Wu Jin (; 9 April 1934 – 14 January 2008) was a Taiwanese engineer, educator, and politician who served as

Minister for Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

between 1996 and 1998 under

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Lee Teng-hui Lee Teng-hui (; pinyin: ''Lǐ Dēnghuī''; 15 January 192330 July 2020) was a Taiwanese politician and agricultural scientist who served as the fourth president of the Republic of China, president of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan) unde ...

Early life and career

Wu was born in

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

on 9 April 1934, and earned a bachelor's degree from

National Cheng Kung University National Cheng Kung University (NCKU; ) is a Public university, public research university located in the East District, Tainan, East District of Tainan, Taiwan. Founded in 1931 during Taiwan under Japanese rule, Japanese rule as an engineering ...

in Taiwan in 1956. Wu obtained his Ph.D. in

mechanics Mechanics () is the area of physics concerned with the relationships between force, matter, and motion among Physical object, physical objects. Forces applied to objects may result in Displacement (vector), displacements, which are changes of ...

and

hydraulics Hydraulics () is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counterpart of pneumatics, which concer ...

from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

, in Iowa City, Iowa, U.S.Alternate URL
/ref> He was a research fellow at the

Academia Sinica Academia Sinica (AS, ; zh, t=中央研究院) is the national academy of the Taiwan, Republic of China. It is headquartered in Nangang District, Taipei, Nangang, Taipei. Founded in Nanjing, the academy supports research activities in mathemat ...

in 1986 and elected to membership of the Academia Sinica in the same year. In 1995, Wu was elected to the

United States National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the ...

. Upon graduating from the University of Iowa, Wu worked for Hydronautics, Inc. as a research scientist within the Fluid Motions Division, and in 1966, became head of that division. In 1972, Wu was promoted again, to lead the Hawaii-based Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Division. Wu joined the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially known as UD, UDel, or Delaware) is a Statutory college#Delaware, privately governed, state-assisted Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Newark, Delaware, United States. UD offers f ...

faculty in 1974, and held the H. Fletcher Brown Professorship in Marine Studies and Civil Engineering from 1980 to 1998. In Taiwan, he served as the first president of Tainan's

(NCKU) from 1994 to 1996.

Minister for Education

Wu was selected by President Lee Teng-hui to serve as Taiwan's

education minister An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

in June 1996. He was known for his progressive views on the reforms needed in Taiwan's educational system. Wu stepped down as Minister for Education in February 1998. His resignation was due to a difference of opinion dispute between himself and the president of Academia Sinica, Lee Yuan-tseh, over the pace and types of educational reforms needed. (Lee Yuan-tseh had previously chaired a panel force in the 1980s which had led to a number of changes concerning education in Taiwan.)

Death

Wu Jin was diagnosed with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

of the

ampulla of Vater The ampulla of Vater, hepatopancreatic ampulla or hepatopancreatic duct is the common duct that is usually formed by a union of the common bile duct and the pancreatic duct within the wall of the duodenum. This common duct usually features a di ...

, a rare form of the disease, in 2006. He received treatment at the National Cheng Kung University Hospital in Taiwan and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Wu's health began to deteriorate in December 2007 following a trip to

Mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...

. He died on 14 January 2008 at National Cheng Kung University Hospital in

Tainan, Taiwan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in southern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and commonly called the "Taiwan Prefecture, ...

, at the age of 74. Wu was survived by his wife, Tzu-Chen C. Wu. His funeral took place in Tainan on 27 January 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wu, Jin 1934 births 2008 deaths Taiwanese educators University of Iowa alumni Ministers of education of Taiwan Deaths from cancer in Taiwan Politicians from Nanjing Members of Academia Sinica Republic of China politicians from Jiangsu Academic staff of the National Cheng Kung University Educators from Zhenjiang Presidents of universities and colleges in Taiwan Taiwanese people from Jiangsu Foreign associates of the National Academy of Engineering National Cheng Kung University alumni