Otto Schnepp (1925 - January 2, 2019) was an Austrian-American scientist.
Born in Vienna into a Jewish family, he lived in Shanghai from 1939 to 1948, where he bounced between the Shanghai International Settlement and the French Concession as his father continued to practice medicine.[1] He spoke about his experiences in Shanghai as a featured witness in the documentary Above the Drowning Sea[2] He earned his B.S. in Chemistry at St. John's University in Shanghai (1947), A.B. (1948) and Ph.D. (1951) at University of California, Berkeley. He spoke German, Hebrew, French, Chinese[according to whom?][citation needed], and English.
Professor Schnepp researched the area of optical molecular spectroscopy. He also studied science and technology of modern China, U.S.-China technology transfer and physical chemistry. He was active in the field of Science Policy, especially as it concerned China.[3] He was a counselor for science and technology at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing from 1980 to 1982, and a former director of the USC East Asian Studies Center, 1994-2000.[4]
Schnepp self-published Roots Lost, Roots Found,[6] a memoir of his life, in April, 2017. The cover was painted by Schnepp's granddaughter, Tali Burry-Schnepp.[6]
Otto Schnepp died on January 2, 2019, in Walnut Creek, California.[7]
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