Benjamin Hsiao facts for kids

Benjamin S. Hsiao (born August 12, 1958) is a scientist and teacher from Taiwan and America. He studies materials science. From May 2012 to December 2013, he was in charge of research at Stony Brook University.

Benjamin Hsiao's Journey in Science

Early Life and Education

Benjamin Hsiao was born in Taipei, Taiwan. He went to Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School (JGHS), a well-known school for boys. After high school, he studied chemical engineering at the National Taiwan University and earned his bachelor's degree in 1980.

In 1982, Hsiao started his advanced studies in polymer science at the University of Connecticut. Polymers are like plastics and rubber, made of many small units linked together. In 1985, he joined two special honor societies for smart students: Sigma Xi and Phi Kappa Phi. He finished his PhD in 1987 with his advisors, Edward T. Samulski and Montgomery T. Shaw.

Starting a Career in Research

After getting his PhD, Hsiao worked as a researcher at the University of Massachusetts from 1987 to 1989. He worked with Richard S. Stein and H. Henning Winter. Soon after, the DuPont Company invited him to work in their special research lab in Wilmington, Delaware. He stayed at DuPont for eight years, until 1997.

Becoming a University Professor

In 1997, Benjamin Hsiao started teaching and doing research at Stony Brook University. He became a full professor in 2002. In 2007, he became the head of the chemistry department. Under his leadership, the chemistry department became one of the best in the country. It was even recognized as a National Historic Landmark by the American Chemical Society. This was because Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was invented there.

From 2012 to 2013, Hsiao was the vice president for research at Stony Brook University. He helped the university improve its research programs. He made sure research activities were clear and efficient. He also started new research projects to help Stony Brook's science efforts around the world.

Since 2008, he has also been a special professor at Donghua University in Shanghai, China. He is also a guest professor at other universities in China, like Beijing University of Chemical Technology and Tongji University.

Amazing Discoveries and Research

Understanding Polymers

At Stony Brook University, Benjamin Hsiao's lab studies how complex polymer materials are made and processed. They look at these materials at very tiny levels, from molecules to nanoparticles. They want to understand how these materials change and grow in real time.

New Ways to Clean Water

Hsiao's research has led to new ways to clean water. With his colleague Benjamin Chu, he developed special filters using electrospinning and cellulose nanofiber technology. These filters have tiny fibers that are great for cleaning water.

How the Water Filters Work

These filters have a special design with different sized fibers. They have many connected holes, which means water can flow through them quickly. They also resist fouling, which is when dirt clogs the filter. Because these filters let water flow much faster, they save energy. They can be used for many things, like removing salt from water (desalination) or even helping to create energy.

Medical Uses for Nanofibers

The tiny nanofibers Hsiao studies are also useful in medicine. They can help with tissue engineering and drug delivery. Tissue engineering is about growing new tissues or organs. Drug delivery is about getting medicine to the right place in the body.

Helping the Body Heal

How fast a material breaks down in the body or how fast it releases medicine depends on its fibers, holes, and chemical makeup. Hsiao and Chu have found new ways to use these nanofibers for medical treatments. For example, they have created nanofiber scaffolds that help grow new tissues, like for the heart. They also found ways to stop tissues from sticking together after surgery.

Studying Polymer Structures with X-rays

As a materials scientist, Hsiao also studies how polymers form crystals. To do this, his lab uses special X-ray techniques. These techniques, called SAXS and WAXD, help them see the structure and movement of polymers in real time.

Using X-rays to See Tiny Details

SAXS looks at larger structures, while WAXD looks at the tiny atomic structure of crystals. SAXS can even see structures that are not perfectly ordered, like in amorphous (non-crystalline) materials. In 1997, Hsiao and Ben Chu created a special X-ray beamline (X27C) at the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory. This beamline is specifically for polymer research.

Benjamin Hsiao has published over 400 scientific papers and holds more than 30 patents. He has given many talks around the world about his research.

Awards and Recognition

Benjamin Hsiao has received many awards for his work:

• University of Connecticut Doctoral Fellowship (1985)
• DuPont Young Professor Award (1998–2001)
• Fellow, American Physical Society (2002)
• Fellow, American Chemical Society (2011)
• Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (2011) – for his important work in polymer science, water purification, and chemical education.
• Licensed Innovation Award, Research Foundation of State University of New York (2005)
• Special Creativity Award, National Science Foundation (2007)
• Chang-Jiang Professor Scholarship from the Education Ministry of China (2008)
• Charter Fellow, National Academy of Inventors (2013)
• Cooperative Research Award in Polymer Science and Engineering (2015)

Working with Others and Professional Groups

Benjamin Hsiao has been part of many important scientific groups and editorial boards. He helps guide scientific journals like Membranes and Macromolecules. He has also been an advisor for the American Chemical Society and Brookhaven National Laboratory.

He is a member of several professional societies, including:

• American Institute of Chemical Engineers
• American Chemical Society
• American Physical Society
• American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Materials Research Society