Fellowships Honor Professor Ed Ma’s Legacy

Teachers can impact students in profound ways. And among the many WPI professors who exemplify these special educators, the late Professor Yi Hua (Ed) Ma is high on the list. Ma, who passed away earlier this year, joined the WPI faculty in 1967, served as chemical engineering department chair from 1979 to 1989, and retired in 2015.

Through his career, Ma received prestigious industry awards as a pioneer in research about inorganic membranes, contributing to the advancement of technology in the production, distribution, and application of industrial gases. He founded WPI’s Center for Inorganic Membrane Studies, the nation’s first academic research center in the discipline. In September, Ma was posthumously honored at the Celebrating WPI Chemical Engineering Trailblazers event, where his contributions to the field were showcased.

“My dad genuinely valued his years at WPI,” his daughter, Yvette Ma, says. “While he had other professional options, he chose to remain because he felt a strong connection to the community of both students and faculty.”

Ma’s lifelong commitment to research and doctoral education is part of what drew Professor Michael Timko, William B. Smith Professor and head of the Chemical Engineering Department, to WPI. As a young researcher, Timko’s goal was to become a professor so he could work with students. “As I was considering an opening at WPI, I studied the WPI chemical engineering faculty, and Professor Ma’s accomplishments—both in education and in research—stood out to me,” Timko says. “Professor Ma’s understanding of the intertwined worlds of education and research continue to benefit WPI, its students, and its faculty, and WPI can thank his foresight for placing the university in a strong position to work with our alumni, industry, and state government to tackle the challenges in higher education.”

For Professor of Practice Stephen Kmiotek ’80, MS ’82, PhD ’86, Ma’s impact was foundational. “Ed was my advisor for my MS and PhD work at WPI. Finding the way to motivate me, individually, to be the best professional I could, he pushed me to be more thorough and exacting in my work, to be more secure and confident with cause, and to always be fully prepared. He expected and demanded excellence, and at the very same time, did so with a great sense of caring, collaboration, and empathy.”

Given his legacy of generously sharing knowledge and offering encouragement to his students, it’s not surprising that donors, in conjunction with the Ma family, enthusiastically supported the creation of the Yi Hua (Ed) and Maria Ma Graduate PhD Fellowship in Chemical Engineering. “Supporting the fellowship felt like a natural decision for my family, as my dad’s entire career was dedicated to education and research. He was grateful for the career he built at WPI and within his field, and he felt it was important to give back to the community that welcomed him as a professor,” says Yvette Ma.

Ma was the advisor to Claude Mancel, MS ’71, PhD ’74, trustee emeritus, when Mancel arrived in the United States from France in 1969. And when Ma became head of the chemical engineering department, he invited Mancel to serve on the department’s advisory board, a role Mancel embraced for 10 years. Beyond their professional relationship, the two enjoyed a personal friendship that lasted over 55 years. “My support to the Yi Hua (Ed) and Maria Ma Graduate PhD Fellowship in Chemical Engineering stems from my respect for the great teacher Ed was and for his remarkable creativity and ability to attract large grant money to the Institute—so critical for any successful research at a high level,” says Mancel.

“For my family, supporting the fellowship felt like a natural decision, but we are so grateful and honestly moved by the continued support from the WPI community and from my father’s longtime friends,” Yvette Ma shares. “To us, it demonstrates the real impact my father had as a teacher, mentor, and colleague. Support of this fellowship recognizes everything my dad accomplished while also paying it forward so future students can have similar opportunities to advance in this field.”