Dr. Richard C. Chu, Academician of the Division of Mathematics and Physical Sciences, died on September 8, 2012 in New York at age 79.

　　An internationally renowned engineering scientist, Dr. Chu’s research specialized in the development of cooling technology and thermal systems for electronic equipment. He applied his findings to large-scale computers, using cooling technology to resolve the problem of overheating. These contributions were particularly important for the development of computers.

　　Dr. Chu was born in 1933 and received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from National Cheng-kung University in 1958. In 1960 he obtained his Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University. He also received two Honorary Doctorate Degrees from the American University of the Caribbean (1992) and from Purdue University (1996).

　　Upon graduation in 1960, Dr. Chu joined IBM. He was the author of numerous publications and patents. He was elected as Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in 1982, IBM Fellow in 1983, Member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1987, and Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1988. He became Academician of Academia Sinica in 1996.