger scientists during the course of his career. He and his wife Jean spent nearly 55 years together, raising three sons.
The reader gets to know Austin professionally and personally, from a boy in war-torn China to receiving international recognition as a scientist, and learns his perspective on life and science that will leave an indelible impression on them.
Immortal Mentor: A Warm and Inspirational Biography of Y. Austin Chang ($40.00, 447 pages, softcover, ISBN: 978-9-86950-440-9) is available at asminternational.org or by calling the ASM International Service Center at 800.336.5152.
ASM International is the world’s leading professional organization for materials scientists, engineers, and technicians. ASM delivers professional development and improved materials performance for over 25,000 individual members, and over 7,000 corporations served by ASM members worldwide. ASM engages and connects members to a global network of peers and provides trusted materials information through reference content, education courses, international conferences, and applied research.
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