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AASF 2026 Frontier & Pioneer Symposium - test

The Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), in partnership with Stanford University's Asian American Research Center, convened its 2026 Frontier & Pioneer Symposium from August 7–9 at Stanford — a three-day gathering that drew over 2,000 registrants and nearly 90 speakers, moderators, and session leaders, marking AASF's fifth anniversary and third annual symposium. It honored scientific pioneers amid a turbulent year for science and research.

Three-Day Program

The program opened August 7 with the Frontier Symposium, continued August 8 with the Pioneer Symposium & Ceremony, and closed August 9 with a Policy Forum held in partnership with the Hoover Institution's program on the U.S., China, and the World. Featured speakers included Nobel laureates Steven Chu 朱棣文, Syukuro Manabe, Randy W. Schekman, Samuel C. C. Ting 丁肇中, and Carl Wieman; Fields Medalist Terence Tao 陶哲轩; AI pioneers Jeff Dean and Fei-Fei Li 李飞飞; National Academy of Engineering President Tsu-Jae King Liu 劉金智潔; former NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan; and former OMB Deputy Director Nani A. Coloretti, among many others from academia, industry, and government.

Honoring Pioneers, Past and Present

AASF presented the 2026 Asian American Pioneer Medal to five honorees: Dr. Louise T. Chow 周芷, for discovering RNA splicing; Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany (posthumous), for pioneering fiber optics; Dr. Syukuro Manabe, for transforming climate science; Professor Terence Tao 陶哲轩, for advances spanning prime-number theory to compressed sensing; and Professor Samuel C. C. Ting 丁肇中, for discovering the J/ψ particle and revealing the charm quark.

The Asian American Justice Medal went to two trailblazers, both honored posthumously: Senator Hiram Fong 鄺友良, a pioneer in national politics, and Larry Itliong, honored for his labor rights activism.

Science at the Frontier

Sessions spanned artificial intelligence, quantum computing, energy, and the life sciences. Louise T. Chow 周芷 revisited her discovery of RNA splicing and its lasting impact on gene expression research. Steven Chu 朱棣文 discussed progress and unresolved challenges in battery storage, solar power, and climate. Yi Cui 崔屹, the symposium's Program Co-Chair, highlighted advances in silicon-anode batteries and grid-scale storage. Jeff Dean, in his first public appearance since leaving Google after 27 years, discussed AI's growing role in accelerating scientific discovery. Fei-Fei Li 李飞飞 explored AI's evolution toward spatial and physical intelligence, while urging the audience to preserve human agency as a design principle. Terence Tao 陶哲轩 examined how AI is reshaping mathematical research, and Samuel C. C. Ting 丁肇中 reflected on five decades of experimental physics, from the J/ψ discovery to his ongoing search for dark matter aboard the International Space Station.

Research and Mentorship Roundtables held over lunch on August 7 and 8 gave students and early-career researchers direct access to leading scientists and AASF Fellows in smaller, cross-generational settings.

A Policy Forum Confronting the Moment

The symposium's third day turned directly to the political headwinds facing American science, from the OMB grantmaking rule to NSF's leadership upheaval and the broader research "brain drain." The Policy Forum examined federal research funding, civil rights and science, U.S.-China competition, and public service leadership, featuring Sethuraman Panchanathan, Nani A. Coloretti, Reps. Ted Lieu and Sam Liccardo, former Rep. Mike Honda, and AASF Executive Director Gisela Perez Kusakawa, among others.

Coming at a moment when we have reported extensively on threats to the research enterprise — from the OMB rule's restrictions on international collaboration to reports of prominent scientists departing U.S. institutions for opportunities abroad — this symposium offered a striking counter-narrative: a celebration of Asian American scientific achievement at the highest levels, convened by the same community organizations, including AASF fellow Peter Michelson's network, that have been most vocal in defending the research ecosystem this year. The gathering's scale and caliber of honorees underscore what the Asian Pacific American community stands to lose if current funding and immigration pressures continue to drive talent away.