Stephen Z.D. Cheng
Encyclopedia
Stephen Z.D. Cheng is an American
polymer scientist
and chemical engineer
. Cheng is the current Dean
of the College of Polymer Science & Polymer Engineering, and the R.C.Musson & Trustees Professor of Polymer Science at the University of Akron
.
in mathematics
from the East China Normal University
in Shanghai in 1977. Cheng received his MSc in polymer science
& engineering from the Donghua University
also in Shanghai in 1981. Cheng further pursued his study in the United States
. He became a graduate student at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
in 1981, and obtained his PhD
degree in Polymer Chemistry in May 1985.
Cheng became a faculty as an assistant professor of polymer science at the University of Akron
in October 1987. He was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 1991, and further the professor
of polymer science in 1995. Cheng became the Trustees Professor of Polymer Science in September 1998, and the Robert C. Musson Professor of Polymer Science in 2001, all at the University of Akron. From 2001 to 2005, Cheng was the Chairman of the Department of Polymer Science at the University of Akron, and he was appointed Dean
of the College of Polymer Science & Polymer Engineering on August 1, 2007.
Cheng was elected Fellow
of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
in 2006, Fellow of the American Physical Society
in 1994, Fellow of the North American Thermal Analysis Society in 1992. In 2008, Cheng was elected Member of the United States National Academy of Engineering.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
polymer scientist
Polymer science
Polymer science or macromolecular science is the subfield of materials science concerned with polymers, primarily synthetic polymers such as plastics...
and chemical engineer
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
. Cheng is the current Dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the College of Polymer Science & Polymer Engineering, and the R.C.Musson & Trustees Professor of Polymer Science at the University of Akron
University of Akron
The University of Akron is a coeducational public research university located in Akron, Ohio, United States. The university is part of the University System of Ohio. It was founded in 1870 as a small college affiliated with the Universalist Church. In 1913 ownership was transferred to the City of...
.
Biography
Cheng received his Bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
from the East China Normal University
East China Normal University
East China Normal University , was founded in October 1951 in western Shanghai, on the campus of Great China University. It is the first Normal University founded after the establishment of the People's Republic of China.-History:...
in Shanghai in 1977. Cheng received his MSc in polymer science
Polymer science
Polymer science or macromolecular science is the subfield of materials science concerned with polymers, primarily synthetic polymers such as plastics...
& engineering from the Donghua University
Donghua University
Donghua University is a public university in Shanghai, China administered by Chinese Ministry of Education and Shanghai municipality.-History:...
also in Shanghai in 1981. Cheng further pursued his study in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He became a graduate student at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
in 1981, and obtained his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
degree in Polymer Chemistry in May 1985.
Cheng became a faculty as an assistant professor of polymer science at the University of Akron
University of Akron
The University of Akron is a coeducational public research university located in Akron, Ohio, United States. The university is part of the University System of Ohio. It was founded in 1870 as a small college affiliated with the Universalist Church. In 1913 ownership was transferred to the City of...
in October 1987. He was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 1991, and further the professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of polymer science in 1995. Cheng became the Trustees Professor of Polymer Science in September 1998, and the Robert C. Musson Professor of Polymer Science in 2001, all at the University of Akron. From 2001 to 2005, Cheng was the Chairman of the Department of Polymer Science at the University of Akron, and he was appointed Dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the College of Polymer Science & Polymer Engineering on August 1, 2007.
Honors and awards
Cheng has been awarded,- The Presidential Young Investigator AwardPresidential Young Investigator AwardThe Presidential Young Investigator Award was awarded by the National Science Foundation. The program operated from 1984 to 1991, and was replaced by the NSF Young Investigator Awards and Presidential Faculty Fellows Program...
, by the White HouseWhite HouseThe White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
and the National Science FoundationNational Science FoundationThe National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
(NSF), 1991 - The American Chemical SocietyAmerican Chemical SocietyThe American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
(ACS) Akron Section Award, 1994 - The John H. Dillon Medal, from the American Physical SocietyAmerican Physical SocietyThe American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
(APS), 1995 - The Mettler-Toledo Award, from the North American Thermal Analysis Society, 1999
- The TA-Instrument Award, from the International Confederation for Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, 2004
- The Cooperative Research Award, from the ACS, 2005
Cheng was elected Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
in 2006, Fellow of the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
in 1994, Fellow of the North American Thermal Analysis Society in 1992. In 2008, Cheng was elected Member of the United States National Academy of Engineering.