The Asian American Pioneer Medal Symposium and Ceremony: Science, Recognition, and the Future We Share
By Joanna YangQing Derman (Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC) and Edgar Chen (National Asian Pacific American Bar Association)
The Asian American Scholar Forum’s (AASF) 2nd Annual Pioneer Symposium and Ceremony brought together leading minds across science, academia, and public service to spotlight the essential role of Asian American scholars in shaping the nation’s future. Set against a backdrop of both rising opportunity and growing uncertainty, the gathering invited reflection on how inclusion, recognition, and responsible policy can determine the trajectory of American innovation. As people like us who often work exclusively in advocacy and policy, it was easy to feel like a fish out of water amongst some of the brightest minds in tech and science. But it didn’t take long for us to feel comfortable in our skin as the people who defend and protect the rights of these scholars to conduct their research without fear.
Throughout the three day event, one message rang especially clear: if we want to secure America’s scientific leadership and meet the challenges of the future, we must stand up for the people doing the work. It was a celebration, yes — but it was also a call to action for the policymakers in attendance. In a time when geopolitics and bias threaten to marginalize or drive out brilliant minds based on race or heritage, our responsibility is not just to recognize these scientists, but to protect them.
This year’s scientific honorees included:
- Dr. David Ho, Professor of Microbiology & Immunology, Clyde ’56 and Helen Wu Professor of Medicine; Director, Wu Family China Center; and Emeritus Founding Director, Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center at Columbia University, honored for pioneering HIV/AIDS research and treatment.
- Dr. Mani Menon, Chief of Strategy and Innovation in the Department of Urology for the Mount Sinai Health System, honored for groundbreaking advances in robotic surgery.
- Dr. Shuji Nakamura, CREE Professor of Solid State Lighting and Displays, Materials at the University of California — Santa Barbara, honored for inventing the blue LED.
- Chih-Tang (Tom) Sah, Professor Emeritus of Physics and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, honored posthumously for his revolutionary work in semiconductor electronics.
- Wong Tsoo, honored posthumously for pioneering modern aircraft design as the first aeronautical engineer at Boeing
The symposium was powered by the scholar community, but one of the driving forces behind it was AAJC and NAPABA alumna Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director of AASF, who noted, “The Asian American Scholar Forum was created to represent and uplift the voices of Asian American researchers, scientists, and scholars across the country.” She went on to say, “This symposium reflects the power of our community as we come together to celebrate achievement. Our country’s future depends on whether we choose to build a system grounded in trust and fairness, or one that chases away its brightest minds. Having come from Advancing Justice | AAJC, I am so proud to see our civil rights community, including Advancing Justice | AAJC and NAPABA, work to support AASF and empower this newly galvanized demographic. It speaks to our values as public servants to serve and highlight the communities directly impacted on the ground.”
Hope Over Fear
The panels spanned a range of disciplines from AI and sustainable energy to biotechnology and materials science. One might expect such gatherings to echo concerns of a dystopian future dominated by algorithms and machines. Instead, the prevailing sentiment was far more optimistic. These scientists are not working to abstract or theoretical ends; they are tackling urgent and concrete challenges–from climate change to public health–driven by a desire to improve lives, and with much of this work unfolding on university campuses across the United States.
Yet, amid this optimism, it was difficult not to reflect on how today’s political landscape might affect these pioneers were they beginning their careers now. Would Dr. Sah, born in China, and who taught at the University of Florida for over two decades, have faced barriers under laws like Florida’s SB 846, which bars Chinese graduate students from research positions at public universities? Would Wong Tsoo, despite his contributions to American aviation, have faced heightened scrutiny based solely on his heritage?
Beyond Pure Science
As Dr. David Ho noted in his remarks, the path to discovery is often influenced by forces beyond pure science — forces shaped by policy, perception, and power. “I think we fellow immigrant scientists are facing three forces converging into a perfect storm” he said, identifying the assault on academia, the attack on U.S. scientific infrastructure, and pervasive anti-immigrant sentiment that serves to drive away talent. This reality explains why a small but deliberate group of lawyers, civil rights advocates, and policy experts was present at the symposium as well. Ideally, our presence would be unnecessary; the science itself — the data, the discoveries, the breakthroughs — should speak for itself.
Yet, the situation is far more complex.
Recognition, inclusion, and advocacy remain vital, not only in shaping science funding, grant approvals and tenure decisions but also in influencing public perception and national policy. Panels throughout the Symposium brought this into sharp focus: while these scientists dedicate themselves to practical, life-saving innovation rather than geopolitical agendas, decisions about who is trusted, who receives funding, and who is allowed to lead remain deeply entangled with politics and prejudice, sometimes even more so than scientific merit. In other words, the ongoing fight against profiling — in airports, laboratories, and boardrooms — is inseparable from the broader pursuit of equity in STEM and public service. And at its core lies a pressing national question: Who gets to belong, and who is trusted to shape the future?
These are not overblown concerns. The very scientists whose work strengthens America’s global leadership in innovation — many of them Asian American — are often the first at risk of being sidelined or driven away if bias and discrimination go unaddressed. Losing them would not only be a moral failure, but a strategic one.
For years, Asian American and Asian immigrant researchers have faced disproportionate scrutiny, surveillance, and suspicion under the guise of national security. In many cases, investigations have been launched based on ethnicity rather than evidence, casting a chilling effect across academic and scientific communities. Talented scholars have lost jobs, funding, and reputations — sometimes without formal charges — simply for collaborating internationally or for having personal ties to Asia. Meanwhile, the message sent to a rising generation of scientists is clear: your contributions may be celebrated, but your loyalty will always be questioned. The Secretary of State has threatened to “aggressively” revoke the visas of Chinese graduate students, and pending legislation in Congress would bar any Chinese citizen from receiving a student visa.
This climate not only erodes trust, it weakens the very institutions it purports to protect. Scientific discovery thrives on openness, collaboration, and the free exchange of ideas. When fear replaces curiosity, and prejudice overrides merit, the consequences are felt far beyond any single lab or university. They ripple across entire fields, slow innovation, and cede ground in the global race for talent and technology.
As the policymakers in attendance, our role is to fight to protect these scientists because their contributions are irreplaceable and their presence essential. In the face of global competition and complex challenges, protecting Asian American scientists from profiling, unjust investigations, and institutional exclusion is not just a matter of fairness. It is a matter of preserving the integrity of American science. The path forward requires not only acknowledging the harm that has been done but also committing to a culture of trust, transparency, and equity. The stakes are clear. If we do not defend those who lead in labs and classrooms today, we risk losing the discoveries, cures, and breakthroughs that could define tomorrow.
Bios taken from AASF Symposium website: https://www.aasforum.org/2025/07/29/honoring-visionaries-and-shaping-the-future-featured-on-nbc-bay-area-aasf-concludes-2025-asian-american-pioneer-medal-symposium-and-ceremony-on-a-high-note/
