President-elect Barack Obama (R) introduces his administration's energy and environmental team including Nancy Sutley (L), a deputy mayor of Los Angeles, as head of the White House Council on environmental quality and Nobel physics laureate Steven Chu (C) as his choice for energy secretary during a press conference at the Drake Hotel December 15, 2008, in Chicago, Illinois. Following the introductions, Obama was questioned about the nature of Chicago politics and the recent arrest of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. (Photo by Jeff Haynes-Pool)
Gallery of Steven Chu
2009
1455 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004, United States
United States Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu arrives on his bicycle to attend a "Bike to Work Day" event at the Freedom Plaza on May 15, 2009 in Washington, DC. Thousands of people from the DC area rode their bicycles to work on today to promote an alternative means to save energy and to help to create a greener environment. (Photo by Alex Wong)
Gallery of Steven Chu
2009
Washington, DC, United States
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) (C), Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA) (L), and Energy Secretary Steven Chu prepare for a committee hearing on Capitol Hill October 27, 2009, in Washington, DC. The committee heard testimony from Senator John Kerry (D-MA) and several Obama Administration cabinet members about the "Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act," which is sponsored by Boxer and Kerry. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla)
Gallery of Steven Chu
2009
1455 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004, United States
United States Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu speaks during a "Bike to Work Day" event at the Freedom Plaza on May 15, 2009 in Washington, DC. Thousands of people from the DC area rode their bicycles to work on today to promote an alternative mean to save energy and to help to create a greener environment. (Photo by Alex Wong)
Gallery of Steven Chu
2009
Washington, DC, United States
Secretary of Energy Steven Chu at the Department of Energy June 1, 2009, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Charles Ommanney)
Gallery of Steven Chu
2009
Beijing, China
United States Energy Secretary Stephen Chu (C) shakes hands with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, as United States President Barack Obama stands behind prior to their talks at the Diaoyutai State Guest House November 18, 2009, in Beijing, China. Obama is on an official nine-day, four-nation, tour of Asia, his first as United States President. (Photo by David Gray-Pool)
Gallery of Steven Chu
2009
Dearborn, Michigan, United States
United States Energy Secretary Steven Chu answers questions at an event where it was announced that the government, through the United States Department of Energy, will loan the Ford Motor Company $5.9 billion dollars on June 23, 2009, in Dearborn, Michigan. The loan is designed to help Ford convert auto plants so they can produce more fuel-efficient vehicles. (Photo by Bill Pugliano)
Gallery of Steven Chu
2009
2 Kirkland St, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States
Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu gestures while receiving an honorary Doctor of Science during commencement ceremonies June 4, 2009, in Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, this year marks the 358th year of graduation ceremonies at the university, considered the oldest in the nation. (Photo by Darren McCollester)
Gallery of Steven Chu
2010
1651 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20503, United States
President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel look on during a bilateral meeting with President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan (not pictured) at the Blair House on April 11, 2010, in Washington, DC. Obama is meeting with leaders who are arriving for the two-day nuclear security summit which starts Monday. (Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool)
Gallery of Steven Chu
2010
Washington, DC, United States
First lady Michelle Obama (C) and Energy Secretary Steven Chu (R) stand with winners of the annual National Science Bowl, on May 3, 2010, in Washington, DC. Standing with Michelle Obama are students from Green High School in North Carolina, and Albuquerque Academy in New Mexico. 105 regional high school and middle school championship teams from 42 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands participated in double elimination rounds in which they will be quizzed on math and various science questions. (Photo by Mark Wilson)
Gallery of Steven Chu
2010
Arlington, VA 22202, United States
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hold a news briefing about the new Nuclear Posture Review at the Pentagon April 6, 2010, in Arlington, Virginia. The Obama Administration's posture review announced a reduction in the number of potential U.S. targets and restrictions on the circumstances under which strategic nuclear weapons could be used. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla)
Gallery of Steven Chu
2010
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500, United States
United States President Barack Obama (3rd L) makes remarks as (L-R) Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu listen in the Rose Garden May 14, 2010, at the White House in Washington, DC. Obama spoke on the latest developments on the deepwater oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. (Photo by Alex Wong)
Gallery of Steven Chu
2010
Brownstown Township, Michigan, United States
United States Secretary of Energy Steven Chu (L), General Motors Chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre (C), and Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm pose with the first battery pack for the General Motors Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle to come off the assembly line January 7, 2010, in Brownstown Township, Michigan. GM is the first major automaker to manufacture an advanced lithium-ion battery pack in the United States. (Photo by Bill Pugliano)
Gallery of Steven Chu
2011
Washington, DC, United States
United States Energy Secretary Steven Chu prepares to testify before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Capitol Hill on February 16, 2011, in Washington, DC. Chu testified about the Obama Administration's proposed the Fiscal Year 2012 budget for the Department of Energy. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla)
Gallery of Steven Chu
2011
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20502, United States
President Barack Obama signs the New START Treaty into law as (L-R) Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), and Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS), Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Vice President Joseph Biden look on during an Oval Office ceremony February 2, 2011, in Washington, DC. The United States of America and Russia will cut down the number of their strategic nuclear missile launchers under the treaty. (Photo by Alex Wong)
Gallery of Steven Chu
2011
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500, United States
United States Energy Secretary Steven Chu holds a news briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on March 30, 2011, in Washington, DC. Chu answered questions about the Obama Administration's plan for the nation's energy security calling for a one-third cut on oil imports by 2020 to reduce the U.S. dependence on foreign energy. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla
Gallery of Steven Chu
2013
555 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001, United States
U/nited States Secretary of Energy Steven Chu attends the 2013 Green Inaugural Ball at Newseum on January 20, 2013, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Taylor Hill)
Gallery of Steven Chu
2013
Mountain View, California, United States
(L-R) Jean Chu and Steven Chu attend the 2014 Breakthrough Prize Inaugural Ceremony for Awards in Fundamental Physics and Life Sciences at NASA Ames Research Center on December 12, 2013, in Mountain View, California. (Photo by Steve Jennings)
Gallery of Steven Chu
2017
Mässans Gata/Korsvägen, 412 94 Gothenburg, Sweden
Nobel laureates Stephen Chu along with journalists Maggie Haberman and Peter Wolodarski and former CIA and NSA Director Michael Hayden hold a panel discussion at ‘Nobel Week Dialogue: the Future of Truth’ conference at Svenska Massan on December 9, 2017, in Gothenburg, Sweden. (Photo by Julia Reinhart)
Gallery of Steven Chu
2017
Mässans Gata/Korsvägen, 412 94 Gothenburg, Sweden
Stephen Chu, 1997 Laureate of the Nobel Prize in Physics and Secretary of Energy under President Barak Obama, speaks at 'Nobel Week Dialogue: the Future of Truth' conference at Svenska Massan on December 9, 2017, in Gothenburg, Sweden. (Photo by Julia Reinhart)
Gallery of Steven Chu
2017
Hantverkargatan 1, 111 52 Stockholm, Sweden
Professor Sara Danius and Doctor Steven Chu attend the Nobel Prize Banquet 2017 at City Hall on December 10, 2017, in Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain)
President-elect Barack Obama (R) introduces his administration's energy and environmental team including Nancy Sutley (L), a deputy mayor of Los Angeles, as head of the White House Council on environmental quality and Nobel physics laureate Steven Chu (C) as his choice for energy secretary during a press conference at the Drake Hotel December 15, 2008, in Chicago, Illinois. Following the introductions, Obama was questioned about the nature of Chicago politics and the recent arrest of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. (Photo by Jeff Haynes-Pool)
1455 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004, United States
United States Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu arrives on his bicycle to attend a "Bike to Work Day" event at the Freedom Plaza on May 15, 2009 in Washington, DC. Thousands of people from the DC area rode their bicycles to work on today to promote an alternative means to save energy and to help to create a greener environment. (Photo by Alex Wong)
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) (C), Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA) (L), and Energy Secretary Steven Chu prepare for a committee hearing on Capitol Hill October 27, 2009, in Washington, DC. The committee heard testimony from Senator John Kerry (D-MA) and several Obama Administration cabinet members about the "Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act," which is sponsored by Boxer and Kerry. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla)
1455 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004, United States
United States Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu speaks during a "Bike to Work Day" event at the Freedom Plaza on May 15, 2009 in Washington, DC. Thousands of people from the DC area rode their bicycles to work on today to promote an alternative mean to save energy and to help to create a greener environment. (Photo by Alex Wong)
United States Energy Secretary Stephen Chu (C) shakes hands with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, as United States President Barack Obama stands behind prior to their talks at the Diaoyutai State Guest House November 18, 2009, in Beijing, China. Obama is on an official nine-day, four-nation, tour of Asia, his first as United States President. (Photo by David Gray-Pool)
United States Energy Secretary Steven Chu answers questions at an event where it was announced that the government, through the United States Department of Energy, will loan the Ford Motor Company $5.9 billion dollars on June 23, 2009, in Dearborn, Michigan. The loan is designed to help Ford convert auto plants so they can produce more fuel-efficient vehicles. (Photo by Bill Pugliano)
Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu gestures while receiving an honorary Doctor of Science during commencement ceremonies June 4, 2009, in Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, this year marks the 358th year of graduation ceremonies at the university, considered the oldest in the nation. (Photo by Darren McCollester)
1651 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20503, United States
President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel look on during a bilateral meeting with President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan (not pictured) at the Blair House on April 11, 2010, in Washington, DC. Obama is meeting with leaders who are arriving for the two-day nuclear security summit which starts Monday. (Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool)
First lady Michelle Obama (C) and Energy Secretary Steven Chu (R) stand with winners of the annual National Science Bowl, on May 3, 2010, in Washington, DC. Standing with Michelle Obama are students from Green High School in North Carolina, and Albuquerque Academy in New Mexico. 105 regional high school and middle school championship teams from 42 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands participated in double elimination rounds in which they will be quizzed on math and various science questions. (Photo by Mark Wilson)
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hold a news briefing about the new Nuclear Posture Review at the Pentagon April 6, 2010, in Arlington, Virginia. The Obama Administration's posture review announced a reduction in the number of potential U.S. targets and restrictions on the circumstances under which strategic nuclear weapons could be used. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla)
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500, United States
United States President Barack Obama (3rd L) makes remarks as (L-R) Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu listen in the Rose Garden May 14, 2010, at the White House in Washington, DC. Obama spoke on the latest developments on the deepwater oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. (Photo by Alex Wong)
United States Secretary of Energy Steven Chu (L), General Motors Chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre (C), and Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm pose with the first battery pack for the General Motors Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle to come off the assembly line January 7, 2010, in Brownstown Township, Michigan. GM is the first major automaker to manufacture an advanced lithium-ion battery pack in the United States. (Photo by Bill Pugliano)
United States Energy Secretary Steven Chu prepares to testify before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Capitol Hill on February 16, 2011, in Washington, DC. Chu testified about the Obama Administration's proposed the Fiscal Year 2012 budget for the Department of Energy. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla)
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20502, United States
President Barack Obama signs the New START Treaty into law as (L-R) Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), and Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS), Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Vice President Joseph Biden look on during an Oval Office ceremony February 2, 2011, in Washington, DC. The United States of America and Russia will cut down the number of their strategic nuclear missile launchers under the treaty. (Photo by Alex Wong)
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500, United States
United States Energy Secretary Steven Chu holds a news briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on March 30, 2011, in Washington, DC. Chu answered questions about the Obama Administration's plan for the nation's energy security calling for a one-third cut on oil imports by 2020 to reduce the U.S. dependence on foreign energy. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla
555 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001, United States
U/nited States Secretary of Energy Steven Chu attends the 2013 Green Inaugural Ball at Newseum on January 20, 2013, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Taylor Hill)
(L-R) Jean Chu and Steven Chu attend the 2014 Breakthrough Prize Inaugural Ceremony for Awards in Fundamental Physics and Life Sciences at NASA Ames Research Center on December 12, 2013, in Mountain View, California. (Photo by Steve Jennings)
Nobel laureates Stephen Chu along with journalists Maggie Haberman and Peter Wolodarski and former CIA and NSA Director Michael Hayden hold a panel discussion at ‘Nobel Week Dialogue: the Future of Truth’ conference at Svenska Massan on December 9, 2017, in Gothenburg, Sweden. (Photo by Julia Reinhart)
Stephen Chu, 1997 Laureate of the Nobel Prize in Physics and Secretary of Energy under President Barak Obama, speaks at 'Nobel Week Dialogue: the Future of Truth' conference at Svenska Massan on December 9, 2017, in Gothenburg, Sweden. (Photo by Julia Reinhart)
Professor Sara Danius and Doctor Steven Chu attend the Nobel Prize Banquet 2017 at City Hall on December 10, 2017, in Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain)
(The XV International Conference on Laser Spectroscopy bro...)
The XV International Conference on Laser Spectroscopy brought together spectroscopists from all over the world working in the very diverse and still growing field of laser spectroscopy. It addressed a large number of modern scientific issues at the highest level.
Solar Powering Your Community: A Guide for Local Governments
(As demand for energy increases, many communities are seek...)
As demand for energy increases, many communities are seeking ways to meet this demand with clean, safe, reliable energy from renewable sources such as sun and wind. Fortunately, many of the key technologies that can unlock the power of these renewable resources are available on the market today. While the United States Department of Energy (DOE) continues to fund research and development (R&D) to improve solar technologies, DOE is also focusing on accelerating a robust nationwide market for the currently available technologies. The development of a nationwide market requires overcoming barriers to the widespread adoption of solar energy technologies. These barriers include complicated procedures for permitting and connecting systems to the grid, financing challenges, a lack of awareness of solar energy solutions among key decision-makers, and a lack of trained installation contractors. Local governments are uniquely positioned to remove many of these barriers, clearing the way for solar markets to thrive in their locales. Representatives of local governments who understand and prepare for policy and market changes can optimally position their communities in the emerging renewable energy economy.
Steven Chu is an American physicist who was awarded the 1997 Nobel Prize for Physics for their independent pioneering research in cooling and trapping atoms using laser light. He is the former director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, a professor of physics, molecular and cellular biology. Steven Chu also served as the Secretary of Energy from 2009 to 2013.
Background
Stephen Chu was born on February 28, 1948, in St. Louis, Missouri, into an academic family of Chinese heritage. His father, Ju Chin Chu, came to the United States in 1943 to continue his education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in chemical engineering, and two years later, Steven's mother, Ching Chen Li, joined him to study economics. When they married in 1945, China was in turmoil, and the possibility of returning grew increasingly remote, and they decided to begin their family in the United States.
Steven and his siblings were born as part of a typical nomadic academic career: his older brother was born in 1946 while Ju Chin Chu was finishing at MIT, Steven was born in St. Louis in 1948 while Ju Chin Chu taught at Washington University, and Steven's younger brother was born in Queens shortly after Ju Chin Chu took a position as a professor at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute.
Education
Steven graduated from Garden City High School. He received a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics and a Bachelor of Science in physics at the University of Rochester in 1970, and a Doctor of Philosophy in physics from the University of California, Berkeley in 1976.
Chu received an honorary doctorate from Boston University when he was the keynote speaker at the 2007 commencement exercises.
After receiving his doctorate, Steven Chu remained at the University of California for two years as a postdoctoral researcher before joining Bell Labs. He joined the staff at Bell Laboratories in 1978 and became the head of the quantum electronics research department at AT&T Bell Laboratories in 1983.
He left Bell Labs and became a professor of physics at Stanford University in 1987, serving as the chair of its Physics Department from 1990 to 1993 and from 1999 to 2001.
In 1997 he received Nobel Prize in Physics with Claude Cohen-Tannoudji and William D. Phillips "for development of methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light."
In 2004 Chu returned to Berkeley as director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, an institution with a long history of research in atomic and nuclear physics that is now part of the system of national laboratories supported by the United States Department of Energy. There he encouraged research into renewable energy, particularly the use of solar energy to create biofuels and generate electricity.
In December 2008 Chu was selected by President-elect Barack Obama to serve as secretary of energy, partly on the basis of his administrative experience and scientific credentials and partly because of his commitment to using science to develop alternative energies and combat climate change. Chu was confirmed by the United States Senate in a unanimous voice vote on January 20, 2009. Under Chu's leadership, the energy department took a central role in implementing funding for renewable energies as part of the president’s large economic stimulus bill passed in February 2009, attempting to redirect the country’s energy consumption away from traditional fossil fuels. As the first scientist to hold a Cabinet position and the longest-serving Energy Secretary, he recruited outstanding scientists and engineers into the Department of Energy. He began several initiatives including ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy), the Energy Innovation Hubs, and was personally tasked by President Obama to assist BP in stopping the Deepwater Horizon oil leak. Chu stepped down as secretary of energy in April 2013.
After his government service, Chu has returned to Stanford to become a Professor of Physics and Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, where he will teach and continue his research in biophysics, biomedicine, energy, and energy economics.
In addition to his continuing work marshaling scientists and resources to address the energy and climate change challenges, he has begun a new research program synthesizing and applying new nanoparticle probes for biology and biomedical research. He is also working on new approaches to lithium-ion batteries, PM2.5 air filtration and other applications of nanotechnology and electrochemistry.
Chu is on the board of directors of Xyleco, a company developing alternate energy.
Steven Chu is the co-recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physics (1997) and received numerous other awards. He has devoted his recent scientific career to the search for new solutions to our energy and climate challenges - a mission he continued with even greater urgency as Secretary of Energy. He is the first scientist to hold a Cabinet position and the longest-serving Energy Secretary.
Chu's research in atomic physics, quantum electronics, polymer, and biophysics includes tests of fundamental theories in physics, the development of methods to laser cool and trap atoms, atom interferometry, and the study of polymers and biological systems at the single-molecule level. While at Stanford, he helped start Bio-X, a multi-disciplinary initiative that brings together the physical and biological sciences with engineering and medicine.
The holder of 10 patents, Steven Chu has published nearly 250 scientific and technical papers. He remains active with his research group and has recently published work on general relativity, single-molecule biology, biophysics and biomedicine, and on scientific challenges and opportunities in clean energy. Over 30 alumni of his research group have gone on to become distinguished professors and have been recognized by dozens of prizes and awards.
In 1985 Chu and his coworkers at Bell Labs used an array of intersecting laser beams to create an effect they called "optical molasses," in which the speed of target atoms was reduced from about 4,000 km per hour to about 1 km per hour as if the atoms were moving through thick molasses. The temperature of the slowed atoms approached absolute zero (−273.15 °C, or −459.67 °F). Chu and his colleagues also developed an atomic trap using lasers and magnetic coils that enabled them to capture and study the chilled atoms. Phillips and Cohen-Tannoudji expanded on Chu's work, devising ways to use lasers to trap atoms at temperatures even closer to absolute zero. These techniques make it possible for scientists to improve the accuracy of atomic clocks used in space navigation, to construct atomic interferometers that can precisely measure gravitational forces, and to design atomic lasers that can be used to manipulate electronic circuits at an extremely fine scale.
Steven Chu is a vocal advocate and openly expresses his support for more research efforts for the use of nuclear power and renewable energy. He became a member of the Copenhagen Climate Council, created to build momentum for the United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Copenhagen in 2009. He believes that by shifting away from using fossil fuels, the negative effects of climate change as well as global warming can be battled.
He is also known for advocating the roofs of buildings and roads have white or light colors, in order to reflect more sunlight back to space to help mitigate the effects of global warming.
Quotations:
"The atoms become like a moth, seeking out the region of higher laser intensity."
''Science is really about describing the way the universe works in one aspect or another in all branches of science-how a life-form works, how this works, how that works. ... You have to have a natural curiosity for that.''
"Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe."
"So imagine a world 6 degrees warmer. It's not going to recognize geographical boundaries. It's not going to recognize anything. So agriculture regions today will be wiped out."
"The atoms become like a moth, seeking out the region of higher laser intensity."
"Sustainable energy is the equivalent of the U.S. moon shot."
"Just refrigerator efficiency saves more energy than all that we're generating from renewables, excluding hydroelectric power... I cannot impress upon you how important energy efficiency is. It doesn't mean you eat lukewarm food and your beers are lukewarm. You can still have it; you just make a better thing."
"If I were emperor of the world, I would put the pedal to the floor on energy efficiency and conservation for the next decade."
"I approached the bulk of my schoolwork as a chore rather than an intellectual adventure. The tedium was relieved by a few courses that seem to be qualitatively different. Geometry was the first exciting course I remember. Instead of memorizing facts, we were asked to think in clear, logical steps. Beginning from a few intuitive postulates, far-reaching consequences could be derived, and I took immediately to the sport of proving theorems."
Membership
Steven Chu is a member of numerous honorific societies including the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Academia Sinica, the Korean Academy of Sciences and Technology, and is an honorary member of the Institute of Physics, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a Lifetime Member of the Optical Society of America.
In 1997, Steven married Jean Chu, who holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Physics from Oxford and has served as chief of staff to two Stanford University presidents as well as Dean of Admissions. He has two sons, Geoffrey and Michael, from a previous marriage to Lisa Chu-Thielbar.
Father:
Ju Chin Chu
Ju Chin Chu earned an advanced chemical engineering degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and taught at Washington University in St. Louis and Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute
Mother:
Ching Chen Li
Granfather:
Shu-tian Li
Uncle:
Li Shu-hua
Li Shu-hua is a notable physical scientist, studied physics at the Sorbonne.
Brother:
Gilbert Chu
Gilbert Chu is a professor and researcher of biochemistry and medicine at Stanford University.
Brother:
Morgan Chu
Morgan Chu is an American intellectual property attorney and is one of the first Asian Americans to lead a major United States law firm.
Wife:
Jean Chu
Jean Chu is a British American and an Oxford-trained physicist.
