Biography:S. Y. Lee

From HandWiki

S. Y. Lee (Shih-Ying Lee; Traditional Chinese: 李詩穎; April 30, 1918[1][2] – July 2, 2018) was an American inventor, engineer and physicist who was noted for his research and innovation in hydrodynamics-related technologies. Lee was also an entrepreneur and Professor Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Biography

Lee was born in 1918 and grew up in Beiping (current Beijing), China .[2] Lee attended Tsinghua University in 1936, obtained his bachelor's degree in civil engineering in 1940.[3] Lee worked as a teaching assistant at Tsinghua for nearly two years and went to study in the United States in 1942. Lee obtained his PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1945.

After graduation, Lee soon taught engineering at MIT; and was promoted from teaching assistant to full professor and finally Professor Emeritus after his retirement in 1974.[4][5]

In 1985, Lee was elected Member of the United States National Academy of Engineering for his original research on control valve stability, for innovative dynamic measurement instrumentation, and for successful entrepreneurial commercialization of his inventions.[5] Lee has been granted many US patents.[6]

Lee was a notable businessman and founded or co-founded several companies specialized in process control and hydrodynamic instruments. Lee co-founded Dynisco Inc. and Setra Systems Inc.[7] with his brother Y. T. Li李耀滋 and was the Chairman of the company.[5] A scholarship fund at Tsinghua is based on Lee's generous donation and named after him ("清華校友李詩穎勵學基金").[3] He died in July 2018 at the age of 100.[4]

References

  • An Autobiography — China to MIT to Setra Systems (2007; Lee's autobiography)
  • Home at Tsinghua (《家在清华》; by S.Y. Lee; April, 2008)