Dublin Core
Title
Oral History: Vincent Wang
Subject
Oral histories at Virginia Tech
Description
Vincent Wang is a Chinese-American professor and researcher who joined Virginia Tech in 2015 when he was offered a tenured faculty position in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics (BEAM) in the College of Engineering. He was born and raised in Blacksburg, Virginia until he left for college in New York.
Wang attended Columbia University, where he received his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering. He spent the majority of his college and professional training involved in research and was particularly interested in musculoskeletal biomechanics. Knowing he wanted to remain in academia after some more experience with the biological component of his research, he pursued a postdoctoral research fellowship at Mount Sinai Medical Center in the Department of Orthopedics, also in New York City. Shortly after, he attained his first job leading a sports medicine research team at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, working closely with orthopedic surgeons on preclinical studies.
“I immersed myself in this clinical environment,” Wang said. “I felt that was something that was very exciting about the work we did, knowing that it may have a clinical impact at the end of the day. In many engineering disciplines, you can't say that ‘I'm working towards a healthcare application, or towards patient care, or developing a therapy or device that could help a patient.’ That to me was very rewarding.” He spent 10 years at Rush University as a researcher, before relocating to Virginia Tech in 2015.
Wang was named the Kevin P. Granata Faculty Fellow a year after his start at Virginia Tech, an honorary award that recognizes research excellence in the BEAM department. It honors its namesake professor, who taught and led biomechanical research in the BEAM department and tragically lost his life in the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings. This recognition held a deeper significance for Wang as a Blacksburg native with ties to Virginia Tech long before 2015. His father Dr. Joseph Wang came to Virginia Tech in the mid-1960s as a professor of architecture and taught until his retirement in 2009. Joseph and the late June Wang co-founded the Blacksburg Chinese School, which played an integral role in bringing the Chinese community together in a formalized setting. It also had a significant impact in connecting Chinese children born in Blacksburg to their family’s culture and language. The school remains a vibrant presence in town and celebrated its 40th anniversary in the fall of 2019.
Additionally, Wang is active within the Asian and Asian American community in Blacksburg and Virginia Tech. Beyond his ties to the Blacksburg Chinese School, he has been the faculty advisor for the student organization Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE) since 2017, and he was appointed faculty co-chair of the Asian, Pacific Islander and Desi American (APIDA) Caucus in 2020. The Asian Cultural Engagement Center (ACEC) named him the Fall 2019 ACEC commencement speaker. Moreover, he is the second ACEC Faculty Fellow, a position in which he hopes to help expand programming, outreach, and mentorship opportunities in the coming year.
Wang attended Columbia University, where he received his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering. He spent the majority of his college and professional training involved in research and was particularly interested in musculoskeletal biomechanics. Knowing he wanted to remain in academia after some more experience with the biological component of his research, he pursued a postdoctoral research fellowship at Mount Sinai Medical Center in the Department of Orthopedics, also in New York City. Shortly after, he attained his first job leading a sports medicine research team at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, working closely with orthopedic surgeons on preclinical studies.
“I immersed myself in this clinical environment,” Wang said. “I felt that was something that was very exciting about the work we did, knowing that it may have a clinical impact at the end of the day. In many engineering disciplines, you can't say that ‘I'm working towards a healthcare application, or towards patient care, or developing a therapy or device that could help a patient.’ That to me was very rewarding.” He spent 10 years at Rush University as a researcher, before relocating to Virginia Tech in 2015.
Wang was named the Kevin P. Granata Faculty Fellow a year after his start at Virginia Tech, an honorary award that recognizes research excellence in the BEAM department. It honors its namesake professor, who taught and led biomechanical research in the BEAM department and tragically lost his life in the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings. This recognition held a deeper significance for Wang as a Blacksburg native with ties to Virginia Tech long before 2015. His father Dr. Joseph Wang came to Virginia Tech in the mid-1960s as a professor of architecture and taught until his retirement in 2009. Joseph and the late June Wang co-founded the Blacksburg Chinese School, which played an integral role in bringing the Chinese community together in a formalized setting. It also had a significant impact in connecting Chinese children born in Blacksburg to their family’s culture and language. The school remains a vibrant presence in town and celebrated its 40th anniversary in the fall of 2019.
Additionally, Wang is active within the Asian and Asian American community in Blacksburg and Virginia Tech. Beyond his ties to the Blacksburg Chinese School, he has been the faculty advisor for the student organization Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE) since 2017, and he was appointed faculty co-chair of the Asian, Pacific Islander and Desi American (APIDA) Caucus in 2020. The Asian Cultural Engagement Center (ACEC) named him the Fall 2019 ACEC commencement speaker. Moreover, he is the second ACEC Faculty Fellow, a position in which he hopes to help expand programming, outreach, and mentorship opportunities in the coming year.
Creator
Tahreem Alam
Source
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Publisher
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Date
2015 – present
Contributor
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Rights
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Oral History Interview Item Type Metadata
Interviewee
Vincent Wang
Interviewer
Tahreem Alam
Duration
1:12:39