Dr. Syd S. Peng is Charles E. Lawall Chair of Mining Engineering emeritus, Department of Mining Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, U.S.A. Dr. Peng received his undergraduate diploma in mining engineering in Taiwan. He came to the U.S. in 1965 for advanced study and received his Ph.D. in mining engineering from Stanford University in 1970. From 1970 to 1974, he worked for the U.S. Bureau of Mines, Twin Cities Research Center in charge of rock physics research. He joined West Virginia University in 1974. In 1978 he was appointed as chairman of the Mining Engineering Department, a position he held until September 2006. In 1985, he established the Longwall Mining and Ground Control Research Center and assumed its directorship. In 1998, he was appointed director of Coal and Energy Research Bureau. He has performed research and investigated problems in more than 300 coal and industrial mines in all coal producing states in the U.S. and 16 foreign countries. He has authored and co-authored 4 textbooks and 353 journal and proceedings articles in the areas of longwall mining, ground control and respirable dust. He initiated the annual international conference on ground control in mining since 1981 and served as editor/senior editor of the Conference proceedings. It is now recognized all over the world as an annual forum for exchange of information on ground control. He is frequently invited to lecture or chair conference sessions in the U.S. and all major coal producing countries. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and was the recipient of numerous awards, including Rock Mechanics Award 1987, SME; Education Excellent Award 1988, Pittsburgh Coal Mining Institute of America (PCMIA); The Institution Overseas Medal 1992, The Institution of Mining Engineers (IMM), United Kingdom, and the Howard N. Eavenson Award 1998, SME; The 20th Conference Statute, Int'l Conference on Ground Control in Mining (ICGCM), 2001; The Donald S. Kingery Award 2001, PCMIA; The Erskine Ramsey Medal, AIME, 2002; Medal for Excellence for 2004, the Institutes of Materials, Minerals and Mining, United Kingdom; The 2004, 2005 and 2006 R&D 100 Awards; The 2005 Old Timers Club Faculty Award; and the West Virginia Coal Hall of Fame, 2007.
