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Samuel C. C Ting. Photo outsourced from Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Amazing Facts about Samuel C. C Ting

Ting was born on 27th January 1936 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the United States, to Kuan- Hai-Ting and Tsun- Ying Jeanne Wang.

He had two siblings, and he was the eldest. Ting’s ancestry traces back to Zizhau county, Shandong province in China. Ting’s parents met and married as graduated students at the University of Michigan. 

During his birth, his parents had gone to the united stated for a short trip hence becoming an American citizen. He was two months earlier.

After graduating from school, Ting joined National Cheng Kung University, but after a year, he moved back to the united stated state and enrolled at the University of Michigan.

In 1960 Ting married Kay Louise Kuhne and had two daughters, Jeanne and Amy. They later ended up divorcing.

Later in 1985, Ting remarried. He married Dr. Susan Carol Mark and was blessed with a son Christopher born in 1986.

Below are ten amazing facts about Samuel C . C Ting that will help you learn more about him.

1. Samuel C.C Ting’s parents were professors

Ting’s parents were a professor at a university in China. His father, Kuan Hai-Ting, a professor of engineering, and his mother Studying Wang, a professor of physiology.

Both parents had graduated from the University of Michigan and, after graduating, went back to China.

His parent and maternal grandmother raised Ting during the ongoing Japanese invasion of China during World War II. Due to the invasion ting couldn’t attend school, so he was home schooled.

2. He was a Chinese American physicist

Samuel Ting-

Ting is a well-known physicist known for his notable discoveries, development, and projects that have played a significant role in the physic field.

He attended the University of Michigan until he received his Ph.D. in physics and organized a group that started doing experiments together.

Their experiments resulted in significant projects like discovering the “J” particle, systematic study of the properties of gluons, the construction of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), and the development of large superconducting magnets for space application.

All these projects saw him receive many awards and Doctor Honoris Causa placing his name on the globe map.

3. Samuel C.C Ting graduated from the University of Michigan

University of Michigan. Photo by Nick Amosca6to on

Ting received elementary and secondary education in China. When he was finished, he went to the united stated for higher education.

He enrolled at the University of Michigan with a full scholarship as an engineering student but transferred his major to physics.

In 1959 he earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and physics. In 19560, he earned a master of science in physics working under L.W Jones and Mil Perl.

In 1962 he was awarded his Ph. D in physics. The University of Michigan honored its esteemed graduates with doctories honoris causa.

4. Samuel C. C Ting and Burton Richter discovered the “J” particle

In Hamburg, Ting organized his group and worked on the pair production experiment. He first constructed a double-arm spectrometer and used it. 

Ting studied the physics of electron pairs, mainly how such pairs are created during the decay of proton-like particles.

In 1971 Ting and his group continued with experiments in Brookhaven National Laboratory in Long Island, New York.

At Brookhaven, Ting designed a more advanced version of a double-arm spectrometer capable of using a higher energy proton beam.

Meanwhile, Richter was conducting his experiment at Stanford linear accelerator canter.

In 1974 Ting and Richter compared their results and independently discovered the same particle. Their discovery was part of the November revolution of particle physics, which brought rapid changes in high energy physics at the time.

5. Samuel C. C Ting was a Noble Laureate   

In August 1974, Ting and Richter found evidence of a new kind of heavy particle named the “J” particle.

After two years, they were jointly awarded the Noble Prize in Physics. Ting was praised as a physicist with precise experiments and approached his work with great attention to detail and insight.

6. Samuel C.C Ting proposed Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS)

Samuel Ting at space station facility. Photo outsourced from

In 1995, Ting proposed a space-borne comic ray defector, later called an alpha magnetic spectrometer, mounted on the international space station.

The proposal was approved, and he was made the principal investigator. He has been directing the development since then.

The project cost around $2 billion. The projects involved 500 scientists from 56 institutions and 16 countries.

In 1998 a prototype AMS-02 was launched and tested on the space shuttle mission STS-91.

Finally, on 16th May 2011, AMS-02 was successfully launched on shuttle mission STS-134 and was installed on the international space station.

7. Ting discovered Gluon

Gluon is an elementary particle. It acts as the exchange particle for the strong forces between quarks.

Ting discovered gluons responsible for binding protons and neutrons together inside the nucleus of an atom.

He also came up with a systematic study of the properties of the gluons

8. Ting conducted a precision study of light rays

Ting came up with a precision study of massive light rays. The study revealed that light and massive light rays could transform into each other when subjects are at high energies and provided a critical verification of the quark model.

9. He was a professor

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In 1967 Ting went back to the united state and joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as an assistant professor of physics.

Two years later, in 1969, he was promoted to a professor of physics, and in 1977, Ting was appointed as the first Thomas Dudley Cabot Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.           

10. Ting amassed many awards in his career

Ting’s career was thriving. He received many awards. He earned the gold medal award for science in Italy in 1988, the Eringen Medal awarded by the society of engineering, and a foreign member of the Pakistan academy of sciences in 1989, among many others.

He also received doctor honoris causa from different institutions; Colombia University, New York, in 1990, and Moscow state university in Moscow in 1991.