Dr. Samuel Yen-Liang Yin, chairman of the Ruentex Group and founder of the Tang Prize, is the recipient of the 2019 Distinguished Lecturer for Outstanding Entrepreneurship from National Taiwan University’s College of Engineering. He is also chief vice president of the International Academy of Engineering (IAE), academician of the Russian Academy of Engineering (RAE) and IAE, and a fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Inventors.
Over the past decades, Dr. Yin has dedicated himself to re-thinking traditional construction methods and developing comprehensive building construction technologies encompassing manufacture, material, design and management. His integrated construction technologies have been applied widely to the construction of facilities in Taiwan’s construction industry, dramatically improving the seismic safety of RC structures and greatly enhancing the competitiveness of Taiwan’s high-tech industry. These technologies have also been adopted in Singapore and Mainland China and have won worldwide recognition from institutions in the U.S., EU, Japan, and Russia.
Among the honors Dr. Yin has received are an honorary doctorate from the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (2019), the first Samuel Yin Medal from IAE (2019), Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award from the U.S. Chinese American Academic & Professional Society (2015), Henry L. Michel Award for Industry Advancement of Research from the American Society for Civil Engineers (2010), Medal of Engineering Courage (2010) and Medal of Engineering Glory (2008) from the RAE. These awards are a strong testament to his remarkable achievements in technological innovation and his significant contributions to the world. He has also been awarded an honorary doctorate by renowned universities such as National Taiwan University, Peking University, and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. In addition, Dr. Yin has obtained nearly 600 patents issued by 11 countries so far.
Driven by a firm belief that he should give back to the society that has enabled him to accomplish so much, Dr. Yin has long invested much effort in charity and education, hoping to effect positive change in society and build a better world.
Influenced by the emphasis his father put on education, Dr. Yin established the Yin Xun-Ruo Educational Foundation, the Yin Shu-Tien Medical Foundation, the Kwang-Hua Educational Foundation, and the Guanghua School of Management at Peking University. For more than 30 years, these institutions have nurtured countless young talent on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. In 2012, he decided to set up the Tang Prize Foundation in order to extend his philanthropic work to a broader world through this international academic prize.
The Tang Prize comprises four categories, namely Sustainable Development, Biopharmaceutical Science, Sinology and Rule of Law. As Dr. Yin’s biggest dream, the prize is tasked with the mission of inspiring more professionals to pursue the knowledge mankind needs in the 21st century and to further the development of human civilization through their pioneering research and active civic engagement.