Duy-Loan Le
Encyclopedia
Duy-Loan T. Le is an engineer and the first woman and Asian to get elected to the rank of Texas Instruments
Senior Fellow.
, in 1962, to a Vietnamese-Muslim family , she fled to the U.S. with no father and a family of nine in 1975, eventually settling in Houston.
Although Le knew no English on her arrival, she mastered the language fast enough to graduate from Alief Hastings High School
at 16 as Valedictorian of her class of 335 students.
In 1976, she received her first recognition in the US as 'Citizen of the Month' from Kiwanis International Club
.
In 1981, The Houston Chronicle
featured her as 'Scholastic Wonder', and Duy-Loan also received commendation from The Office of The Ambassador of The Royal Netherlands for her scholastic achievement and her humanitarian effort in fund raising to aid the Vietnamese refugees.
, from the University of Texas at Austin
and subsequently obtained her MBA in May 1989 from the University of Houston
while working full time. She began her career at Texas Instruments
as a memory design engineer.
Duy-Loan's technical contributions at Texas Instruments were recognized with her election as a Member of Technical Staff in 1990, Senior Member of Technical Staff in 1993, the first woman at TI to be elected Distinguished Member of Technical Staff in 1997 and the first woman elected TI-Fellow in 1999.
Currently, she manages development projects for wireless communications as TI program manager for Laplace, a Digital signal processor
(DSP) chip for 3G base stations, and manager of DSP Advanced Ramp. In 2002, Duy-Loan became the first Asian-American and the first woman to be elected TI Senior Fellow in Texas Instruments' 75 years of history, joining 4 other men who hold this title TI world wide, and today she remains the only woman with this title.
Duy-Loan has worked to advance education and learning conditions in Vietnam. She believes that by doing so, the environment for learning will produce more students who will be able to improve the overall state of Vietnam. She recently achieved her longtime dream of bringing soundly-built school facilities to rural Vietnam with the opening of “Thanh Thoi B”—a schoolhouse accommodating 120 elementary-age students—whose construction she played a leadership role in implementing. Her dream is to raise enough money to build 100 schools in five years. This activity complements well her similar effort in 10 other countries.
Ms. Le speaks annually at numerous national events to help create an environment that stimulates and releases leadership potential in women and Asian Americans.
Duy-Loan's service to the community includes:
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
Senior Fellow.
Early life
Born in Saigon, South VietnamSouth Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
, in 1962, to a Vietnamese-Muslim family , she fled to the U.S. with no father and a family of nine in 1975, eventually settling in Houston.
Although Le knew no English on her arrival, she mastered the language fast enough to graduate from Alief Hastings High School
Alief Hastings High School
Alief Hastings High School is a secondary school in the Alief neighborhood of Houston, Texas, United States. Originally named Alief Junior-Senior High School, the school's present location opened in 1972....
at 16 as Valedictorian of her class of 335 students.
In 1976, she received her first recognition in the US as 'Citizen of the Month' from Kiwanis International Club
Kiwanis
Kiwanis International is an international, coeducational service club founded in 1915. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Current membership is 240,000 members in 7,700 clubs in 80 nations...
.
In 1981, The Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
featured her as 'Scholastic Wonder', and Duy-Loan also received commendation from The Office of The Ambassador of The Royal Netherlands for her scholastic achievement and her humanitarian effort in fund raising to aid the Vietnamese refugees.
University work and career
In 1982, at the age of 19, Duy-Loan received her undergraduate BSEE degree, magna cum laudeLatin honors
Latin honors are Latin phrases used to indicate the level of academic distinction with which an academic degree was earned. This system is primarily used in the United States, Canada, and in many countries of continental Europe, though some institutions also use the English translation of these...
, from the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
and subsequently obtained her MBA in May 1989 from the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
while working full time. She began her career at Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
as a memory design engineer.
Duy-Loan's technical contributions at Texas Instruments were recognized with her election as a Member of Technical Staff in 1990, Senior Member of Technical Staff in 1993, the first woman at TI to be elected Distinguished Member of Technical Staff in 1997 and the first woman elected TI-Fellow in 1999.
Currently, she manages development projects for wireless communications as TI program manager for Laplace, a Digital signal processor
Digital signal processor
A digital signal processor is a specialized microprocessor with an architecture optimized for the fast operational needs of digital signal processing.-Typical characteristics:...
(DSP) chip for 3G base stations, and manager of DSP Advanced Ramp. In 2002, Duy-Loan became the first Asian-American and the first woman to be elected TI Senior Fellow in Texas Instruments' 75 years of history, joining 4 other men who hold this title TI world wide, and today she remains the only woman with this title.
Charity work
She participates in numerous charity and fund raising projects for colleges, orphanages, and charity foundations. Duy-Loan serves on the Board of two non-profit organizations which promote education and support social economic development projects in the third world.Duy-Loan has worked to advance education and learning conditions in Vietnam. She believes that by doing so, the environment for learning will produce more students who will be able to improve the overall state of Vietnam. She recently achieved her longtime dream of bringing soundly-built school facilities to rural Vietnam with the opening of “Thanh Thoi B”—a schoolhouse accommodating 120 elementary-age students—whose construction she played a leadership role in implementing. Her dream is to raise enough money to build 100 schools in five years. This activity complements well her similar effort in 10 other countries.
Ms. Le speaks annually at numerous national events to help create an environment that stimulates and releases leadership potential in women and Asian Americans.
Duy-Loan's service to the community includes:
- United Way, Vietnamese Culture & Science Association’s sponsored projects, and taught Junior Achievement for many years.
- Director of Mona FoundationMona FoundationMona Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports grassroots initiatives focused on education and raising the status of women and girls in the US and abroad...
, promoting education and supporting social economic development in 10 countries including Nur UniversityNur University (Bolivia)Nur University of Bolivia was established as a Bahá'í school of secondary education in August, 1984 and started its first academic year in April, 1985.-History:...
and Barli Vocational Institute for Rural Women in IndoreBarli Vocational Institute for Rural Women in IndoreThe Barli Development Institute for Rural Women in Indore is a Bahá'í inspired, though independent residential vocational education school providing programs for women in the vicinity of the city of Indore, India in the State of Madhya Pradesh as well as a base for outreach/non-residential training... - Founding member and Advisory Board Director for Sunflower mission bringing educational assistance to Vietnam.
- Founding member and Honorary Board Director for Science National Honor SocietyScience National Honor SocietyScience National Honor Society is an academic honor society focused on science for high school students within the United States. The society was established in 2000 in Texas and has expanded to over 277 schools in 33 states....
, promoting math and science at high schools. - ECE Visiting committee for The University of Texas College of EngineeringUniversity of Texas at Austin College of EngineeringThe Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin has more than 7,800 students enrolled in nine undergraduate degrees and thirteen graduate programs. The college is ranked sixth in the world according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities and eighth nationally by U.S...
. - Serving on University of Texas (UT) Commission 125, shaping UT’s educational future for the next 25 years.
- An invited speaker nationwide (including universities, IEEE, and Women in Technology InternationalWomen in Technology InternationalWomen in Technology International is a worldwide organization dedicated to the advancement of women in business and technology. It was established in 1989 by Carolyn Leighton as an email-based information network business....
(WITI))
Personal life
Duy-Loan Le is married to Tuan N. Dao. They have two sons, Dan Dao and Don Dao. Duy-Loan also holds a black belt in Taekwon-Do and has won several medals and trophies in the State of Texas. For fun, Duy-Loan enjoys deep-sea fishing, playing poker, and reading. She listens to classical music and also traditional Vietnamese music.Achievements and Awards
- Leader of the development of TI's Digital Signal Process products, including one recognized in the 2004 Guinness World RecordsGuinness World RecordsGuinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
as the fastest single-core DSP in the world. - Accumulated 24 patents, all earning places in Texas Instruments' Hall of Fame.
- Top 20 Houston Women in Technology in 2000
- Women in Technology Hall of Fame in 2001
- National Technologist of the Year at the Women of Color Conference held in Atlanta in September, 2002.
- Director of Board of National Instruments
- Outstanding Young Graduate Award from University of Texas-College of Engineering
- Outstanding Young Texas Exe Award from The University of Texas-Texas Exes
- Asian American Engineer of the year
- 2007 Anita Borg Institute Women of Vision AwardAnita Borg Institute Women of Vision AwardsThe Anita Borg Institute Women of Vision Awards honor exceptional technical women. Three awards are presented by the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology each year, recognizing women in the categories of Innovation, Leadership, and Social Impact.-Awards:...
for Leadership - Congressional Special Recognition
- In 2007, she made an appearance and was interviewed for her outstanding achievements on Paris By Night DVD 90 - "Chan Dung Nguoi Phu Nu Viet Nam," a musical show celebrating Vietnamese women around the world.
External links
- Sunflower Mission's Official Website
- Brief biography of Duy-Loan Le - Science National Honor SocietyScience National Honor SocietyScience National Honor Society is an academic honor society focused on science for high school students within the United States. The society was established in 2000 in Texas and has expanded to over 277 schools in 33 states....
- Asian American Forum 2003 Leadership Institute, Duy-Loan Le as one of the Featured Speakers
- Quick facts on Duy-Loan Le - University of Texas at Austin, Thursday, July 31, 2003
- Vang 2006 Honorees (archived 2006)
- Duy-Loan Le: Bold Visions Women in Science and Technology", TV documentary
- "Interview with Duy-Loan Le", Blacktie Arizona