The above video was created by the Ryu family and is used with their permission.
On July 18, 2021, the Rensselaer community mourned the sudden passing of Professor Chang Y. Ryu, a member of the Rensselaer faculty in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology since 2001.
Professor Ryu was a physical polymer scientist well-known for his work on polymer characterization and the relationship between a polymer’s structure and its material properties. He was a leader in polymer separation using adsorption behavior of molecular interactions and their nanoscale self-assembly in solution and thin films.
In recent years, Professor Ryu taught courses for freshmen, junior, and senior students in the same academic year. He was also committed to RPI’s summer outreach program for high school students. Having taught chemistry to approximately 2,000 students in the classroom, as well as mentoring and advising more than 100 undergraduate and graduate students, Professor Ryu had a significant impact in the lives of many of our students.
In his memory, we recently established the Professor Chang Y. Ryu Memorial Research Fund with the goal of endowing this fund in his honor. Both Professor Wilfredo Colón and Dr. Ryu’s wife, Dr. Young Kim, have made challenge gifts to encourage further support so that we may endow this fund.
Educators and mentors, such as Professor Ryu, have such a powerful impact on a student’s academic path and future. We hope those who ultimately benefit from the Chang Y. Ryu Memorial Research Fund will leave a memorable and positive impact in the lives of others similar to that which Dr. Ryu did for over two decades at Rensselaer.”
Professor Wilfredo Colón
Professor and Department Head, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology