FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 2, 2024
Media Contact: Melissa Stek, media@aasforum.org
AASF hosted the Inaugural Asian American Pioneer Medal Symposium and Ceremony
Washington, D.C.– Celebrating our shared national history, the hope of the American Dream, and the significant societal contributions of Asian American pioneering researchers and scientists, the Asian American Scholar Forum hosted, in partnership with Stanford University Asian American Activities Center, the very first Asian American Pioneer Medal Symposium and Ceremony on July 27th at Stanford Memorial Auditorium. With more than 1,300 registrants, the award ceremony was brimming with excitement and pride as attendees from across the country and abroad came to honor the transformative contributions of six Asian American pioneers, hear remarks from esteemed public servants, and foster industry and academic exchange.
Pioneer Medal Award Recipients
Asian American Pioneer Medal recipients and their families are available to interview upon request.
- Nasir Ahmed, Professor Emeritus, University of New Mexico, honored for “inventing discrete cosine transform (DCT) for media compression”
- M. C. Frank Chang, Wintek Chair in Electrical Engineering and Distinguished Professor, UCLA, honored for “inventing heterojunction power amplifier for mobile communication”
- Dawon Kahng, President Emeritus, NEC Research Institute, posthumously honored for “co-discovery of the floating gate memory effect”
- Teresa H. Meng, Reid Weaver Dennis Professor of Electrical Engineering, Emerita, Stanford University, honored for “inventing integrated CMOS radio to make WiFi everywhere”
- Raj Reddy, Turing Award Laureate, Moza Bint Nasser University Professor, Carnegie Mellon University, honored for “inventing continuous speech recognition”
- Simon M. Sze, Honorary Chair Professor Emeritus, National Chiao Tung University (NCTU), posthumously honored for “co-discovery of the floating gate memory effect”
The symposium and award ceremony brought together some of the most distinguished minds in energy, artificial intelligence, life sciences, and leadership – including Nobel Prize laureates Steven Chu and Randy Schekman, Turing Award laureates Raj Reddy and John Hennessy, and leading industry figures, such as CEO and Founder of Zoom, Eric Yuan and AASF Leadership Council member, Diane Greene. We welcomed academic leaders such as Jonathan Levin, the 13th president of Stanford University; Arun Majumdar, the dean of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability; Tsu-Jae King Liu, the dean of the College of Engineering at UC Berkeley; and Andrea J. Goldsmith, the dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Princeton University. The event also featured notable speakers such as Dr. Arati Prabhakar (U.S. Cabinet member and Science Advisor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy), Sethuraman Panchanathan (Director of the U.S. National Science Foundation), and Representative Judy Chu (D-CA 28th District and Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus).
Said Professor Kai Li, AASF Founding Vice President & Symposium and Ceremony Program Co-Chair: “The Inaugural Asian American Pioneer Medal Ceremony honors individuals whose fundamental contributions have profoundly transformed our lives. This event brings their remarkable achievements to the forefront, ensuring that these stories are preserved, celebrated, and shared with everyone in our country.”
Said Professor Yi Cui, AASF Founding Board Member & Symposium and Ceremony Program Co-Chair: “Co-hosting this event at Stanford University was deeply rewarding. With over 1,300 attendees, our partnership in celebrating, supporting, and recognizing the achievements of our honorees was an outstanding success.”
Said Professor Yasheng Huang, AASF Founding President: “AASF’s commitment to advancing the principles of inclusion, recognition, and support for Asian American scholars made this event possible. We are honored to have played a role in illuminating often invisible parts of American history and the groundbreaking work of these six pioneers.”
Said Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Esq., AASF Executive Director: “The stories we heard and the community we’ve built are a testament to the enduring spirit of these six American pioneers. Their eagerness to contribute to their country and their remarkable achievements showcase the human desire to create something wonderful that benefits those around us. Recognizing these often hidden figures is crucial so the next generation may feel a greater sense of belonging.”
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Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) is a national non-profit that promotes academic belonging, openness, freedom, and equality for all. In response to heightened anti-Asian sentiments and profiling in the U.S., AASF has been a leading national voice fighting for the rights of Asian American and immigrant scientists, researchers, and scholars. AASF membership includes members from the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Science and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, in addition to past and current university presidents, provost, vice provosts, deans, associate deans and past and current department chairs.