• About
  • Photo Contest: AAPI Heritage Month
  • Community Calendar
  • Advertise
  • Subscriptions
  • Contact
  • Seattle Chinese Post

Northwest Asian Weekly


  • Community
    • Names in the News
    • Local
    • Business
    • Pictorials
    • Obituaries
  • Nation
  • World
  • Arts & Entertainment
  • Columns
    • On the Shelf
    • At the Movies
    • A-POP!
    • Publisher Ng’s blog
    • The Layup Drill
    • Travel
    • Wayne’s Worlds
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentary
    • Publisher Ng’s blog
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Astrology
  • Classifieds
  • Community Calendar
You are here: Home / News / National News / Top 11 Asian achievements of 2015

Top 11 Asian achievements of 2015

January 14, 2016 By Northwest Asian Weekly

By Andrew Kim
Northwest Asian Weekly

Last year was a banner year for Asian and Asian Americans, who pushed forth advancements in technology, science, art, academia, and politics.  One even went to space.

Here are our top 10 events of note:

11. Two spelling bee champs tie

https://i0.wp.com/www.nwasianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/35_03/top11_spellingbee.jpg?resize=500%2C254

Vanya Shivashankar (left), 13, and Gokul Venkatachalam, 14, before spelling their last words and being named co-champions (ESPN screencap, from YouTube.com)

Vanya Shivashankar, 13, and Gokul Venkatachalam, 14, became co-winners of the 2015 Scripps Spelling Bee. In the past five decades, there have been only two ties. Shivashankar, who likes to act and play piano, correctly spelled ‘scherenschnitte’ and Venkatachalam, who likes basketball and rap music, correctly spelled ‘nunatak.’

10. Fresh faces elected to House

https://i0.wp.com/www.nwasianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/35_03/top11_mark.jpg?resize=227%2C140

Ted Lieu (left) and Mark Takai

Ted Lieu (D–Calif.) and Mark Takai (D–Hawaii) were elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2015. Lieu is from Taiwan, graduated from Stanford, and holds the rank of colonel in the United States Air Force Reserves. Takai is a former All-American swimmer and is currently a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army.

 

9. Lunar New Year official in NYC

https://i0.wp.com/www.nwasianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/35_03/top11_lny.jpg?resize=500%2C306

A Lunar New Year celebration in Chinatown, New York City (Photo by Patrick Kwan/Explore Chinatown)

Led by several community activists and local politicians, New York City decided June 2015 to observe the 2016 Lunar New Year as an official school holiday. Supporters have called this change a teachable moment for students to learn about other cultures and to allow them to celebrate an important holiday without missing school.

https://i0.wp.com/www.nwasianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/35_03/top11_lee.jpg?resize=227%2C140

Jennifer Lee (left) and Min Zhou

8. UC Professors release scholarly book on model minority myth and stereotypes

Jennifer Lee and Min Zhou, two professors of sociology at the University of California, published a scholarly book titled “The Asian American Achievement Paradox.” This book explores the Asian ‘model minority’ stereotype and was one of many newsworthy items which shaped the growing discussion of Asian Americans and stereotypes in 2015.

 

https://i0.wp.com/www.nwasianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/35_03/top11_lei.jpg?resize=85%2C103

Lei Liang

7. Composer Pulitzer finalist for blending grief, exhilaration

Lei Liang was a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for music for composing “Xiaoxiang,” a concerto for alto saxophone and orchestra. Liang was inspired by a widow’s wail and blended the curious sensations of grief and exhilaration in his concerto.

 

https://i0.wp.com/www.nwasianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/35_03/top11_kjell.jpg?resize=86%2C106

Kjell Lindgren

6. Taiwanese American astronaut launches into space

Kjell Lindgren became the 11th Asian American to make it to space. He was launched to the International Space Station July 22, 2015 and returned to Earth Dec. 11, 2015. He was born in Taiwan, earned several master’s degrees and a doctorate in medicine before becoming a NASA astronaut in 2007.

 

https://i0.wp.com/www.nwasianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/35_03/top11_naval.jpg?resize=97%2C115

Naval Ravikant

5. Business matchmaking company raises $400 million

In 2015, Naval Ravikant’s AngelList raised $400 million in funding from the China Science and Merchants Investment Group. AngelList brings together start-up investors — angel investors — and fledging companies.  Ravikant founded AngelList in 2010, in addition to co-founding several other companies. He is also an active angel investor, having invested in companies such as Twitter and Uber.

 

https://i0.wp.com/www.nwasianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/35_03/top11_minou.jpg?resize=100%2C114

Minoru Yasui

4. Civil rights attorney awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom

Minoru Yasui was posthumously awarded a 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. Yasui was a Japanese American lawyer who fought for human and civil rights his entire career, including cases against the Japanese internment laws. He also held several leadership positions within the Japanese American Citizens League.

 

https://i0.wp.com/www.nwasianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/35_03/top11_campbell.jpg?resize=342%2C139

William Campbell (left), Satoshi Omura (middle), and Tu Youyou

3. Doctors awarded Nobel for achievements in medicines

William Campbell (American), Satoshi Omura (Japanese), and Tu Youyou (Chinese) won the 2015 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine. Campbell and Omura formulated a drug that radically reduces the frequency of parasitic diseases, and Tu formulated a drug that has significantly reduced malaria death rates.

https://i0.wp.com/www.nwasianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/35_03/top11_seiji.jpg?resize=101%2C140

Seiji Ozawa

2. Japanese conductor honored by Kennedy Center

Seiji Ozawa, known for conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra for 29 years, was a 2015 recipient for the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors, celebrating those in the arts. The awards gala was broadcasted Dec. 29, 2015 on CBS. Ozawa is a Japanese American pianist born in Shenyang, China. Other honorees were George Lucas, Carole King, Rita Moreno, and Cicely Tyson.

1. Pacific Rim countries enter into trade agreement

https://i0.wp.com/www.nwasianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/35_03/top11_pacificrim.jpg?resize=500%2C288

The Trans–Pacific Partnership

The Trans–Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement among Pacific Rim countries, was agreed to on Oct. 5, 2015. The agreement aims to lower trade barriers, promote economic growth, transparency, and good governance, as well as enhanced labor and environmental protections. It was fairly controversial due to the secrecy of the negotiations — it took over seven years to negotiate. (end)

Andrew Kim can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

Share:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: National News Tagged With: 2015, 2016, Asian Americans, Chinatown, Gokul Venkatachalam, Japanese American Citizens League, Jennifer Lee, Kennedy Center Honors, Kjell Lindgren, Lei Liang, Lunar New Year, Min Zhou, Minoru Yasui, Naval Ravikant, Pacific Rim, Presidential Medal, Seiji Ozawa, Tu Youyou Chinese, Vanya Shivashankar, Vol 35 No 3 | January 16 - January 22, technology

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Find us on Issuu!

Subscribe to our e-news

Front pages

Biden awards Medal of Honor for Vietnam heroism

Lori Matsukawa: Recipient of Japanese Emperor’s Rising Sun Award—A celebration of the Japanese Americans’ achievements

Local community benefits from man’s pickleball passion

Norman Mineta, transportation secretary in 9/11 era, dies

UW bioethicist calls for justice in distributing global COVID treatments

Community members urge support for SPD hiring bonuses

PICTORIAL: AAPI Heritage Celebration

“Celebrate Asia” 2022 encourages a community to move forward, together

Biden COVID coordinators leaving in April, Jha to take over

Long COVID: the disease that cannot be described

More of Last Week's Front Page

© 2022 NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
412 MAYNARD AVE. S., SEATTLE, WA 98104
206-223-5559 | INFO@NWASIANWEEKLY.COM