Science History Institute Mourns Death of Board Committee Member Rose Chen

The Science History Institute is saddened by the sudden loss of Rose Nan-Ping Chen, a dedicated member of our International Committee, who died on January 9, 2025. Chen, whose remains will be returned to Taiwan where she was born and raised, was 75.

“Rose was more than a colleague. She was a wonderful friend and a powerful force for good in our community,” said Institute president and CEO David Cole. “She took so much pleasure in serving on our board and in working hand-in-hand with other board members. She will be greatly missed.”

Chen founded The Rose Group in 2002 to fulfill her lifelong commitment to promoting multiculturalism in our society and to fostering understanding and harmony between different cultures. She played an instrumental role in the company’s flagship program, ChinaFest, an annual film and cultural event held at the University of Richmond and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA).

A longtime devotee of the arts, spirituality, and community service, Chen served on the boards of the Maymont Foundation, CenterStage Foundation, Arts Council of Richmond, Communities in Schools and Friends of Comboni Missionary Sisters, Ikebana of Richmond, the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, and the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. She also served as a member of VMFA’s multicultural advisory council, as well as an advisory panelist for the Virginia Commission for the Arts.

In addition to being a member of the Institute’s International Committee since December 2020, Chen was a previous member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Beijing, the Rotary Club of Washington, D.C., the Friends of the Smithsonian Freer/Sackler Galleries, and was appointed to the Citizen’s Advisory Council on Furnishing and Interpreting the Executive Mansion by the governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Chen graduated from National Taiwan University with a degree in agricultural chemistry in 1971 and received her master’s degree in medical microbiology from the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago in 1973. She worked as a research associate at the University of Pennsylvania, Merck Research Laboratory, and the Medical College of Virginia.

Chen is survived by her two children, Jessica Horner and Julius Lai. In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family requests that donations be made to The Rose Group, which will continue to serve worthy projects connecting American and Chinese cultures. Friends are also encouraged to attend this year’s ChinaFest, which takes place February 6–8, 2025, in Richmond.