T. T. Chang
Encyclopedia
T. T. Chang was a prominent Chinese
agricultural and environmental scientist.
in Shanghai and won the Boxer Rebellion Indemnity Scholarship Program
and completed his study in the United States
. Chang had three (older) sisters and one (younger) brother.
Chang finished his secondary education at the Saint John's School (a middle school
afflicted to the Saint John's University) in Shanghai. Chang at beginning studied agricultural science at the Saint John's University in Shanghai, which was his father's alma mater
. After about one year, Chang transferred to the University of Nanking
in Nanjing
and majored in agriculture
and horticulture
. Chang graduated from University of Nanking with BSA in 1949.
After graduation, Chang worked for the Council of Agriculture
in Guangzhou
, the capital city of Guangdong Province. During this period of time Shen Tsung-han (1895–1980, 沈宗瀚, born Ningbo
, Zhejiang
; death Taipei
, Taiwan
) was one of his mentors. Shen was the second and former Director-general
of the Council of Agriculture.
In 1950, Chang moved to Taiwan
and served as a technician in the Ministry of Agriculture. Recommended by Shen, in 1952 Chang went to study plant genetics at Cornell University
which was also the alma mater of Shen (Shen received his PhD
from Cornell). Chang obtained his MSc from Cornell in 1954 and continued his study at the University of Minnesota
where he earned PhD in 1959.
Chang went back to Taiwan in 1959. However, after two years of staying in Taiwan, Chang moved to Philippines
and worked for the International Rice Research Institute
(IRRI) in Los Baños
, Laguna. From 1962 to 1991, Chang managed the International Rice Germplasm Center.
The T. T. Chang Genetic Resources Center is named after him.
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
agricultural and environmental scientist.
Biography
Chang was born in Shanghai on April 3, 1927 to a "scholar-gentry" family. Chang's father graduated from the Saint John's UniversitySaint John's University, Shanghai
St. John's University was an Anglican university located in Shanghai, China. Before the Chinese Civil War it was regarded as one of the most prestigious universities in Shanghai and China...
in Shanghai and won the Boxer Rebellion Indemnity Scholarship Program
Boxer Rebellion Indemnity Scholarship Program
The Boxer Indemnity Scholarship Program was a scholarship program funded by Boxer Rebellion indemnity money paid to the United States that provided for Chinese students to study in the U.S...
and completed 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...
. Chang had three (older) sisters and one (younger) brother.
Chang finished his secondary education at the Saint John's School (a middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
afflicted to the Saint John's University) in Shanghai. Chang at beginning studied agricultural science at the Saint John's University in Shanghai, which was his father's alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
. After about one year, Chang transferred to the University of Nanking
University of Nanking
The University of Nanking was a private university in Nanjing, China. The University of Nanking was founded in 1888 and sponsored by American churches...
in Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
and majored in agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and horticulture
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
. Chang graduated from University of Nanking with BSA in 1949.
After graduation, Chang worked for the Council of Agriculture
Council of Agriculture
The Council of Agriculture is the official government body in the Republic of China charged with overseeing agricultural affairs. It is a child agency of the Executive Yuan and was formed in 1984 from the amalgamation of the Agriculture Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Council...
in Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, the capital city of Guangdong Province. During this period of time Shen Tsung-han (1895–1980, 沈宗瀚, born Ningbo
Ningbo
Ningbo is a seaport city of northeastern Zhejiang province, Eastern China. Holding sub-provincial administrative status, the municipality has a population of 7,605,700 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 3,089,180 in the built up area made of 6 urban districts. It lies south of the Hangzhou Bay,...
, Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
; death Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
) was one of his mentors. Shen was the second and former Director-general
Director-general
The term director-general is a title given the highest executive officer within a governmental, statutory, NGO, third sector or not-for-profit institution.-European Union:...
of the Council of Agriculture.
In 1950, Chang moved to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and served as a technician in the Ministry of Agriculture. Recommended by Shen, in 1952 Chang went to study plant genetics at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
which was also the alma mater of Shen (Shen received 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...
from Cornell). Chang obtained his MSc from Cornell in 1954 and continued his study at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
where he earned PhD in 1959.
Chang went back to Taiwan in 1959. However, after two years of staying in Taiwan, Chang moved to Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and worked for the International Rice Research Institute
International Rice Research Institute
The International Rice Research Institute is an international NGO. Its headquarters are in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines, and it has offices in sixteen countries...
(IRRI) in Los Baños
Los Baños, Laguna
The Nature and Science City of Los Baños is a 1st class urban city in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 98,631 inhabitants in 17,030 households...
, Laguna. From 1962 to 1991, Chang managed the International Rice Germplasm Center.
The T. T. Chang Genetic Resources Center is named after him.
Awards and honors
List of awards and honors received by Chang:- In 1969, John Scott AwardJohn Scott AwardThe John Scott Legacy Medal and Premium, created in 1816, is a medal presented to men and women whose inventions improved the "comfort, welfare, and happiness of human kind" in a significant way...
, Philadelphia, USA - In 1978, Fellow, American Society of AgronomyAmerican Society of AgronomyThe American Society of Agronomy is a scientific and professional society of agronomists and scientists of related disciplines, principally in the United States but with a large number of non-U.S. members as well...
(ASA) - In 1980, International Service in Agronomy Award, American Society of Agronomy (ASA)
- In 1982, Fellow and Chartered Biologist, Institute of BiologyInstitute of BiologyThe Institute of Biology was a professional body for biologists, primarily those working in the United Kingdom. The Institute was founded in 1950 by the Biological Council: the then umbrella body for Britain's many learned biological societies...
, UK - In 1985, Honorary Fellow, Crop Science Society of the Philippines
- In 1985, Fellow, Crop Science Society of America (CSSA)
- In 1986, Outstanding Achievement Award, University of MinnesotaUniversity of MinnesotaThe University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, USA - In 1988, Rank Prize in Agronomy and Nutrition, Rank Prize Foundation, UK
- In October 1990, Frank N. Meyer Award and Medal in Plant Germplasm, Cactus and Succulent Society of AmericaCactus and Succulent Society of AmericaThe Cactus and Succulent Society of America was founded in 1929 in Pasadena, California and has grown to encompass over 80 affiliated clubs and thousands of members worldwide...
(CSSA), USA - In 1990, Honorary Research Fellow, China National Rice Research Institute, and China Academy of Agriculture & Forestry, P.R.China
- In 1991, International Service in Crop Science Award, Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), USA
- In 1993, Honorary Fellow, Society for the Advancement of Breeding Research in Asia and Oceania (SABRAO)
- In 1994, SINAG Award (Guiding Light Award), IRRI, Philippines
- In 1994, Foreign Member, United States National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of SciencesThe National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
(NAS), USA - In 1996, Fellow, National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
- In 1996, Academician, Academia SinicaAcademia SinicaThe Academia Sinica , headquartered in the Nangang District of Taipei, is the national academy of Taiwan. It supports research activities in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from mathematical and physical sciences, to life sciences, and to humanities and social sciences.Academia Sinica has...
, Taipei - In 1996, Member, TWAS, the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World
- On April 18, 1997, Fellow, Pontifical Academy of SciencesPontifical Academy of SciencesThe Pontifical Academy of Sciences is a scientific academy of the Vatican, founded in 1936 by Pope Pius XI. It is placed under the protection of the reigning Supreme Pontiff. Its aim is to promote the progress of the mathematical, physical and natural sciences and the study of related...
, Vatican CityVatican CityVatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of... - In 1999, Tyler Prize for Environmental AchievementTyler Prize for Environmental AchievementThe Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement is an award for environmental science, environmental health and energy. Tyler Laureates receive a $200,000 annual prize and a gold medallion...