Dr. Yu Wang, a professor of NTU's Department of Chemistry, was announced the winner of the 2009 "Outstanding Women in Science " Award. As a scientist devoted to the study of electron density distribution, chemical bonding, the electronic structure of metal ions, and X-ray crystallography, Dr. Wang's winning the outstanding women scientist award was most appropriate and widely acknowledged. The presentation ceremony was held on January 19th, officiated by Dr. Chao-han Liu, Vice President of Academia Sinica and also Chairman of the Chien-Hsiung Wu Education Foundation. Former President of Academia Sinica Dr. Yuan-Tseh Lee and Chairman of the National League of Women Mrs. Cecilia Yen Koo also graced the occasion with their presence. The organizer of the event arranged high school girl students to have a chat with the winner of the award in the hope of inspiring their interests in science.

The Taiwan L'Oreal Company initiated the "Outstanding Women in Science" Award in 2008 for the explicit purpose of rewarding women scientists' contributions to Taiwan society. The Chien-hsiung Wu Education Foundation was responsible for reviewing the candidates. Starting from this year, the Award is fully sponsored by the National League of Women, organized by the Chien-hsiung Wu Education Foundation and the National League of Women, and co-organized by the Taiwan L'Oreal Company.

The goal of the "Outstanding Women in Science Award" is to: reward Taiwan women scientists' efforts in scientific research and their contributions; carry forward Dr. Chien-hsiung Wu's legacy in 20th century scientific research, and, by setting examples of outstanding women scientists, encourage young female students to pursue scientific research as their lifelong careers. Lastly, the Award aims to elevate the reputation of Taiwan's female scientists in the international academia, and to spur international academic exchange. According to the regulations of this Award, before the end of a certain year winners are to be selected from women scientists who have made outstanding achievements in the area of life science or material science and who have made remarkable contributions to the scientific progress of Taiwan. As 2009 is an odd year, the winner is to be selected from the material science category.

The 2009 winner Dr. Yu Wang was born in 1943. She graduated from the Hsin-chu Girl's High School, passed the College Entrance Examination and was admitted to the Department of Pharmacology at NTU. In her sophomore year she transferred to the Department of Chemistry, and forged a strong bond with chemistry henceforth. In 1966 she graduated from the Department of Chemistry, and in 1973 she earned a doctoral degree from the University of Illinois, specializing in crystallography. In 1979 she came back to Taiwan to teach at the Department of Chemistry at NTU, where she has stayed on the job for thirty years.

Professor Wang's list of academic honors is long and winding, the principal ones include: National Science Council Award for Outstanding Research, Sun Yat Sen Award for Academic Publications, Ministry of Education Award for Outstanding Research, Chinese Chemical Society Academic Award, Distinguished Professor Award, NTU, etc.

Professor Wang's administrative experiences have been equally outstanding. She was the first female Dean of the College of Sciences of NTU, the first female Head of the Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics of the National Science Council, and she served as the Presidents of Taiwan's Crystallographic Society and the Asia Crystallographic Association. Currently she is the editor-in-chief of Journal of Chinese Chemical Society. In her academic career she has made remarkable contributions to scientific research and to the fostering of scientific talents. Besides her domestic achievements, Dr. Wang is a stellar performer in the international arena, as she was instrumental in forming the Taiwan chapter of the International Association of Crystallography, and served as Executive Secretary, Vice President, and President of the Asian Crystallographic Association. In 1990 she inaugurated the Taiwan/Japan bilateral symposium on crystallography, which has been going on for 18 years to date.

Professor Wang's research achievements and her leadership skills have been extraordinary, so she can be regarded as a paragon of virtue in Taiwan's scientific circles. She truly deserved to win the 2009 "Outstanding Women in Science" Award. NTU feels proud of her and shares her honor. For more information, log onto the official website of the Wu Chien-hsiung Education Foundation at: http://www.wcs.org.tw/women_scientist/women_scientist.htm.