| Wu Jin | |
| Office: | Minister of Education of the Republic of China |
| Term Start: | 10 June 1996 |
| Term End: | 9 February 1998 |
| Predecessor: | Kuo Wei-fan |
| Successor: | Lin Ching-chiang |
| Birth Date: | January 4, 1934 |
| Birth Place: | Nanjing, Republic of China |
| Nationality: | Republic of China |
| Death Place: | Tainan City, Taiwan |
| Education: | National Cheng Kung University (BS) University of Iowa (PhD) |
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Wu Jin (; 9 April 1934 – 14 January 2008) was a Taiwanese educator and politician who served as Minister for Education between 1996 and 1998 under president Lee Teng-hui.
Wu was born in Nanjing on 9 April 1934, and earned a bachelor's degree from National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan in 1956.[1] Wu obtained his Ph.D. in mechanics and hydraulics from the University of Iowa, in Iowa City, Iowa, U.S.[2] He was a research fellow at the Academia Sinica in 1986 and elected to membership of the Academia Sinica in the same year.[2] [3] In 1995, Wu was elected to the United States National Academy of Engineering.[4]
Upon graduating from the University of Iowa, Wu worked for Hydronautics, Inc. as a research scientist within the Fluid Motions Division, and in 1966, became head of that division. In 1972, Wu was promoted again, to lead the Hawaii-based Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Division.[5] Wu joined the University of Delaware faculty in 1974, and held the H. Fletcher Brown Professorship in Marine Studies and Civil Engineering from 1980 to 1998.[3] [6] In Taiwan, he served as the first president of Tainan's National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) from 1994 to 1996.[2] [3]
Wu was selected by President Lee Teng-hui to serve as Taiwan's education minister in June 1996.[2] He was known for his progressive views on the reforms needed in Taiwan's educational system.[2]
Wu stepped down as Minister for Education in February 1998.[2] His resignation was due to a difference of opinion dispute between himself and the president of Academia Sinica, Lee Yuan-tseh, over the pace and types of educational reforms needed.[2] (Lee Yuan-tseh had previously chaired a panel force in the 1980s which had led to a number of changes concerning education in Taiwan.[2])
Wu Jin was diagnosed with cancer of the ampulla of Vater, a rare form of the disease, in 2006.[2] He received treatment at the National Cheng Kung University Hospital in Taiwan and the United States.[2]
Wu's health began to deteriorate in December 2007 following a trip to Mainland China.[2] He died on 14 January 2008 at National Cheng Kung University Hospital in Tainan, Taiwan, at the age of 74.[2] Wu was survived by his wife, Tzu-Chen C. Wu. His funeral took place in Tainan on 27 January 2008.[2] [6]