Shoukai Wang is a Chinese Scientist who lives in the U.S.A., where he conducts research in multifunctional structural materials, including continuous carbon fiber

Carbon fiber

Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...

 polymer-matrix composites (which are important for aircraft and other lightweight structures) and cement-matrix composites (which include concrete and are the dominant materials for construction). He is known for his discovery of apparent negative resistance

Negative resistance

Negative resistance is a property of some electric circuits where an increase in the current entering a port results in a decreased voltage across the same port. This is in contrast to a simple ohmic resistor, which exhibits an increase in voltage under the same conditions. Negative resistors are...

 in carbon fiber polymer-matrix composites. The discovery was made in collaboration with Deborah D.L. Chung. This discovery is a part of his broader work on multifunctional structural materials, particularly those that are able to sense strain, damage and temperature. The ability to sense is basic to smart structures. Strain sensing is valuable for structural vibration control, as needed for satellites, aircraft, automobile and sporting goods

Sports equipment

Sports equipment is a general term for any object used for sport or exercise. Examples of sports equipment include:-Exercise equipment:Examples for exercise include swiss balls, weights, equipment for the gym...

. Damage sensing is valuable for structural health monitoring

Structural health monitoring

The process of implementing a damage detection and characterization strategy for engineering structures is referred to as Structural Health Monitoring . Here damage is defined as changes to the material and/or geometric properties of a structural system, including changes to the boundary conditions...

, which is urgently needed for enhancing air travel

Airliner

An airliner is a large fixed-wing aircraft for transporting passengers and cargo. Such aircraft are operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an aircraft intended for carrying multiple passengers in commercial...

 safety. The concern for air travel safety is heightened by composite aircraft traffic accidents

Car accident

A traffic collision, also known as a traffic accident, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle accident, car accident, automobile accident, Road Traffic Collision or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction,...

, particularly the 2001 Airbus (American Airlines Flight 587

American Airlines Flight 587

American Airlines Flight 587, an Airbus A300, crashed into the Belle Harbor neighborhood of Queens, a borough of New York City, New York, shortly after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport on November 12, 2001. This is the second deadliest U.S...

) accident in Queens, New York

Queens

Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....

, USA, in 2001.

Wang received his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical engineering

Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...

 from State University of New York at Buffalo

University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, also commonly known as the University at Buffalo or UB, is a public research university and a "University Center" in the State University of New York system. The university was founded by Millard Fillmore in 1846. UB has multiple campuses...

 in 2002. Since then, he has been conducting research in the Composite Materials Research Laboratory of the State University of New York at Buffalo in collaboration with Deborah D.L. Chung.

Wang presently lives in Buffalo, New York

Buffalo, New York

Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...

, with his wife Yun and his son Joseph.

External links

• http://alum.mit.edu/www/ddlchung