Dr. Wang got her Bachelor’s degree at Taiwan National University in 1966; Master and Ph.D. at University of Illinois in 1970 and 1973. She had been a Postdoctoral researcher at State University of New York for one year.

Dr. Wang is an expert of X-ray crystallography who leads Taiwan to be the head of the field around the world.

Dr. Wang was awarded as an academician in 2010. She is the first female director general at National Science Council; the first female dean in the college of science at National Taiwan University and the first female vice president of Academia Sinica.

Dr. Wang got the National Science Council Outstanding Research Award thrice in 1987, 1990 and 1995. She was awarded with other prizes too, for instance, Taiwan Outstanding Women in Science (2009), Ministry of Education’s National Professorship (2005) and Chinese Chemical Society’s Distinguished Service Award (2010). Electron density distribution and chemical bonding, spin crossover phenomena / light induced excited spin state trapping and molecular magnets are her specialties.

Back in Taiwan

    Although Dr. Wang had been doing researches in USA for six years, her passion for teaching has never ceased. After being discriminated against her student in USA, she decided to go back to Taiwan and teach in her alma mater—National Taiwan University in 1979.

Unlike other scientists who only focus on profits, reputation and their publication of dissertations, Dr. Wang always puts the cultivation of students’ ability in the first place. In order to provide a better education, she not only needs to comprehend all the course contents, but also to organize them for students’ better understanding. Therefore, she always spends 10 hours to prepare for a 3 hour course.

After giving a lecture, she always gives herself a score. If she is not satisfied with it, she will practice before her next class. In addition, she used to upload her handouts on her website and to modify them while preparing and after lectures.

Therefore, Dr. Wang thinks “the most precious thing in life is to learn by teaching.”

Yu Wang has dedicated in education for over thirty years. She only gives her students research directions. This trains their ability to search for information, to read academic journals, to arrange information on their own and to give discussion with her that solves the problem.

Besides, Dr. Wang encourages students to write essay in English. She said that is a way of training, also a unique experience.

Yu Wang believes the system of calculating thesis credits should be changed. Students tend to choose easy topics and do their researches on their own. Therefore their scores will not be affected if cooperate with others. She claimed that this causes students to get lazy and to haggle over scores. Furthermore, it leads to the incorrect attitude of learning and limits students to come up scholarly researches.

She believes the right way to grade thesis is to calculate its value after removing one’s effort. “You do not need to worry about your score if you fully establish yourself. Since you need to prepare yourself and strengthen your ability before finding a job and getting a promotion. We need to be willing to cooperate. Therefore, we will be able to compete with others around the world. Taiwan needs the spirit!” In addition, she thinks Taiwan’s education system causes some students to have problems on taking more professional courses as they don’t have enough general knowledge to build on.

Dr. Yu Wang is not only their boss, but also their mom. On her birthday, on Teacher’s day and even on Mother’s day, her students always send her blessing cards and her favorite—orchids; and during Chinese New Year, they always make a visit to her. Apparently, in her students’ eyes, she is a nice teacher. She feels extraordinarily joyful when her students become more mature after being with her.

Her Education path

Studying in Taiwan

    Dr. Wang’s father, Han Sheng, was in the first legislature after the transplantation of Republic of China government to Taipei. Her mother was a housewife who has five daughters. Dr. Wang is the second daughter who was curious about the structure and the formation of everything which renders her to disassemble machines when she was a child. This reflects her attitude toward researching—“One must get to the bottom of every affair”.

Growing up in a competitive time, its oppression did not cause Wang Yu to grow hatred toward learning. Her childhood is filled with happiness when she shared harmony with her classmates.

After being accepted by National Taiwan University School of Pharmacy, she often went to the Legislative Yuan, where she broadened her horizon, with her father. From a sophomore in the college, she knew the truth “studying pharmacy requires memorizing contents about bones, nerves”. Therefore, she decided to transfer to the Department of Chemistry, as memorizing and dissecting things are not her preference.

Although Yu Wang’s father was a politician, he was not restrained by the Chinese traditional concept—“Boys should study mathematics and science and girls should study languages and arts.” When she asked for his opinion on transferring, instead of stopping her daughter to study chemistry, he encouraged her by analyzing the problems she might face. Having a chemistry degree is more difficult to have an idea of one’s job after graduated and it requires going abroad for getting more great achievements. Just as expected, she got a Ph.D. degree and was awarded as an academician.

At the time when she was born (1943), the concept of patriarchal society was still rooted in Taiwan. Most of the girls needed to quite school and to get a work, in order to support their family’s finance or to provide the boys’ tuition. Yu Wang is glad that her parents understand the importance of education. She knows, without their support, she would not have been that successful. Therefore, she has sympathy for the women, who are more brilliant than her, sacrificed their chance to receive higher education. She said the traditional concept badly impacts on women’s development in every aspect.

In college, she was keen on her study. Giving presentations after reading scientific researches and essays, having a discussion with her professor about her researches and publishing her own research paper, all established her understanding of chemistry and her ability of researching.

Being Obsessed by the Research

    Research makes her laugh. She said smilingly, “I can be happy for days because of things I discovered or made!” Although the fulfilment from solving problems is temporary, it is the main motive for me to keep going.“Once you see a problem, solve it.” Solving problems is the thing she likes to do the most. “Stand on the solid ground, be happy from it, there is no short cut in science.” She said that the path of research is long and tedious; you develop, you update, and you fail – this process goes over and over again.  Nevertheless, the result will make you extremely happy. You understand your own research result and others’ only when you’re organizing teaching materials and writing thesis, get things done. Have a high status in the academia yet understand her capabilities and incapability clearer – this is the Academician Yu Wang.

(Summarized by Nicole Chen)