Samuel S.M. Chan was born in Hainan Island, China on June 11, 1934. He received his B.S. degree in mining and metallurgical engineering from Cheng Kung University in China in 1957. He then attended the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy in Rolla, where he received his M.S. in 1960. He came to the University of Idaho as a student and teaching assistant in 1962 and earned his Ph.D. in Geology in 1966. He remained at the University of Idaho where he taught courses and conducted research in mining engineering until his retirement in 1989 as Professor of Mining Engineering. His professional specialities include rock mechanics and geophysics. He has many publications and scholarly papers to his credit and has been a consultant for American Zinc Lead & Smelting Co., Vanguard Exploration Company, and El Paso Natural Gas Company. He is a member of the International Society for Rock Mechanics.