Hey Pierre
check out the Women in Technology International (www.witi.com) Hall of Fame. I think you will find a few female stars to favorably compare with Yingying Wu. http://www.witi.com/center/witimuseum/halloffame/

love ya!
Gillian

Please be noted that the "the highest award of its kind from China's Ministry of Education" she got was a team award, and 30 teams got this golden award in that contest (from 100projects of 77 colleges)!

And also, her report in China says that she has only 3 patents (only 2 can be found in database. FOr example, putting a mark on entry to help navigate in a dictionary). The 100 "inventions" are all things like putting a pot into water to keep it wet...

As to your question, if you know CHina more, you will find China has alot of such "stars" every year. Most of them are just kind of boarst. I suggest you to investigate more.

Jim,

As one of the two publishers of the Sacramento Executive, I try to focus on tips for executives. Things that executives can use or avoid in their business or professional pursuits. The article on TopCoder was not investigative in nature. The quote is directly from a TopCoder press release. My intent was to inform readers about TopCoder. TopCoder is a fantastic recruiting tool. Ms. Wu can't be all that bad - she is a student at Stanford and a vice president of TopCoder.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Hi Pierre,
Yes, you just copied the news from Topcoder.com. Yingying Wu has been a highly debated figure in China for the past weeks, because of her cheating stuff. You should ask someone to google her name in Chinese, you will find a lot of news about it, even from some high-profile presses and her own university, beijing normal university.

Steve

Hi Pierre,
One more comment, the company should be shame of promoting in such a way: positive news followed by negative news. Everyone in china knows topcoder now, though they dont know what exactly it is.

Steve

Steve and Jim,

You both just might be right. I will definitely check into YingYing's background. Thanks for bringing this potential scandal to my attention. This is why I love the blogger medium. Who would have known?

Pierre Cutler

Hi Pierre,
I just picked some recent news, and use google translate(I'm not sure how good google translation works).

http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.china.com.cn%2Feducation%2Ftxt%2F2006-12%2F14%2Fcontent_7507770.htm&langpair=zh-CN%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8

http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Ftech.163.com%2F06%2F1212%2F11%2F32510NFD000915BD.html&langpair=zh-CN%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8

http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fcolumn.chinabyte.com%2F404%2F3000904.shtml&langpair=zh-CN%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8

Steve

Steve
i am having trouble with the links you sent.
the first page translates properly, but i can't find the specifics about Ms. Wu. the second is not available anymore and the third doesn't translate.
Can you just send us the specifics - translated??
Many thanks
Did you see the newest piece I published today on this?
http://www.sacramentoexecutive.com/2006/12/topcoder_chinese_hire_crazy_or.html
regards
Gillian

She is not a student in Stanford. She is just attending summer school there. Basically everyone can get in a summer program.

Yingying Wu is a hot topic in China these days. What she told Chinese media about her accomplishment is definately exaggerated. I was surprised to find out that what she told Topcoder are almost completely lies. Hard to imagine that anyone would believe a 21 years old college senior can accomplish all these without checking. Shame on Topcoder.

Hi Gillian,

It seems that this event is still highly debated in china. I just read the most updated news by sina(one of China's largest portals). I manually corrected some mistakes by Google Translate.

Title: Senior girl become vice president, school admitted that her invention has been exaggerated
http://news.sina.com.cn/s/2006-12-15/022011793757.shtml

Investigated by our reporters(http://www.thebeijingnews.com/), Ying-Ying Wu's basic material is not completely false, but these questions are not groundless. Ying-Ying Wu has never mentioned the 100 inventions, and 1 of her 3 patents is not passed yet. Also, she is not a member of ACM officers. Yesterday, Beijing Normal University admitted 100 inventions have not been verified, it is hard to say, and also clearly that she only has two patents. The positions and awards are exaggerated by her.

Ying-Ying Wu did not have any response for phones and text messages from reporters. TopCoder company has also been questioned in this incident by its "commercial motivation".

Doubt point 1: 100 inventions?

Words by Wu :
"the annual selection in 2006 National University star has just begun. My life has just completed a 100 inventions, and I hope the invention can make contributions for the country. "(October 10, 2006. her talk during a press release conference. In a number of her materials, Ying-Ying Wu have claimed 100 inventions. )

Internet users questioned:
......

Investigated by reporters :

Reporters investigated audio and text material provided by Ying-Ying Wu, and found only mentioned 100 inventions, but those have never been invented 100 list.

"100 is a virtual digital invention. "Yesterday afternoon, deputy party secretary of Beijing Normal University psychology college Qiaozhihong said. Ying-Ying Wu mentioned 100 inventionsin the materials, but have not been verified by the school. "Ying-Ying Wu did not rule out her inventions in her high school, we can not verify that much. "

Doubt point 2: ACM officers had been incorrectly translated into?

Words by Wu :
"November 15, 2005, I was elected ACM Asia assistant chair, became the first Chinese to enter the ACM board of chairs, then invited to attend the 30th International Collegiate Programming Contest World Finals and the highest summit RCDS. "(From Ying-Ying Wu's words in the conference)

Internet users questioned:
......

Investigated by reporters :
The report was not found Ying-Ying Wu's name on the official website of the ACM. In ACM (ICPC) Executive Director William Boucher wrote a letter in English to prove Ying-Ying Wu, Ying-Ying Wu specify the duties of "Asia - China Reporter and Asia Director Assistant" (April 12, 2006). Yesterday afternoon, the deputy party secretary of Beijing Normal University psychology college Qiaozhihong said Ying Wu is not a member of the ACM board of chairs, but ACM programming contest organizing committee's assistant. It might be a translation mistake.

Doubt point 3: TopCoder company's promotion strategy?

Internet users questioned:
TopCoder has not started business in China yet. Ying-Ying Wu is likely to be done through a hot speculation CEO to achieve the purpose of advertising.

Investigated by reporters :
Afternoon press conference before the investigation on December 7. Ying-Ying Wu gave a black bag to each media write "TopCoder" the company name from . There is a pink folder, filled with the personal introduction and certificates of award. In the folder, there are information on the company, the China market development plan , also hire document of Ying-Ying Wu signed by the public relations office of the company, and in particular, marked "Please released as soon as possible." According to the information available, and TopCoder she has signed a contract in August this year. But since no outside media coverage. Until December 7, Beijing Normal University, held a press conference.

Last eve, reporters called headquarters of the TopCoder at the U.S., the company public relations director Jimumaikelun said Ying-Ying is Wu excellent, and I believe her achievements are true. Ying-Ying Wu offices located in Asia, but now has just established, to be fully operational next week. Ying-Ying Wu is the only one Asian office staff. Whether it is a commerical promotion, he did not reply.

Doubt point 4. ACM Asian finals silver medal is false?

Words of Wu:
"of strenuous training, I won the 29th ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest Asian finals silver medal, personally realized the breakthrough of International Collegiate Programming Contest in the history of the medal is zero for Beijing Normal University . "(her talk during a press release conference)

Investigated by reporters :
......

Investigated by reporters :
A reporter investegated at the website of Beijing Normal University College of Information Science and Technology, Ying-Ying Wu 2005 team, they do have a member named Wen-Bi Tang, Beijing Normal University intern Shaoxing China as a senior student in high school. According to ACM rule, the participants have to be college students, their result was cancelled.

Yesterday, the then leader of the Graduate School of Information Management Hao Zhou said, time after time, the gold-Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the ACM Asia particularly, They form of the team is invited teams. "He asked, above that such competitions are effective. "But this seems to be the organizing committee of the Chengdu stadium dissatisfied with the outcome, ICPC not ranked in the top Beijing Normal University. ACM home page on the official website confirmed China will issue a list of achievements that year Chengdu Match Point 1-24 at Beijing Normal University who is not contingent, Beijing Normal University where the top three teams Ying-Ying Wu "SHISHI team," is not listed in the rankings list, dozens of these teams, gold medal winners were not the show.

Doubt point 5.
......

(http://news.chinabyte.com/262/3003262.shtml)
Also, I read another recent news by chinabyte, one of the IT online newspaper in China. They got some feedbacks from Beijing Normal University about her achievement. One point is the same as the doubt point 4. She exaggerated her another achievement.

Ying-Ying Wu, in her publicity materials, she won "International The Mathematical Contest in Modeling second prize in the world finals." The source said that the so-called international global The Mathematical Contest in Modeling finals is just the The Mathematical Contest in Modeling of United States. Many students can participate, many students of Beijing Normal University won the first prize. As long as applicants pay an application fee (45$), they will got the third prize.

In my opinion, according to point 3, the company knows everything about this. I think it is just a commerial promotion strategy by the company and her, and they succeed. However, they lie to and mislead a lot of college students and media, which should ashamed.

Steve

Steve
thanks for all the information. it's always nice to get both sides of the story. i will try to get this out to a wider audience in the US

I stay in Beijing, the same city with Wu. I would liek to inform that earlier after breakout of the doubts, the University and Wu herself,her relatives tried to make up more stories to cover the leaks, but they have ceased to make any more efforts now.