SMU Engineering Alumnus Carries Olympic Torch at Summer Games in Beijing
Carrying the Olympic Torch -
SMU alumnus Richard Ru-Gin Chang (right), president, CEO and executive director of SMIC, carries the Olympic torch on Friday, August 8.
Dallas, Texas – August 18, 2008 – SMU School of Engineering alumnus Richard Ru-Gin Chang recently had the honor of carrying the Olympic torch during the run up to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Dr. Chang, who ran in one of the torch’s final legs before the opening ceremonies August 8, is president, CEO and executive director of Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), one of the largest and most advanced semiconductor foundries in China.
According to the official Web site of the Olympic Torchbearer Program, candidates to carry the torch were selected “from different industries, including model workers, scientists, exceptional entrepreneurs who have made outstanding contributions to the country's socio-economic development, as well as ordinary workers.”
Dr. Chang received his doctorate in electrical engineering from SMU in 1985 and was inducted into the Engineering Hall of Leaders in March 2008. He was honored by the School of Engineering because he is a recognized leader in the growth of China’s information technology industry through the development of the first large-scale public-private partnership in that country.
The Olympic flame traveled more than 137,000 kilometers in 129 days on its way to Beijing after being lit at a Torch Lighting Ceremony in Olympia, Greece, on March 24.
About the SMU School of Engineering
SMU’s School of Engineering, founded in 1925, is one of the oldest engineering schools in the Southwest. The school offers eight undergraduate and 29 graduate programs, including both masters and doctorate levels.
A private university located in the heart of Dallas, SMU is building on the vision of its founders, who imagined a distinguished center for learning emerging from the spirit of the city. Today, 11,000 students benefit from the national opportunities and international reach afforded by the quality of SMU’s seven degree-granting schools.
