===================== D C E A __ O N L I N E ======================
(No. 9)
Wednesday, November 18, 1998
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Online Newsletter of the Detroit Chinese Engineers Association (DCEA)
DCEA Web Site: http://www.wwnet.net/~dcea
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Table of Contents
[DCEA News]
1. Important Correction of DCEA Board Member Election Ballot
2. DCEA Present Dr. David Chang with our First Outstanding Achievement Award
3. Call for Papers: 1999 Detroit Automotive Technology Conference and Exposition
4. Message from DCEA President - Chin Kuo
5. Welcome You to Join Us at DCEA Annual Membership Meeting
6. DCEA President Joined National Round Table Discussion
[Community News]
1. Bannerman Fellowship Soliciting Nominations
2. David Wu, the First Chinese American Elected to the U.S. House
3. Job Opportunities
[Sign On/Off Instructions]
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DCEA NEWS
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1. Important Correction of DCEA Board Member Election Ballot
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On the official DCEA ballot we mailed out to members last week, there is
a serious mix-up on candidates' bio info section. The last sentence under
Dr. Nanxin (Nancy) Wang's bio info should really be under Dr. Zhenxing (Zach)
Fu's bio, i.e., Dr. Zach Fu was the graphics editor of the 1998 DCEA annual
conference program, not Nancy. Dr. Fu also was the mastermind of our DCEA
webpage and he designed the artistic Java frontpage. We apologize to Dr. Fu
for this mix-up and we hope those who haven't mailed out the ballots please
do so before the deadline of December 1.
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2. DCEA Present Dr. David Chang with our First Outstanding Achievement Award
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The purposes of DCEA are to promote greater communication among all members and
to advance technology and career. To this end, the DCEA has grown over
the years into a global scientific organization with more than 300 active
members. With the rapid growth of new technology, DCEA has organized technical
symposiums and seminars to meet the global challenges in the 21st century.
This year the Board of Directors have established an annual award to recognize
outstanding achievement by a member. This award will honor an engineer,
scientist, or professor from the Chinese Community in the Detroit metropolitan
area who has shown outstanding achievement in engineering, technical leadership,
and community activities.
Dr. David Chang is the recipient of the 1998 DCEA Outstanding Achievement Award
Dr. David Chang, Director of Engineering of General Motors, is recognized for
his outstanding technical achievement, great leadership, and devoted community
service that contribute to the well being of the society.
(1) Technical Achievement: Dr. Chang's technical expertise includes structural
mechanics, composite materials, finite element technology, and vehicle crash
worthiness. David has authored many technical papers, co-authored a book on
Vehicle Structures. His technical achievements have been recognized by SAE
1978 A.T. Colwell Merit Award and the General Motors Charles L. McCuen Achievement
Award for extraordinary accomplishments in predictive analysis of vehicle crash
behavior.
(2) Leadership: As the Director of the GM Global Vehicle Synthesis, Analysis,
& Simulation Process Center, David leads in computer-aided design activities
for all GM car and truck platforms. These activities include the development,
deployment and application of math-based methods, processes, and procedures;
as well as the requirements for the requisite technical computing infrastructure.
Prior to this assignment, Dr. Chang spent 15 years as a researcher in the GM
Research Lab and 10 years at GM's Midsize Car Division where he led pioneering
efforts resulting in the integration of math-based synthesis into a systems
engineering based vehicle development process.
(3) Community Service: David has been involved in many diverse Chinese community
activities such as the President of the Detroit Chinese Engineering Association
(two terms), Chairman of the Board of the Chinese School of Greater Detroit, the
current Chairman of the Chinese Community Center Advisory Council, and the Honorable
Board Member of Chinese Choir group in Michigan. Recently Dr. Chang received the
1997 National Asian American Corporate Achievement Award from OCA for his outstanding
contributions to the Chinese-American Community.
DCEA is proud to present Dr. David Chang with our first Outstanding Achievement Award.
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3. Call for Papers: 1999 Detroit Automotive Technology Conference and Exposition
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1999 Detroit Automotive Technology Conference and Exposition
Lawrence Technological University, Wayne Buell Management Building
21000 West Ten Mile Road, Southfield, MI 48075
March 6 1999
CALL FOR PAPERS
SPONSOR: Detroit Chinese Engineers Association (DCEA)
For many years, this annual conference has been providing a unique platform for
Chinese engineers, students, professors, and researchers working in the greater
Detroit area whose work or interest are related to the automotive industry. As
the Big-Three become more globalized and more Chinese professionals
and scholars move into the area, the conference is becoming ever popular.
Every year, many attend this conference to broaden their knowledge, to find
new ideas and to network with colleagues. This conference has attracted not
only local professionals and students, but also many industry leaders and
scholars from China, Taiwan, and Hongkong. They have shown strong interest in
participating the conference and brought with them important and interesting
information and perspectives of automotive industry on both sides of the
Pacific.
Most of the presenters in the conference are experts in their fields and have
broad as well as in-depth understanding of the technical challenges and
advanced methodologies. As in the past, rather than emphasizing on detailed
and narrow topics as most technical conference do, this conference's emphasis
is to provide broad overviews of a diverse set
of engineering disciplines and the latest developments in the fields.
The uniqueness and the importance of the conference has been well recognized.
Ford,
General Motors, and many other companies have provided financial support to the
conference, and many high-level managers or directors have come to address the
conference audience.
This is an open conference for which we invite technical papers or critical
review
papers in all fields of automotive engineering and science. Current fields of
interest are recommended
and listed below. However, any new topics beyond these subjects are also
welcome to
submit. All papers can be a review paper based on recent publication in the
general
public domain. However, each submission must have their company management
approval
for publication.
Technical papers are invited in all fields of engineering including
but not limited to:
Auto-safety and health
CAD/CAE/CAM methodologies
Vehicle reliability and durability
Electronics and electrical engineering
Emission control and environmental protection
Engine and powertrain technology
Hybrid electric vehicle
Information technology
Knowledge-based engineering
Manufacturing technology
Materials and components
Submission and Review Process:
Authors should submit 1 copy of abstract or summary for your proposed
presentation.
Abstract or summary should not exceed one page length including
figures and
tables.
Important Dates:
Abstract and papers due: January 25, 1999
Notification of Acceptance: February 8, 1999
Conference Date: March 6, 1999
All electronic submissions should be sent to:
Dr. Tai Chan, General Motors Corp. (tchan@notes.gmr.com)
Dr. Eric Che, General Motors Corp. (chche@rmastat.ma.gmr.com)
Dr. Ron Chen, Detroit Diesel (rchen01@detroitdiesel.com)
Dr. James Cheng, Ford Motor Company (jcheng@ford.com)
Dr. Jie Cheng, Ford Motor Company (jcheng1@ford.com)
Dr. Chin Kuo, Wayne State University (kuo@dbo.eng.wayne.edu)
Dr. Ron Liu, Ford Motor Company (dliu1@ford.com)
Dr. Simon Tung, General Motors Corp. (stung@notes.gmr.com)
Dr. Kingman Yee, Lawrence Technological University (yee@ltu.edu)
Any hardcopy submission should be sent to:
DCEA, P.O. Box 1595, Warren, MI 48090
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4. Message from DCEA President - Chin Kuo
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My term as the 1998 DCEA President is approaching to the end. This has
been another very productive year for DCEA. I want to thank the
supportive Board of Directors, active participation of our members and
all corporation sponsors throughout the year. We believe that DCEA is
extremely healthy in all counts and in fact continues to grow.
We had two successful technical meetings, the February 1998 Annual
Technology Conference and October 1998 Information Technology Seminar.
Our financial status is sound. We lost the copy of our bylaws during the
past transitions of officers and a new one has been approved by the
Board and ready to seek for your endorsement. This year, we initiated
the web page, http://www.wwnet.net/~dcea, and published hard copy
newsletters and online news via email alias. Please make sure your email
address is included in the 1999 membership renewal form when you mail it
back. You should have also received a copy of DCEA Directory. If you
notice, the status of your membership fee payment is indicated along
with your name. I urge you to pay the fee that is overdue and send in
the membership fee for 1999. For your information, the Board has
approved a new fee of $25 with the plan that there will be no
registration fees for members who attend technical meetings. However,
meals will be charged if it is necessary. For clarification, the 1999
membership fee covers calendar year 1999. For the first time, DCEA has
selected Dr. David Chang as our first recipient of DCEA Achievement
Award. We have joined the Coalition of Chinese American Organizations
in Metropolitan Detroit area in sponsoring such a meaningful event to
recognize individuals who have demonstrated professional achievement,
leadership and community service. In the same occasion, DCEA also for
the first time to join Association of Chinese Americans in sponsoring
High School Scholarship Awards. We have sponsored two with $500 check
and a plaque and four with $100 U.S. Saving Bond and a plaque. These six
outstanding high school seniors are all heading to engineering schools.
We are supporting the next generation engineers. Other events that DCEA
have participated in are Soup Kitchen, Detroit China Flood Relief, Ohio
Chinese Engineers Club Annual Meeting and a sponsor of Ann Arbor Chinese
Student Computer Competition.
The objective of the Association is to promote greater communication
among members to advance technology and career. I hope you would
continue to be a part of this progressive Association and actively
involved under the leadership of new President Dr. Jie Cheng. Have a
nice Holiday Season. Best regards.
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5. Welcome You to Join Us at DCEA Annual Membership Meeting
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Annual Membership Meeting will be held on Saturday, December 5, 1998 at
the Golden Harvest Chinese Restaurant, 29900 Van Dyke between 12 and 13
Mile Road adjacent to GM Tech Center in Warren, 810 751-7610. Meeting
registration and membership renewal will begin 11:30 a.m. Lunch will be
served. The cost will be $6 for members and the rest will be subsidized
by DCEA. Please contact Dr. Tai Chan (phone: 810 986-2518 or email
tchan@notes.gmr,com) by noon, December 2, 1998. Please note that RSVP is
required. Tentative meeting agenda is as follows.
1. Welcome and President's Report (Kuo)
2. Treasurer's Report (Chan)
3. Results of Voting on New Board Members and Approval of Bylaws (Yee)
4. Recognition of Outgoing Board Members (Kuo)
5. Introduction of New President, Dr. Jie Cheng (Kuo)
6. New President's Remarks (Jie Cheng)
7. Announcements if any and other Old and New Business (Cheng)
8. Meeting Adjourns
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6. DCEA President Joined National Round Table Discussion
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Dr. Chin Y. Kuo, DCEA President, was invited to join three other
engineering deans from University of Illinois, Howard University and
Dartmouth University to be the guests of a round table discussion in a
national TV show "The Executive Forum" hosted by former astronaut
Captain James Lovell, Jr., the Apollo 13 Commander and other space
missions. The topic of discussion is on innovation and advancement of
engineering education and how we educate engineers for corporate America
for the next century. The show was taped in New York studio in November
and will be aired in major network in major cities in the country
including Detroit and three other cities in Michigan.
Also, he delivered an invited talk on engineering education and was a
panel discussion members along with three other engineering deans from
University of Nortre Dame, University of Washington and Johns Hopkins
University who were invited by the National Science Foundation in a
workshop designed to assist young engineering educators in academic
career development who all have received prestigious NSF "CAREER"
awards. The focus is on integration of teaching and research, awareness
of globalization and partnership with industry.
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COMMUNITY NEWS
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1. Bannerman Fellowship Soliciting Nominations
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The Bannerman Fellowship Program was established to honor
outstanding activists of color and give them an opportunity for
reflection and renewal. You may know of community activists who would
welcome an opportunity to participate. Bannerman Fellows receive stipends
of $15,000 for sabbaticals of 3 months or more. The Program recognizes
that working for social change usually means long hours at low pay, with
few tangible rewards and few escapes from day-to-day pressures. Without
time to stop and reflect, the pressures can prove overwhelming; but without
resources, it is impossible to take tim.e Therefore, the Program gives long-time
activists of color the financial support and freedom to take a break and
recharge. Each year, ten new Fellows are chosen by a board made up
primarily of past fellows (the program has been around since 1988 and
more than 100 fellows have participated). The deadline to apply is
December 1. For more information, please contact: Bannerman Fellowship Program
1627 Lancaster Street Baltimore, MD 21231 tel. 410/327-6220
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2. David Wu, the First Chinese American Elected to the U.S. House
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Wu Heads To The House - The Democrat wins the 1st District race and is
the chamber's first Chinese American
Friday, November 6, 1998
By Steve Suo and Laura Oppenheimer of The Oregonian staff
Democrat David Wu, Oregon's next representative from the 1st
Congressional District and the first Chinese American elected
to the U.S. House, calmly accepted victory Thursday before
beginning what some key Democrats predicted would be a star
freshman year.
"Most people would think, 'Boy, what a killjoy; he ought to
be hitting the ceiling or something,'" Wu told a friend shortly
after taking Republican Molly Bordonaro's phone call conceding
defeat about 11:15 a.m. "But I was driving along this morning
thinking, 'Boy, if this does break today, this is a big responsibility.'"
An agonizingly slow count of absentee ballots had dragged out
the suspense in Oregons highest-profile political contest this
year. But with about two-thirds of the votes counted Thursday,
Wu led Bordonaro 53 percent to 44 percent, and it became clear
he could not lose.
Bordonaro, seated in her living room, told reporters she had
wished Wu well and said she was proud of her decision not to
respond to his attack ads during the final week of the election
with her own.
"Changing how negative politics has gotten has got to start
somewhere," Bordonaro said. "Making the right choice doesn't
always have the best immediate outcome, but I think that making
the right choice will have a positive outcome in the long term."
Bordonaro, 30, a public relations consultant and lobbyist from
Raleigh Hills, sounded ready to leave politics for the time being.
She talked of starting a family with her husband, Matt, 35, within
the next few years and joked that his "biological clock is ticking."
"I do want to focus on some other things in life," she said.
Democrat Les AuCoin, who represented the 1st District from 1975
to 1993, said party leaders probably will view Wu, 43, a Portland
lawyer, as a rising star in the marginally Democratic district. As
a result, he said, they probably will elevate him to a committee
where he can have an immediate effect.
"I am convinced he's got an incredible shot at Appropriations,"
AuCoin said of the House committee that oversees federal spending.
"It will not be easy, but he's got characteristics and capabilities
that make him very attractive to party leadership."
Retiring U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Furse, D-Ore., whom Wu will replace,
agreed that Wu has a strong shot at the Appropriations Committee,
which has no members from Oregon.
"They want to make sure that he has a successful first term," Furse
said, "so he goes into a second election having done a lot of things
and good things for Oregon."
The House Democrats' Steering and Policy Committee typically meets
in December to choose members for the minority party's allotted slots
on committees.
Outside Oregon, Wu's victory received national and international
attention. Not only was it was the last undecided House race in the
nation, but Chinese journalists and writers for Asian American
publications in the United States flocked to Portland interview Wu,
who immigrated from Taiwan at age 6 and turned his immigrant's tale
into a campaign message.
Wu called his status as the first Chinese American congressman
"a special responsibility," but he played it down, saying his new
job would be a special responsibility even if he weren't making
history. But the news bouyed Michael Lin, president of the
Organization of Chinese Americans.
"The bottom line is to make sure Chinese Americans are protected
an treated fairly," Lin said. "If that's not happening, well look
to David to speak for our rights."
Wu, whose law partnership represents high-technology start-up
companies, began his campaign as a virtual unknown late last year.
Raised in Southern California, he graduated from Stanford University,
attended medical school at Harvard University and earned a law degree
at Yale University before settling in Oregon.
Wu campaigned on the theme that everyone should have the same
educational opportunities he had, offering a plan to expand the
Head Start preschool program, increase job training and improve
college financial aid.
He weighed in against a better-known Democratic opponent in the May
primary election: Linda Peters, the Washington County Board of
Commissioners chairwoman. She had received an early endorsement
from the powerful Emily's List, which sends money to Democratic
women who support abortion rights.
But Wu kicked in $100,000 of his own money and sped ahead of Peters,
benefiting from several missteps by her and a series of tough
campaign attacks that party leaders criticized. He then managed to
match Bordonaro in fund raising in the general election. He defeated
her after painting her as a conservative in moderate's clothing,
pointing to positions on abortion, gun control and education she
took during her 1996 campaign for Congress.
Wu said during an interview Thursday that the only message he took
from the Democrats' gain of five seats in the House was that he
would have an easier time passing his education initiatives.
"Because education was talked about in so many different races, it
does improve the chances at the federal level for more effective
and substantial improvements in education," Wu said.
He said he already has spoken with Democratic freshman Brian Baird
of Washington about working together on college financial-aid
legislation. He spoke by phone with U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore.,
whom Wu said sounded open to discussing his pitch for Head Start.
High-technology executives, turned off by Wu's opposition to some
free-trade policies they support, should be heartened by his work
on education, Wu said.
Wu also said he wants to remove U.S. restrictions on export of computer
encryption technology -- a move the industry desires. And he hopes
to make use of his experience traveling in Asia and negotiating
international trade deals for his legal clients. He said he could
lobby Asian governments to open their markets to U.S. goods.
If Wu was nervous, he didn't show it Thursday during a victory speech
at his downtown Portland campaign headquarters in the Galleria mall.
He shook hands and answered questions with a steady and constant smile.
Wu told the crowd he is ready to put his heated -- and often
accusatory -- campaign against Bordonaro behind him and start chipping
away at his "to do" list.
Wu plans to start assembling a staff and meeting with 1st Congressional
District community leaders during the next couple of days. But Wu
said his priority is spending time with his wife, Michelle, and
1-year-old son, Matthew, who stood next to him Thursday while
about 100 reporters, staff members and friends gathered around.
Wu paused a few times to glance down at his son and interrupted
himself to joke with the crowd. "The questions are too tough," he
told reporters with a grin when Matthew started crying.
ORGANIZATION OF CHINESE AMERICANS
1001 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 707
Washington, D.C. 20036 202-223-5500 202-296-0540 (F)
oca@ocanatl.org www.ocanatl.org
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3. Job Opportunity
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Project Leader of Operational Analysis Team
Primary Responsibilities:
This position is for a mid-sized (approximately 275 people)
engineering consulting firm in the Southfield, Michigan area.
The person will be responsible for the management, development,
and growth of the operational analysis group. They will manage
11-13 person simulation team, perform some project work, quality
and technical advisement, establish and maintaining budgets,
proposal development and estimate reviews, and they will work with
sales team and give some presentations.
Expected Minimal Qualifications:
At least 5-7 years experience in applying simulation and other
industrial engineering techniques to manufacturing situations.
Must be proficient in Automod and have a working knowledge of
other software (MS Office, Word, Excel, Access, etc). Need
business development experience, personnel management experience,
and should be very familiar with the automotive assembly plant
processes. Bachelor's degree required. WITNESS, ProModel,
ARENA, QUEST, etc. a plus.
Summary:
This person would be responsible for managing the 11-13 person
simulation team along with building internal simulation projects
as well as providing external business solutions. Great opportunity
for personal and professional growth with an excellent company.
Interested Candidates should contact Jo Ellen Aspin by email or
telephone ASAP.
Jo Ellen Aspin
Phone: (248) 945-2717 (direct line)
Email: joaspin@engsvcs.com
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