SUPPORT
DR. NELSON YING SR. AND THE YING FAMILY FOUNDATION JOIN OSC’S MEDALLION SOCIETY Orlando Science Center would like to thank Dr. Nelson Ying Sr. and the Ying Family Foundation for becoming a member of our Medallion Society, an extraordinary group of our most generous supporters. Medallion Society members are leaders in philanthropy through cumulative lifetime giving of $1 million or more to help the Science Center continue our important work. A well-known scientist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist in our community, Dr. Ying, Sr. is no stranger to hard work and a dedication to big dreams. His parents arrived in New York’s Chinatown in 1955 after fleeing the Communist takeover in Shanghai with only $600 to their name. They became gift shop owners and entrepreneurs. From those humble beginnings, Dr. Ying Sr. went on to earn his Ph.D. in nuclear physics, and later served as Chairman of China Group, sponsor of the China Pavilion in EPCOT World Showcase for the Walt Disney Company. For more than 23 years, Dr. Ying Sr. has generously supported student-led scientific research that helps humanity through the Dr. Nelson Ying Science Competition at Orlando Science Center. This competition celebrates exemplary scientific research by Central Florida high school students from Orange, Seminole, Brevard, Lake, Osceola, Volusia, and Marion Counties. Projects submitted by students must have altruistic applications. Each year, students submit a written report on their research including the “next steps” to implement their project with the ultimate goal of benefiting humanity. Five finalists are chosen to present their research to a panel of judges that have included current and retired engineers, scientists, and educators from Lockheed Martin, Kennedy Space Center, The University of Central Florida, Rollins College, Orlando Science Center, the Ying Family and others. The Ying Family Foundation’s generous contribution includes a student winner’s cash prize of $5000 with an additional $1,000 awarded to their science teacher and another $1,000 donated to their school, all generously contributed by the Ying Family Foundation. Finalists also receive $1,000 trophies, and a luncheon. Dr. Ying Sr. aims to inspire tomorrow’s innovative science leaders by promoting their achievements and positioning them as role models for their younger peers. Winners of the prestigious Dr. Nelson Ying Science Competition have included Collin McAliley, a two-time winner, from Brevard’s Cocoa Beach Junior/Senior High School who studied the effect of cysteine methyl esters 12
on the bioaccumulation of brevetoxin in Mercenaria Clams. His project aims to one day spare millions of species of marine life from the harmful effects of red tide, benefiting Florida’s fishing and tourism industries. Past winners have become Harvard graduates, NASA scientists, and recipients of prestigious prizes in the Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science, and Technology and the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. By founding the Dr. Nelson Ying Science Competition and the Ying Family Foundation, Dr. Nelson Ying Sr. has dedicated his philanthropy toward STEM causes and inspiring tomorrow’s science leaders. “I have been privileged to have done my share in promoting STEM education,” he said. “I feel that STEM is the physical foundation of all human achievements, whereas altruism can be considered the spiritual foundation. Arts and sports and everything else while important, I feel they are the ‘icing on the cake.’ Without STEM and altruism, there would be no cake on which to apply the icing.” In addition to sponsoring exhibits and serving on the Science Center Board of Trustees, Dr. Ying, Sr. has been involved with STEM efforts throughout our community and beyond. He is the sponsor for the Dr. Nelson Ying Orange County Science Exposition and the sponsor for the Grand Awards for the Florida State Science and Engineering Fair. Other philanthropic endeavors include the Barbara Ying Center for International Students and Scholars at the University of Central Florida (in memory of his first wife who passed away in 1994); UCF’s Barbara Ying Center for Multilingual Multicultural Center; James and Annie Ying Academic Center at UCF’s Downtown Campus (in honor of Dr. Ying’s parents), UCF’s James and Annie Ying Eminent Scholar Position in Conservation Biology, Dr. Nelson Ying Center (home of Heart of Florida United Way - HFUW), Patricia Ying’s Gift-inkind-international Pavilion (donated to HFUW to commemorate his marriage to his second wife in lieu of a fancy wedding party). We thank Dr. Ying, Sr. and the Ying Family for their longtime support and dedication to Orlando Science Center. His passion and generosity have strengthened our mission and have a lasting impact on STEM education. Through the Dr. Nelson Ying Science Competition and Ying Family Foundation, now led by Nelson Ying Jr., the Ying Family continues to inspire young people to become good role models and successful world changers by celebrating their dedication to science and learning.
