User:Women'sproblemiswomen/sandbox
Mei-Fang Cheng
Biography
Mei Fang Cheng was born in Taiwan during World War II. She was raised along with four other siblings and was the middle child in her family. Cheng’s mother made education a priority as she grew up, yet Cheng used to dislike both junior high school and high school.
Still, while in high school, Cheng decided that she wanted to distinguish and prove herself in a specific field. Originally, however, she was not interested in the sciences as she did not have someone from the scientific field in her life. After completing high school, Cheng graduated from the National Taiwan University, the most prestigious university in the county, with a degree in Psychology. She also graduated at the top of her class.
Once she graduated, Cheng made the decision to study abroad in the United States instead of getting married. She originally started her studies in University of Oregon, but because she wanted to move to the East Coast, Cheng transferred to Bryn Mawr College with the intention of obtaining a doctorate. During her time at Bryn Mawr, Cheng became more liberal in her views, due to the change in culture and the 60’s movement.
While pursuing her PhD, Cheng married a Taiwanese man who was also working towards his PhD, but at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1970, her husband received the opportunity to pursue an assistant professorship at the Stevens Institute of Technology. At the same time, Cheng was given two offers, and chose to go to Rutgers University and work as a research associate under Daniel Lehrman. Cheng believed one of her biggest challenges was her shyness in the beginning stages of her career, as she was very self-conscious and afraid of asking questions and being misunderstood. She was also afraid of being incorrect or even making mistakes, which made her incapable of saying “no” to people, or even disagreeing with them. For a while, Cheng was even unable to defend her own work and research, and many of her colleagues did not respect her. Cheng believed these issues were all due her past experiences with the rigid Chinese education system, and believed she was mistreated due to her race and gender at times. However, with time, Cheng learned to become increasingly assertive and more confident in herself, and her work. She realizes how it is important to be self-confident and for one to not inflict self-restrictions, as those are hindrances to a successful career, no matter the field. She advises young girls not let gender prevent them from pursuing their passions, and to instead follow their dreams. [1]
Awards and Honors
- B.S. Summa Cum Laude (1958)
- Fulbright Scholar (1959-1963)
- Research Scientist Development Awardee (1974-1979; 1979-1984)
- Rutgers University Faculty Merit Award (1983,1986,1987,1991,1992,1993,1994, 1997)
- Who's Who in Frontier Science and Technology (1984-)
- Marquis Who's Who in America (1991-)
- Johnson and Johnson Discovery Award (1989-1990)
- Hoechst Celanese Innovative Research Award (1993)
- Rutgers Board of Trustee Award for Excellence in Research (1998)
Membership In Societies
- Society of Neuroscience
- International Society of Neuroethology
- New York Academy of Science
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
- International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology
- International Congress of Hormones, Brain and Behavior
- International Congress of Avian Endocrinology
Recent Publications
Chen G, Cheng MF (2007) Inhibition of Lesion-Induced Neurogenesis Impaired Behavioral Recovery in Adult Ring Doves. Behav. Brain Res. 177:358-363.
Cheng, MF (2008) The role of vocal self-stimulation in female response to males: implications for state-reading. Hormones and Behavior. 53(1) : 1-10.
Cheng, MF (2011) Newborn GnRH neurons in the adult forebrain of the ring dove. Hormone & Behavior. 60: 94-104. [4]