Carnegie Mellon University Dedicates Statue of Its First Ph.D. Graduate and Leading Chinese Engineer

Carnegie Mellon University Dedicates Statue of Its First Ph.D. Graduate and Leading Chinese Engineer

May 08, 2006

    PITTSBURGH, May 8 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Carnegie
Mellon University has placed a statue of famed Chinese
engineer, educator and alumnus Mao Yisheng on its campus in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA).

    (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020422/CMULOGO )

    The statue commemorates the achievements of Mao, who
earned the first Ph.D. from the Carnegie Institute of
Technology (now Carnegie Mellon) in 1919.

    "Carnegie Mellon is immensely proud of the
accomplishments of Mao Yisheng, our first Ph.D. graduate.
His contributions to major engineering projects and his
immense impact as an educator in China make him truly one
of the most important engineers of the 20th century.  His
career illustrates Carnegie Mellon's global reach and adds
further luster to Carnegie Mellon's history," said
Carnegie Mellon President Jared L. Cohon.

    Mao was one of the preeminent engineering minds of the
20th century. After receiving his doctor's degree, he went
on to design two of China's most famous modern bridges --
the Qiantang River Bridge near Hangchow and the Yangtze
River Bridge at Wuhan. He also led the structural design of
the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

    Mao was on the faculty of five major universities and
served as president of four. He helped to transform Chinese
engineering education by introducing new subject matter and
problem-solving techniques into university curricula. He
was also a distinguished scholar of the history of science
in China.

    The statue includes an inscription from China Premier
Wen Jiabao.

    The Broad Air Conditioning Company, based in China,
donated the statue to Carnegie Mellon. Its installation was
supported by several donors: Astorino; China Construction
America Inc.; China State Engineering Corporation; Cost
Company; Mao Yisheng Science and Technology Education Fund;
and Sheen Harbour Ltd.

    For more information, please contact:

     Teresa Thomas,
     Carnegie Mellon University
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

SOURCE  Carnegie Mellon University