By Joshua Tam
Why did the story of nuclear physicist Chien-Shiung Wu mean so much to me?
As a third-generation Chinese American who recently earned my bachelor’s degree, I often think about my ancestors and their journey from the Gom Benn Village in China to the land of opportunity in the United States.
My entire life and the profession I have pursued is only possible because of all the sacrifices my family made before me. From an early age, my grandparents, Terry and Margie Tam, instilled important values in me. These were to work my very hardest, trust in educating myself, and to always remember my family and our story.
My Story, Her Story
It is these principles that connect me with Chien-Shiung Wu, a Chinese-American physicist, who broke barriers in science and technology. In this essay, I honor Wu’s legacy and reflect on how her story resonates with that of mine and the Gom Benn Village.
Source: National Archives
Chien-Shiung Wu was born in 1912 near Shanghai. After graduating at the top of her class in Chinese primary school, Wu went on to study physics in the United States and earned her doctorate from UC Berkeley, in 1940. This mirrors the courage of my grandparents to cross the Pacific and build a new life in America.
Major Breakthroughs
In the following decades Wu would become one of the world’s leading nuclear physicists, recognized as a determined advocate for women in science. Her contributions to the physical sciences altered modern physics theory forever.
During World War II, she worked on uranium enrichment and radiation detectors for the Manhattan Project, making key contributions to the experimental process of splitting and harnessing the power of the uranium atom, and making possible the production of the world’s first atomic bomb.
Despite her many achievements, she was never awarded the Nobel Prize, although close associates were. Yet, she still pushed through the boundaries in a field dominated by white men.
Overcoming Obstacles
As a young Chinese-American man entering the engineering field, her story is proof of my grandparents’ values that challenges are meant to be overcome through determination.
While my path does not include a top secret government project or a Nobel Prize, it does reflect the same values that Wu’s story embodied. Earning my bachelor’s degree in aerospace and mechanical engineering this past May (2025) was one of the biggest achievements of my life.
But this wasn’t just a personal achievement. It was a fulfillment of the values that my ancestors carried with them from Gom Benn Village to America.
Through Wu and many other Chinese-Americans’ stories, I see how far we’ve come and how far we can go. In my career and for the rest of my life, I will strive to carry my family’s legacy and always take pride in my roots.
Joshua Tam was presented with the 2025 Johnny Wong Memorial Scholarship for the college senior with the best cumulative four-year Grade Point Average. After graduating from Case Western Reserve University, he has gone on to work as a design engineer for a major automotive manufacturing company.
Coincidentally, another student, Marcus Hau, submitted a story about Chien-Shiung Wu. Portions of Joshua’s original article were added to Marcus’s profile of Dr. Wu.
