Introduction to this Blog

I am Arthur Chen (MIT '61, Ph.D '66) and I recently participated at a panel session on careers at the 2013 MIT Reunion sponsored by the Chinese Student and Scholar Association. It is heartwarming to see that MIT Alumni Association co-sponsored this event. During and after the panel discussion I encountered many questions pertaining to careers and marriages, which stimulated me to start this blog -- so as to share the discussion among all interested parties.

It is my impression that many young students from China do not have familiar access to older Americans, who may provide them with a perspective of American life. Perhaps I can also fill some of that void.

If there are sufficient interest, I will invite my contemporary MIT Chinese-American friends to join this blog so that we can all share our experience and observations with our younger peers. The intent of this blog is to help readers in their career and life development.

My brief Bio is in the panel below. The following are some interesting facts about me.

* I was born in Boston, I spent my childhood in war time China and grew-up in New York City in the 50's -- very few Chinese of my generation then. I was a fly-on-wall during my parents involvement in Chinese politics. My mother was a member of the National Assembly, it elected Chiang Kai-shek as President in 1947.

* I was a Boy Scout leader and camp councilor and American Indian dancing was my hobby. (I even served as an alter boy for a small Old Catholic Church a few weeks in one summer).

* At MIT, my main social activity was associated as a member of the FF Fraternity, the oldest Chinese-American Fraternity founded in 1911. I am still active and the fraternity is going strong.

* In study I was a coop student (intern) with Bell Labs, where I worked on the first modem (128 baud) and did my Master thesis on Masers.

* I spent 28 years working at GE Corporate R&D. I have worked with the entire spectrum of GE business, from computer to medical/electrical distribution/aerospace/industrial controls/plastics to financial services. And I observed the internal politics and changes within GE management. I completed the sequence of GE General Management Courses. I have an appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of GE, which is the only surviving member of the original Dow Jones Industrial Average.

* I took early retirement and joined a medical imaging start-up in the Seattle area; it went IPO and I left. Afterwards I tried venture capital, failed and then was briefly the CEO of a genomics startup, which spun out of U of Washington's Human Genome Project.

* I was involved in early Chinese-American community activities. After retirement I was briefly involved in local Washington politics. I supported Gary Locke for Governor and I also was a delegate to the Washington State's Republican Convention in 2000. I am now disillusioned by politics. In the last presidential election, I voted for a third party candidate.

* At 74 I am fully retired and spending my time traveling with my wife and visiting our grandchildren -- the joy of our lives.

I do make mistakes in my English (and getting worse as I age), hopefully they should not detract from the essence of the content.