Yucong Wang

Yucong Wang was attracted to Michigan Tech's excellent reputation in metallurgical and materials engineering when he was searching for the ideal university to pursue his Ph.D. degree after he completed his B.S. and M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Shanghai Jiaotong University (China).

But it was the memorable experiences he had as a student that made it special, such as when Professor Angus Hellawell, who was a very well-known professor in phase transformation research in the world. "He had very unique teaching style, and would take his whole class of students to bars for drink and lunch when the class finished – it was a very rare and enjoyable experience."

Wang received his Ph.D. from Michigan Tech in 1991 in Material Science and Engineering and began his career as a materials engineer with General Motors. He progressed on a technical career path to senior level engineer, technical specialist, Technical Fellow, the highest technical level at General Motors. He also served as a department manager in the company. He was elected a Fellow of ASM International in 2004, and received Herman H. Doehler Award in 2005, the highest technical achievement award in North American die-casting industry. He was elected Asian American Engineer of the Year in 2006, and received Franz F. Pischinger Innovation Award from Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International and elected a Fellow of SAE in 2018. He received Boss Kettering Award for innovation at GM. He is a well-recognized technical expert in automotive materials, surface engineering and tribology. Some of his innovations led to significant performance and quality improvement, warranty cost reduction of engines and transmissions, as well as casting manufacturing quality and efficiency improvement, and down-time reduction. He holds over 50 US patents.

As a member of the Michigan Tech College of Engineering Advisory Board, Wang said that "Student life is the most important time period that influences a person's growth in their whole professional career."

He still remembers vividly the good times he had with his fellow graduate students at his thesis advisor professor Don Mikkola's farm when he invited all his students to work for a short time and then had a big picnic party right there. "We all enjoyed the great and fun time spent together. I hope to share my experiences with the younger generations to help them grow at Michigan Tech with less hurdles."

Updated September 2021