Using information from research publications, Stacker compiled a list of seven Asian American scientists and technologists whose work changed the world.
7 Asian Americans whose discoveries changed the world
Updated 19 hrs ago
Technology has rapidly advanced the speed of invention, getting cutting-edge products and treatments into peoples’ hands faster. But while we consumers passively enjoy technological updates to make our lives frictionless, the many hands who touch those new innovations—the researchers, discoverers, engineers, and inventors—often go unnoticed. Ahead of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May, we’re celebrating Asian Americans whose contributions to groundbreaking medical and technological advancements have fundamentally changed how we live and work.Stacker has compiled a list of seven scientists and engineers whose contributions are so profound, that society may have even forgotten the problems it once had to deal with before their discoveries and inventions. Using interviews and research from industry science publications, Stacker highlighted how their work and discoveries paved the way for society to develop new treatments in medicine and technology.Though we have made an effort to recognize a wide range of scientists in different fields, the people acknowledged in this story are simply the tip of the iceberg in terms of the many underrepresented people who have helped create some of the most profound inventions over the course of many years of history. These scientists often face issues of visibility. According to a study of demographic data in biology textbooks published in 2020, about 3% of scientists featured were Asian and 0% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. More than 9 in 10 scientists highlighted in those seven biology books were white. For Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders especially, the issues can be systemic or financial. Per the National Science Foundation, in 2021, about 66.13% of employed scientists and engineers are white, while Asians represented 14.01% and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders 0.24%, respectively.
