Background
I-sheng Mao was born in Chinkiang, Kiangsu, China in 1896.
I-sheng Mao was born in Chinkiang, Kiangsu, China in 1896.
Mr. Mao received his preliminary education at a middle school in Nanking. Then he entered the Tangshan Engineering College in Tangshan, China in 1911 and was graduated in civil engineering in 1916. After that he went to America on a Tsing Hua fellowship and received his Master of Civil Engineering degree from Cornell University in 1917.
He received his Doctor of Engineering degree from the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1920, being the first Chinese awarded this degree. His Doctor's thesis was on "Secondary Stresses in Bridge Trusses".
I-sheng Mao worked with McClintic Marshall Construction Co., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA in 1917-1918. He returned to China and served as Professor of Bridge Engineering at Tangshan Engineering College in 1920-1922. He was a Dean of the College of Engineering of National Southeastern University in Nanking, China in 1922-1924, president of the Conservancy Engineering College in Nanking, China in 1924-1925, Technical Expert of the Ministry of Communications in Peking, China and for sometime concurrently, President of Tangshan University in 1925-1927, Professor of Bridge Engineering at Peiyang University in Tientsin, China in 1927-1928, associate Director and later Director of the Department of Industry in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Labor in Nanking, China in 1928-1929.
Then he occupied such high positions as president of Peiyang University in Tientsin, China in 1929-1930, director of Conservancy Bureau of Kiangsu Province, China in 1930-1931, senior Technical Expert, National Economic Council in Nanking, China, Director of the Engineering Office of the Chien Tang River Bridge in Hangchow, China since 1933.
Mr. Mao was a member of many engineering and scientific societies in China and abroad, awarded the honorary Fuertes Gold Medal for original research by Cornell University in 1921.