Ping Fu (born 1958) is an American computer scientist and Internet pioneer. She is the co-founder and CEO of Geomagic, a software development company focused on 3D software and technology for design and engineering, which was acquired by 3D Systems in February, 2013. Since 2010, she has served on the National Advisory Council for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She also sits on the board of the Long Now Foundation.

Early life and education

Fu was born in 1958 in Nanjing, China. Her father was a professor at the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics and her mother an accountant.^[2] They sent her to Shanghai to be raised by her aunt and uncle, who had five children all older than her.^[2] In 1966 when she was eight years old, her upbringing was interrupted by the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.^[2] She was taken from her Shanghai family and returned to the city of her birth. She arrived in Nanjing to find that both of her parents had been sent to the countryside for re-education through labor. She was left to care for herself and her birth sister, four-year-old Hong.^[2]

For the duration of the Cultural Revolution, Fu took care of her little sister and managed their household with little parental supervision.^[1] She received very little formal education, but instead attended study sessions of Mao's Little Red Book led by Red Guards, performed mandatory military service, and worked on farms and in factories,^[1] just as many others of her age during that era.

In 1976, Mao Zedong died and the Cultural Revolution came to an abrupt end. Universities in China soon re-opened, and Fu was admitted to Suzhou Teacher's College to study Chinese language and literature. For her thesis, she travelled to the countryside to research the effects of China's newly implemented one-child policy. As an undergraduate of Chinese Language, she spent two years interviewing hundreds of villagers, barefoot doctors, and medical staff, and found that the practice of female infanticide was widespread. Her thesis came to the attention of the authorities, who briefly imprisoned her. She was later told to leave the country, never return, and never embarrass the Chinese government again. Her family then, through their contacts, arranged for her to leave China and study in the United States.^[2]

Arrival and education in America

Fu arrived in America at age 25 with little money and few English language skills on F-1 student visa.^[1] She enrolled in English as a Foreign Language classes and then as a master's student in computer science at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.^[1] She paid her way through school by working first as a babysitter and cleaning lady, then, as her English improved, as a waitress.^[2] Shortly before completing her MS degree, she moved to San Diego to attend the University of California, San Diego as an undergraduate.^[1] She enrolled in the computer science program and began working for Lane Sharman, founder and CEO of Resource Systems Group.^[2]

In 1988, after graduating from UCSD with a BA in Computer Science & Economics, she accepted an offer from Bell Labs in Naperville, Illinois.^[1] While working there and taking classes at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Fu met her future husband and Geomagic co-founder, computational geometry professor Herbert Edelsbrunner.^[1] Fu graduated with an MS from UIUC May 1990 and her advisor was Jane Liu.

Career

Fu accepted an offer from the National Center for Supercomputing Applications on the UIUC campus.^[1] Her work there as director of visualization contributed to advancements in the fields of virtual reality, image processing, scientific visualization, massive storage, and user interface. Being a programmer herself, Fu hired undergraduate Marc Andreessen to work in her lab in 1992. Andreessen developed NCSA Mosaic, the web browser credited with popularizing the World Wide Web.^[1][3] When Marc graduated in 1993, he went on to found Netscape Communications and launch the flagship web browser Netscape Navigator.

NCSA and UIUC administrators began asking employees if they had any ideas for start-ups, vowing to back any ventures financially. Fu volunteered to start one. Drawing upon 3D imaging technology from her work at NCSA, Fu and her husband co-founded Geomagic in 1997.^[1] Her goal was to develop software that could take the data from 3D scanners, process it, and output it on 3D printers, doing for 3D printing what Adobe did for desktop publishing. By 1999, Geomagic had partnered with Boeing and Mattel, and raised $6.5 million in venture capital financing from Franklin Street Partners.^[1] The company also moved to Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.^[4]

Fu briefly stepped down as CEO of Geomagic in the spring of 2000, remaining Chairman of the Board and Chief Technology Officer.^[1] She returned to the CEO position early in 2001, signing a contract with Align Technologies, manufacturers of Invisalign removable, clear dental devices.^[1] In 2005, Fu was selected by Inc. magazine as its Entrepreneur of the Year.^[1] In 2010, she joined the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.^[5] On February 27, 2013, Geomagic was acquired by 3D Systems, and Fu joined 3D Systems as Chief Strategy Officer.^[6][7]

Bend, Not Break: A Life in Two Worlds

In late 2012, with co-author MeiMei Fox, Fu published a memoir, Bend, Not Break: A Life in Two Worlds, to positive reviews.^[8][9][10]

Starting in late January, 2013, Fu became the subject of an Human Flesh Search campaign by Chinese and Chinese-American bloggers and netizens, including Fang Zhouzi, who were upset at her portrayal of her life growing up in China during the Cultural Revolution. They asserted, for example, that she had lied when she claimed to have been gang-raped at the age of 10. Sir Harold Evans, writing on the controversy, stated "The campaign has morphed into a vindictive effort to destroy her life, to have her honors and awards withdrawn, the pending sale of Geomagic disrupted."^[11][12]

Based on the claims of netizens involved in the campaign, several media outlets have examined the controversy, and found some inconsistencies in the book, and in how it was promoted.^[13][14][15]

Fu has acknowledged some unintentional inaccuracies in Bend, Not Break, noting that it is based on her memory of events, but stands-by the truth of the book.^[16][17][18] She has provided evidence supporting the stories in her book to media outlets.^[19] Penguin Books, the publisher of Bend, Not Break has stated that they stand by the book.^[20]

Awards

• CED Entrepreneurial Inspiration Award, 2003^[21]
• Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the Carolinas, 2003^[22]
• Business Leader's Woman Extraordinaire, 2004^[23]
• One of Fast Company's "Fast 50" Innovator, 2004^[24]
• Business Leader Entrebizneur Leader of the Year, 2005^[25]
• Triangle Business Journal's Women in Business award, 2005^[26]
• Inc. Entrepreneur of the Year, 2005^[1]
• America China Business Women's Alliance Innovation Award, 2008^[27]
• CAD Society Leadership Award, 2010^[28]
• Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business, 2010^[29]
• Triangle Business Journal's Life Time Achievement Award, 2011^[30]
• William C. Friday Award from North Carolina State University, 2011^[31]
• The International Affairs Council's Citizen Of The World 2011.^[32]
• US Citizenship and Immigration Services' Outstanding American by Choice, 2012^[33]

References

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