Sitting behind the seven piles of books and papers on his desk, Rongjia Tao finds his love of physics in his three current projects.

These projects include his challenging work in the complex field of rheology, or the study of the flow and alteration of matter. Tao studies electro-rheological fluids that turn into solids when electricity is applied. When electrical current is removed, those solids revert to liquid form.

Electro-rheological fluids have practical applications in excersize equipment and driver’s seats. Because the fluids resist heat, they are also used in shock absorbers for automobiles.

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Tao, a professor and chairman of SIUC’s Physics Department, is SIUC’s 1998 Outstanding Scholar because of his research work. He will be honored in the Graduate School commencement ceremonies May 9, and he will receive a $5,000 prize in the fall.

He can remember his love for science as a child. His enthusiasm for grade school experiments was so strong that he often tried to duplicate them at home.

When I was in elementary school I went home and played a little in the kitchen, he said. But my mother got mad.

Tao may have never been able to express his love for science if he did not have the opportunity to come to the United States.

Born in China, Tao grew up under communism. When he was in college, he was required to serve in work camps for five years.

It was a terrible experience, he said. I was 19 and forced to do labor. I realized the political prosecution.

Tao disliked China’s Communist Party. When he became one of a small group of Chinese students selected to study in the United States, he jumped at the opportunity.

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Tao came to the United States in 1979 as a graduate student. He attended Columbia University in New York and received his master’s and doctorate in 1982.

He was an assistant professor as Boston’s Northeastern University until he came to SIUC in 1989. After coming to SIUC he became professor in less than four years. In 1994, he was promoted to head of the Physics Department.

He has become an internationally known scientist for his research. His extensive research has been cited all over the world.

William Henneberger, an emeritus professor in physics, was one of the people who nominated Tao for the honor.

Henneberger said Tao is one of the leading scientists in researching electro-rheological fluids.

He is doing some pioneering work in his field, he said. His work has been cited many times and he is considered one of the experts in his field.

But, Tao’s expertise does not end there. He has a unique ability to be extremely versatile across the science disciplines. Henneberger said this ability makes him different from other professors.

He is able to talk about many things in a wide variety, he said. When you nominate an outstanding scholar, you have to compare him to everyone else and he is truly outstanding.

As a professor, Tao is admired by his students as well as his colleagues.

Terry Essary, a senior in physics from Jerseyville, said he would not have such a high academic standing without Tao’s assistance.

I’ve learned a lot, he said. He makes it easy to learn and understand. If I wasn’t working in this lab with him, I wouldn’t be passing this class.

Tao’s research requires him to spend long hours in the Neckers Building laboratories trying to find solutions. All of his hard work pays off when projects are completed.

Some people may become daunted by comprehensive research, but Tao keeps on working until his questions are answered.

There is a time limit, he said. I try to finish a project as fast as I can and then go on to the next one. I just try again and don’t get frustrated.

Even though he spends hours in the lab, Tao still finds time for his wife, and two children in college.

I spend most of my free time visiting my son and daughter, he said. Certainly they are important.

But his motivation comes from deep within him. He is able to discover how his work may influence the world.

Physics is the only thing that can change the world over night, he said. It shapes the world and is a driving force for a civilization.