Hsu Yu-chuan

Hsu Yu-chuan (1928 – 18 September 2017) was a Taiwanese scientific instrument technician and master scientific glassblower from Shinchiku Prefecture, Taiwan. He worked at both Taihoku Imperial University(1928) and the National Taiwan University Department of Physics, where he became known for his expertise in the fabrication of scientific glassware. In 1945, Hsu was hired as a technician's assistant by Jiro Tayama at Taihoku Imperial University, where he received training in scientific glassblowing. During this period, he also produced laboratory glassware for chemist Tetsuo Nozoe, who later became the first Japanese scientist to be nominated for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Following the end of World War II, Hsu joined the reconstruction of a Cockcroft–Walton generator at National Taiwan University under the leadership of Yoritsune Ota and Hsu Yun-Ki. The team conducted the first postwar artificial-nucleus collision experiment in the Republic of China, and one of the earliest such experiments in postwar Asia, in 1948. In addition to manufacturing glass components for particle accelerators, Hsu contributed to the development of Taiwan's first medical laser scalpel and its first educational electron gun. He was widely referred to as a “national treasure” of Taiwan's scientific glassmaking community for his decades of contributions to scientific research and education.

Biography

Early life Hsu Yu-chuan was born in 1928 in Shinchiku Prefecture, Taiwan, then part of the Empire of Japan. He was the only child in his family. Hsu's mother died when he was six years old, and his father died when he was twelve. Due to financial hardship, he was forced to leave school and did not complete elementary education until the age of seventeen, graduating as the oldest student in his class. After graduation, he initially hoped to become a Buddhist statue engraver. However, on a teacher's recommendation, he entered a glass factory in Hsinchu as an apprentice, beginning his career in glassworking. In 1944, Hsu enrolled in a training program operated by the factory. Upon completing the program in 1945, he was selected by Jiro Tayama, a scientific glass technician at Taihoku Imperial University(1928) and a consultant to the factory, as one of ten trainees chosen to serve as his assistant at the university. According to Hsu's later recollections, Tayama provided extensive guidance and support, teaching him scientific glassblowing techniques and allowing him to live in his home. Tayama also purchased a bicycle for Hsu so that he could commute to the university for work. During this period, Hsu produced laboratory glassware for the research of an organic chemist Tetsuo Nozoe, who later became the first Japanese scientist to be nominated for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Postwar period

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