The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) has recently awarded its highest honor, the Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal to Dr. Frank H. Shu, former president of NTHU for his lifetime achievements and contribution in the field of astronomy. An award ceremony will be held in mid September in Millbrae, California.

Founded in 1889, ASP is an international organization with members from over 70 countries, making it the largest astronomical society in the world. Its members come from a wide range of backgrounds including scientific researches, university professors, amateur astronomers and any members of the general public who have an interest in astronomy. The society's mission is to promote the advancement of astronomy and increase public awareness of the field. Began in 1898, the Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal is the highest honor presented by the ASP and is awarded every year to one individual who has made a lifetime of contributions to the field of astronomy. Six astronomical directors (three from the United states and three from other countries) gather together every year to nominate candidates for the award. What makes the award particularly distinctive is that unlike the Nobel Prize or Fields Medal which are awarded for a specific contribution, recipients of the Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal have been recognized for their outstanding lifetime achievement and contributions to the field of astronomy.

Educated in the United States, Former President Frank H. Shu received his bachelors degree in physics from MIT and later his Ph.D. in astronomy from Harvard University. He is a leading scholar in the field of astrophysics and has made significant contributions to research in the field of spiral arm structure and star formation theory. Dr. Shu was the president of the American Astronomical Society from 1994 to 1996 and has held positions at the United States Academy of Sciences (1987), Academic Sinica (1990), American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1992) and Academy of Sciences American Philosophical Society (2003). He has also taught at the University of California, Berkeley and was an endowed chair at ten other branches of the University of California. Dr. Shu made headlines when in 2002 he left his high-salaried career in the United States to return to Taiwan and serve as president of NTHU. Since then, he has endeavored to improve Taiwan's educational and academic environment while still assuming responsibilities as a technology consultant for the Executive Yuan as well as a research fellow of the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics.