Around 300 Chinese American scientists and engineers gathered in the northwestern suburbs of Chicago on October 12 to communicate at the 27th annual conference of the Association of Chinese-American Scientists and Engineers (ACSE).

James Fraser Stoddart, 2016 Noble laureate in chemistry, gave a keynote speech titled "Taking cyclodextrin metal-organic frameworks from the research laboratory to the market place."

Under the theme of "New Era of Smart Life", scientists exchanged views on such topics as AI in action, universal information extraction, the value of AI in retail industry, career and leadership development, and innovation and entrepreneurship.

Addressing the conference at the opening ceremony, Minna Xiao, outgoing President of ACSE, summarized the work of ACSE in the past two years, saying that under the principle of "cooperation, development and contribution", ACSE has grown as a strong community leader in promoting Chinese-Americans' contribution to the mainstream value and societal development, as well as a strong advocate facilitating the exchanges between the United States and China.

"ACSE's 27-year history is the epitome of the growth of the new generation of Chinese-American," she said, expressing the hope that "a stronger ACSE will play an even more important role in serving the Chinese-American community, in leading the Chinese-American professionals to contribute to the mainstream value, and in promoting the exchange and friendship between the United States and China."

Wang Yang, the newly elected President, said ACSE will continue focusing on effectively serving the community and contributing to mainstream society.

Chinese Consul General in Chicago Zhao Jian said ACSE has "promoted the development and prosperity of the Chinese community and made invaluable contributions to technological progress and the development of the U.S. economy and society."

"Through it all, you have created a positive image for all Chinese immigrants in the United States," he commended.

"ACSE has always been a bridge of communication between the Chinese and American people and has made active contributions to promoting science and culture-related exchanges and cooperation between the two countries," Zhao added.

Chairman of All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese Wan Lijun, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, and Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White sent congratulatory letters to the conference.

Founded in 1992, ACSE is one of the largest Chinese-American professional organizations in the United States, as well as the most influential organization in the U.S. state of Illinois. It now has more than 6,000 members in 30 U.S. states. ACSE has 18 local chapters and 15 professional societies.