• AALA Seminars
    The Chinese Institute of Engineers/USA-Seattle Chapter is proud and honored to present the 2021 Asian American Luminary Award (AALA) Seminar Series, featuring the 2020 AALA awardees and other guest speakers. The Seminar Series consists of four seminars to be held online during January – February, 2021.
    1. Saturday, January 16, 2021, Creating Unique Advantages for Startups
    2. Saturday, January 30, 2021, U.S., China and Chinese Americans: A human Bridgefor Better Bilateral Relations(See description below)
    3. Saturday, February 13, 2021, How to Transition from Manager to Leader
    4. Saturday, February 27, 2021, From Pandemic to Cancers– Tackling the Health Challenges in the 21st Century  (See description below)

    To register for the seminars, please click here
    Or scan the QR code below.

    AALA Seminar #1

    Creating Unique Advantages for Startups
    10:00 – 11:30 AM, Saturday, January 16 2021

    Theme: Creating Unique Advantages for Startups
    Every product begins with an idea, and the path by which those ideas turn into impactful technologies in our society is often convoluted. But one thing is constant: impactful technologies have a disruptive component, with the unique potential to change the status quo. Often the best opportunities are found at the boundaries between traditional fields. In running startups, many founders would think about business model, domain knowledge, experience, technologies and products as unique advantages for startups. However, few of them really spend time on other critical elements, such as start-up motivation, company culture, core team, performance driven system (incentives and accountability), cash flow and execution.

    You will learn:
    • examples of creating unique advantages during the journey of commercializing wide-ranging tools from a single technology stack
    • ideas and mental models for developing and using advantages for the upcoming technology landscape
    • critical elements in startup
    Speakers: Chris Own (See Bio), Ph.D., CEO and Founder, Voxa
    Y.P. Chan ( See Bio), CEO of Avidian Technologies Inc
    Moderator: James Lee, Ph.D., CEO and Founder, DRVision
    Agenda:
    Session Name Time
    Welcome and Speakers Intro James Lee 10 min
    Session 1 Chris Own 30 min
    Session 2 Y.P. Chan 30 min
    Q&A All 20 min

    AALA Seminar #2

    U.S., China and Chinese Americans: A human Bridge
    for Better Bilateral Relations
    10:00 – 11:30 AM Saturday, January 30 2021

    Theme: U.S., China and Chinese Americans: A human Bridge for Better Bilateral Relations
    The U.S. and China have become economically interdependent and yet have deep political and cultural differences that cause each nation’s leaders to think less about “constructive engagement” and more and more about “strategic competition and conflict.” Chinese Americans, especially those of the first generation immigrants who were born and educated in China, are inevitably affected by – and themselves can affect — these bilateral relationships.

    You will learn:
    • the current and foreseeable state of the U.S.-China relationship
    • some of the ways that Chinese Americans can themselves play a more active role in the improvement of that relationship at the local, county, state and national levels
    Speakers: Conrad Lee (See Bio), former Mayor and a long time City Council member in Bellevue
    Nelson Dong ( See Bio), partner with the Dorsey & Whitney
    Moderator: Matthew Ma, Ph.D., J.D., Vice President, CIE/Seattle
    Agenda:
    Session Name Time
    Welcome and Speakers Intro Matthew Ma 10 min
    Session 1 Nelson Dong 30 min
    Session 2 Conrad Lee 30 min
    Q&A All 20 min

    AALA Seminar #3

    How to Transition from Manager to Leader 
    10:00 – 11:30 AM Saturday, February 13 2021

    Theme: How to Transition from Manager to Leader
    Understand the characteristics, qualities and attributes of proven leaders. You will learn:
    • The difference between management and leadership
    • The traits of successful leaders and how you can develop them
    • How to evaluate your progress as a leader
    Speakers: Lan Ye (See Bio), Corporate Vice President, Microsoft
    Nyle Miyamoto (See Bio), Senior Director, Boeing
    Moderator: Angelina Huang, Chairperson, CIE/Seattle
    Agenda:
    Session NameTime
    Welcome and Speakers Intro Angelina10 min
    Topic 1 – “Leadership Development” Lan Ye30 min
    Topic 2 – “The Leadership Formula” Nyle Miyamoto30 min
    Q&A All20 min

    AALA Seminar #4

    From Pandemic to Cancers
    – Tackling the Health Challenges in the 21st Century
    10:00 – 11:30 AM, Saturday, February 27 2021

    Theme: From Pandemic to Cancers – Tackling the Health Challenges in the 21st Century

    You will learn:
    • the evolution and entry of SARS-CoV2
    • how to drug the undruggable?
    Speakers: Ning Zheng (See Bio), Ph.D., Professor and HHMI Investigator, Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington
    Shan-Lu Liu (See Bio), MD, Ph.D., Professor and Co-Director of Virus and Emerging Pathogen Program, Infectious Diseases Institute, Center for Retrovirus Research, The Ohio State University
    Moderator: Yong Zhou, Ph.D., Board director, CIE/Seattle
    Agenda:
    Session Name Time
    Welcome and Speakers Intro Yong Zhou 10 min
    Topic 1: How to Drug the Undruggable? Ning Zheng 30 min
    Topic 2: SARS-CoV2: Evolution, Entry and Immunity to infection Shan-Lu Liu 30 min
    Q&A All 20 min