May: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
In the College of Engineering, all are welcome. To better share the stories of how our faculty, staff, students and alumni are diverse in their many varying forms, we are celebrating various heritage and other nationally recognized months. This recognition will include stories about those in our greater engineering community, as well as sharing events and other opportunities.
Lily Wang
Director, Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction Charles W. and Margre H. Durham Distinguished Professor
Q: Describe a bit about your personal and/or professional background.
A: My parents were both born in China, but moved to Taiwan with their families in 1949 due to the war between the communists and the Kuomintang. After college, they both came to the US for graduate school. I was born while my dad was completing his PhD in Tennessee. I only spoke Chinese until I started elementary school so English is my second language; I can still speak Chinese as fluently as a native six-year old child! Education was stressed heavily in my family and Asian American community when I was growing up; my mother (who passed away when our car was hit by a drunk driver when I was 11 years old) instilled a strong work ethic in me. I took piano lessons since the age of 4, attended a private all-female secondary school, and aimed to attend an ivy league institution, eventually studying Civil Engineering and architecture at Princeton University.
I learned about the field of acoustics from a physics textbook in high school, and decided at the age of 15 that I wanted to study acoustics in buildings. After getting my PhD from Penn State's Graduate Program in Acoustics and spending a year as a postdoc at the Technical University of Denmark, I intended to join an acoustical consulting firm to design concert halls. But through my professional networks in 1999, I learned about the opening for a faculty position focused on acoustics in Nebraska's new Architectural Engineering program. I applied, got the job, came to Nebraska in March 2000, and haven't left since! I never considered becoming a faculty member (because there aren't many out there who do architectural acoustics); but I feel immensely grateful for the amazing career I've had here.
Q: What is your role in the College of Engineering – and what do you enjoy (love!) about what you are doing?
A: I am currently the Director of the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction, a role I began in July 2021. Before that, I served eight years as an Associate Dean in the College of Engineering. I greatly enjoy academic leadership; some refer to academic administration as the 'dark side', but for me, the opportunity to serve and improve the academic community is very exciting and fulfilling. I consider the following to be some of my strengths that have helped me maneuver the daily trials of academic leadership: I'm organized, action-and-outcomes-oriented, a lifelong learner, and focused on feeling gratitude and joy. Now as the Durham School leader, I appreciate developing stronger connections with Durham School faculty, students, alums, and industry ... more so than I had been in my role as Associate Dean!
Q: Why is it important to celebrate one’s heritage? Why is it meaningful to you and your family?
A: I was born in the United States, but I was raised in a culturally Chinese family. I am so grateful for the strong Asian American community we had in Chattanooga where I grew up. I took Chinese language classes every Sunday, and we celebrated many traditional Chinese holidays, learning songs and other long-held traditions. I have visited Taiwan many times through the years, as I still have relatives who live there including my father. I appreciate the connection I have to Chinese culture with its amazingly long history; I am able to understand the language, and appreciate the strong feelings of duty to family and society that is much more pervasive in that culture than in the US. As other Americans-born-Chinese have expressed, there is a duality I feel ... I am very grateful to have had the opportunities I've had, being born and raised in the United States. One of the best things about the US, though, is the fact that we are a more diverse population than other parts of the world, allowing me to feel free to celebrate my Chinese heritage openly. I particularly enjoy Chinese holidays (such as lunar new year or the harvest festival) during which families come together to celebrate, eat amazing food, and spend time connecting together.
Q: How do you bring your own unique background to your role/responsibilities in the college or your professional life?
A: I am proud to be an Asian American female in a leadership role in the college and definitely see that I bring different perspectives to college leadership discussions. I did chafe in my younger years when I experienced the heavy male-dominated influence evident in traditional Chinese culture from some of my extended relatives - but I benefited from the duality of being raised in the United States and having close family and friends who did not limit me at all but instead pushed me to flourish. I feel that I've displayed streaks of non-conformity, as I've traversed the paths that I've taken in my personal and professional life. That is, I seem to have been more willing to tolerate the discomfort, when in groups where I did not feel welcomed. But I am eager to change the environment we're in, cultivating greater levels of inclusive excellence.
Q: What advice can you give students or others considering or pursuing engineering as a career?
A: Beware and don't fall for the stereotypes about engineering! Working as an engineer is powerful and fulfilling. Engineers solve problems to improve people's lives, and we need more diverse perspectives to continue doing that equitably and impactfully. The path will get tough at times, but I encourage you to do the following: (1) keep an eye on the big picture and on your passions; (2) build your resilience; (3) look and ask for support from many diverse sources as you need it; and (4) allow your career path to flow and evolve, as it surely will.
