Nien-Yin and May M-T Chang Support College Research Award

Professor Nien-Yin Chang and May M-T Chang have generously provided CU Denver with a gift to create and endow the Chang Faculty Research Award. 

Chang is the longest-serving faculty member of the current College of Engineering, Design and Computing, and the longest-serving in history.  He has provided exemplary teaching, research, and service to the college and to CU Denver, including significant leadership accomplishments in his profession and to the university.  He has served as chair of civil engineering and interim dean of the college.  Throughout his career he has championed the support for research and the recognition of research excellence throughout, and he has impressively led by example.

“I remember the fiscal challenges I faced as a young faculty member, frequently paying for travel out of my own pocket,” says Chang. “We established the Chang Faculty Research Award to fund young faculty research programs with no strings attached. May and I are pleased to have already supported some faculty and hope this gift makes a positive impact on the college moving forward.”

This award recognizes achievements by a tenured/tenure-track faculty member in the college who has made outstanding contributions to the advancement of knowledge and/or the translation of it to broader impact through research activities. The award will be presented annually following a nomination and selection process that will assess the value and impact of research outcomes achieved, and the significance they hold for the field or fields involved.  

“Professor Chang has made remarkable professional contributions through his research, and he has been a long-time research leader in our college,” said Martin Dunn, dean of the College of Engineering, Design and Computing.  “I am thrilled that he and his wife have invested in supporting and recognizing the critical research mission of our college and the fantastic faculty who advance it.”

The first Chang Faculty Research Award was made in spring 2020 to Kai Yu, assistant professor of mechanical engineering. Yu has advanced the field of polymer materials by developing innovative new theories and computational modeling approaches that have significantly increased our understanding of polymer behavior and have led to emerging technologies in advanced manufacturing, reprocessing, and recycling of polymers.