Asian Fortune Your source for all things Asian American
Compiled by Mary Tablante
1. Dao Nguyen Becomes First Buzzfeed Publisher
Dao Nguyen, who was previously the vice president of growth and data at Buzzfeed, was promoted as publisher of the internet media company. As publisher, Nguyen, 40, will be filling a newly created role where she will lead publishing on the social web. In Nguyen’s two years at Buzzfeed, unique monthly visitors have grown nearly four times from 28 to 150 million. Prior to Buzzfeed, Nguyen worked at Dow Jones and the French news site Le Monde.
2. Japanese American and Japanese Physicists Awarded Nobel Prize
Shuji Nakamura of the University of California, Santa Barbara, along with Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano, both of Nagoya University in Japan, were awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on blue LED lights in the 1990s. Their invention enabled energy-saving and long-lasting white light sources. The scientists were able to create white light through producing blue light beams from semi-conductors. The $1.1 million prize will be split between the three and will be awarded in Stockholm on Dec. 12.
3. Death Threats Aimed at Asian Americans at Harvard
BOSTON—Hundreds of students of Asian descent at Harvard University received death threats via email Oct. 3. A portion of the email text read, “I’m going to kill every one of you, I promise you, slit-eyes.” Most of those who received the threats were women with Asian surnames. On Oct. 5, the students received an apology email from the sender claiming the sender’s little brother sent the threats, reported Bloomberg. Harvard police took the threats seriously and continued the investigation. Police spokesman Steven Catalano said the threats “may not be credible” and came from overseas.
4. Maya Lin Earns Prestigious Art Prize
NEW YORK—Artist Maya Lin is being awarded the $300,000 Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize. Lin was chosen from 100 nominees and is known for her winning design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 1981, when she was 21 years old. According to the New York Times, Lin will devote some of the prize to developing her multisite work entitled “What is Missing?” The project aims to increase awareness about the loss of biodiversity and natural habitats, combining art and science.
5. Marvel to Release Series with Asian American Heroine
NEW YORK—Marvel announced at New York Comic Con that they will be releasing a new series from the Spider-Man universe that features an Asian American superhero known as Silk. Silk, also known as Cindy Moon, first appeared on the “Amazing Spider-Man” comics as the second person bitten by the radioactive spider that bit Peter Parker. The first issue will be released in February 2015. Last year, Marvel introduced the first Muslim American superhero, Kamala Khan, a Pakistani American taking on the name Ms. Marvel.
6. Asian Americans Rarely Mentioned on Sunday Talk Shows
A ChangeLab study examined 130 episodes of Sunday talk shows over a span of six months and found that Asian Americans were mentioned just 13 times. During a majority of these mentions, Asian Americans were simply listed among other racial groups. The talk shows studied for the report were Face the Nation, Fox News Sunday, Meet the Press, State of the Union and This Week with George Stephanopoulos. The report can be downloaded at changelab.info.
7. Sanjay Jain Awarded NIH Research Award
Baltimore, Md.—The National Institutes of Health awarded Dr. Sanjay Jain, an infectious disease specialist at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, the Transformative Research Award. Jain earned the award for his work on an imaging method that would be able to identify a variety of bacterial infections and provide tracking of bacteria in real time, reported India West. This method would help in diagnosing infections and assessing drug therapy effects. Jain is also leading a study to evaluate a TB test for the diagnosis of active TB in HIV-infected children in India, according to his Johns Hopkins profile.
8. Korean American Leader Honored with Memorial
LOS ANGELES— Alfred H. Song, the first Asian American elected to California’s legislature in the 1960s, was remembered with a memorial installed in Koreatown in early October, reported the Korea Times. During his time in the legislature, he worked on issues such as supporting press freedom and improving health care quality. Song was a World War II veteran and graduate of the University of Southern California. Song died at age 85 in 2004. The politician’s memorial is located at the Wilshire-Western Metro station.
9. U.S. Marine Suspected in Killing of Filipino Transgender Woman
A U.S. Marine was detained Oct. 14 while investigations took place following the murder of Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude, a transgender woman from the Philippines. Laude, 26, was found dead Oct. 11 in a hotel in Olongapo City, Philippines. ABS-CBN reported that Laude’s body was found one hour after she checked into a hotel with the suspect, Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton. An autopsy declared Laude’s cause of death as asphyxia by drowning. Actions and rallies calling for justice for Laude were held in New York and San Francisco.
10. Exhibit on Chinese American Exclusion/Inclusion Opens in New York
NEW YORK—An exhibition entitled “Chinese American: Exlcusion/Inclusion” recently opened at the New-York Historical Society Museum. The exhibit tells the story of Chinese immigration and experiences from the 18th century to present day, highlighting early trade interactions between the U.S. and China and stories during the Chinese Exclusion Act. The exhibit will run through April 19, 2015. For information about upcoming events, go to chineseamerican.nyhistory.org.
11. Austin’s Asian American Resource Center Celebrates One-Year Anniversary
Austin, Tex.—The City of Austin’s Asian American Resource Center celebrated its one-year anniversary in October. In the past year, the center has offered senior wellness workshops and a senior lunch social. They also launched a community garden and exhibits program that displays Asian-themed works from Austin artists. In 2015, the center plans to hold bilingual story times, a concert series and events for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
