By: Dr. Mark A. Rafter, Editorial Director, with Dr. Lianlian Lin
ONTARIO, Calif. — October 10, 2026 — The USA Chinese Scholars Association (USACSA) held its 2026 Annual Conference and High-End Academic Forum on Saturday at the Ontario Airport Delta Hotel in the City of Ontario, California, in the Greater Los Angeles Area, drawing numerous scholars and interested attendees. The event theme was “Gathering the Wisdom of Top Scholars, Envisioning the Frontiers of Science and Technology.” The daylong event combined a rigorous afternoon academic forum with an evening gala banquet celebrating the contributions of Chinese American scholars to global scientific progress.
A Showcase of Cross-Disciplinary Scholarship
USACSA President Yongtian Li opened the forum by highlighting the association’s distinctive interdisciplinary membership, noting that the exchange of ideas across fields and friendships forged across diverse backgrounds frequently yield new inspiration, new collaborations, and new possibilities. The association’s board of directors, including Wensen Jiang, Jiachen Zhang, Shaoyi He, Yonggang Li, and Min Song, introduced the eight featured speakers.
The keynote lineup spanned an impressive range of disciplines. Steven Chu, Nobel Laureate in Physics and Stanford University professor, opened the program via video presentation with an address on the contributions of Asian Americans to the United States. Xian-He Sun, former Chair of Computer Science at the Illinois Institute of Technology, examined the core theories underpinning big data computing. Song Li, Chancellor’s Professor of Bioengineering, Chair of UCLA’s Department of Bioengineering, and Associate Dean for Graduate and Professional Education at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, traced the sixty-year evolution from biomechanics to technomedicine. Catherine Fang of Carnegie Mellon University outlined the prospects for trustworthy AI in healthcare. Binghua Chen, Lifetime Fellow of the UK’s Royal Academy of Engineering, explored AI’s role in global collaboration. Anhui Liang, Dean of the Electronic Information & Interdisciplinary Research Institute at YanGo University, presented pioneering work in bioelectronics. Mingxia Song, Executive Vice President of the Global Green Culture Alliance (New York), offered perspectives on international cooperation in green development. Closing the academic program, Dr. Lieping Chen — a Yale University professor, a member of both the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine, and an Honorary Member of the USACSA — presented one of the latest breakthroughs in cancer immunotherapy.
A Banquet Honoring a Legacy of Scientific Excellence
The evening gala opened with a video greeting from Shu Chien, the 95-year-old UC San Diego professor and dual member of the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine, who congratulated the association on another successful year. Michael Baudry of Western University and Wensheng Xiong, Executive Chairman of the Board of the Roundtable of Chinese American Organizations, delivered remarks. “Today’s academic presentations touch the lives of every family,” Chairman Xiong told the audience. “Behind every scientific breakthrough lie years of patient, dedicated research. We pay tribute to this devotion and celebrate the outstanding contributions of Chinese American professors and scholars to the advancement of science.”
Renowned calligrapher and abstract painter Weiguang Huang, a Senior Member of the Kennedy Library Foundation whose works have been exhibited at the Louvre Art Expo, Art Expo New York, and galleries across Europe, presented original calligraphy pieces to each keynote speaker as gifts.
The association also held its annual awards ceremony, presenting its highest honor, Honorary Membership Certificates. The USACSA has four honorary members who are all American academicians, including Dr. Ming Hsieh (an alumnus and life trustee of the University of Southern California), Professor Lieping Chen from Yale University, Professor Steven Chu from Stanford University, and Professor Shu Chien from the University of California, San Diego. In accordance with criteria set by the Board of Directors, the association also presented Outstanding Member Certificates to Professor Lianlian Lin and Dr. Yuerong Zhu.
Enthusiastic Response, Far-Reaching Impact
Organizers reported an overwhelmingly positive response, with attendees traveling from many other states. With the afternoon sessions running on a tight schedule, several participants took the floor during the banquet itself, offering spirited commentary on emerging technologies and pressing questions they perceived as facing humanity.
President Li closed the evening by thanking the speakers, sponsors, partners, board members, and volunteers whose efforts made the event possible.
As the Modern-Day Marco Polo and an International Professor who has participated in think tanks and attended numerous academic gatherings of professors and scholars, I have come to appreciate the extraordinary value of bringing great minds together. When those who have devoted their lives to exploring the frontiers of health, science, and technology share their knowledge, experiences, and discoveries, we find a treasure far greater than gold or silver. It is the wisdom and friendships that can advance humanity.
For me, this gathering represents another bridge built through education, cooperation, and mutual understanding. I highly recommend the USACSA Scholars Association and encourage others to explore how they might contribute to its mission and the betterment of humanity. After all, some of the greatest treasures we discover are not those we keep for ourselves, but those we share with the world.
For more information: USA Chinese Scholars Association at www,usacsa.org
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