Richard Shao-hai Wu *89

Richard died June 10, 2023, in Baltimore.

Born Oct. 28, 1957, in Yueqing, China, he studied at Fudan University in China before moving to the United States in 1983. He earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from Princeton in 1989 and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at MIT.

From 1989 to 1996, he worked at W.R. Grace. During that time, he founded the DC chapter of the Chinese Association of Science and Technology (CAST-DC), which remains active to this day.

In 1997, Richard moved to Shanghai to found IAESTE-China, an organization dedicated to providing international exchange and internship opportunities for students. During his tenure he worked to improve the lives of young people in China and around the world. He routinely lectured in Chinese universities on the importance of creativity and innovation in childhood development.

An avid traveler who visited 30 countries, he told anyone who asked that his favorite country was Norway, mostly because he was quite confident that no one would be able to dispute it.

Richard is survived by his wife of 39 years, Lynn; his daughters, Yiyang “Yaya” Wu and Christina Wu; granddaughter Lucia Wu Cheng; and four siblings.

Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.