Wu Jong-shinn
Wu Jong-shinn (Chinese: 吳宗信; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Gô͘ Chong-sìn, also Wu Tsung-hsin; born 1964) is a Taiwanese scientist, professor, and administrator. He is the director general of the Taiwan Space Agency.
Early life
[edit]Wu was born in rural Tainan. His parents were illiterate, and worked in primarily in agriculture, as well as other manual jobs. Wu's first language was Taiwanese Hokkien, and he struggled with the language of instruction, Taiwanese Mandarin, until the second grade. Due to his family's economic status, Wu and his siblings were not provided with opportunities to build model rockets, but during Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, they set off firecrackers.[1]
Education and career
[edit]In 1986 he received a BS in mechanical engineering from National Taiwan University and a MS in the same field from the same school in 1988. In 1994 he received a PhD in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan. Upon returning to Taiwan the following year, he went to work for the National Space Organization and stayed there for two years. In 1998 he joined the faculty of National Chiao Tung University and has spent his career there becoming a distinguished professor.[2][1]
Wu's work with students led to the first successful test launch of a hybrid rocket in Taiwan, from the Syuhai launch site in Mudan, Pingtung, in 2010. Two years later, he was named the inaugural director of the Advanced Rocket Research Center. In 2015, while affiliated with the ARRC, Wu gave the first full TEDx Talk in Taiwanese Hokkien. The following year, Wu co-founded the space technology company TiSPACE, alongside some former students. Wu's character and career up to this point inspired the Mayday song "Tough", released on the 2016 album History of Tomorrow. He left TiSPACE in 2018.[1]
His specialization is in system engineering, hybrid rocket propulsion and plasma physics.[3]
He is known as “rocket uncle.”[1][4]
In August 2021 he was appointed to replaced acting National Space Organization director general Yu Hsien-cheng.[4][5]
Awards and fellowships
[edit]He is an American Society of Mechanical Engineers fellow, an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) associate fellow, and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers member. He sits on the AIAA Hybrid Rocket Technical Committee.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Chung, Yu-chen (10 February 2024). "FEATURE/'Rocket uncle' keeps Taiwan's space dream alive". Central News Agency. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Prof. Jong-Shinn Wu". nctu.edu.tw. NCTU. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ Lin, Chia-nan. "New director takes over at space organization". Taipei Times. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ a b Jiang, Sarah. "Taiwan's 'Rocket Uncle' steps up as director of National Space Organization". Taiwan News. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- ^ Park, Si-soo. "University of Michigan graduate named to lead Taiwan's space agency". spacenews.com. Space News. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
- Living people
- University of Michigan College of Engineering alumni
- National Taiwan University alumni
- 1964 births
- 21st-century Taiwanese physicists
- Academic staff of the National Chiao Tung University
- Rocket scientists
- Space program of Taiwan
- Scientists from Tainan
- Fellows of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers