Bob Y.K. and Carolyn K.N. Wong Endowed Fellowship Established at UC Berkeley

The Geosystems Program at the University of California, Berkeley is pleased to announce the establishment of the Bob Y.K. and Carolyn K.N. Wong Endowed Graduate Fellowship, established in 2025 through a $250,000 gift from the Carolyn K.N. Wong and Bob Y.K. Wong Foundation.

Geolabs Hawaii was established in 1975 by Bob Y.K. Wong, who immigrated to Hawaii from Hong Kong as a high school student, and graduated from University of Hawaii with a Civil Engineering degree. While his studies were in the sciences, his interests were vast, spanning classical music, theater, and interior design, to name a few. As he started Geolabs, he was joined by his wife Carolyn Wong, also from Hong Kong, who eventually became Geolabs' Chief Operations Officer. Together they built a company that is now the largest independent geotechnical consulting firm in the state, providing a range of geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering services throughout the Pacific Rim. As the company grew, so did Bob and Carolyn's philanthropy. The Bob and Carolyn YK Wong Foundation was established in 1997 to support a range of causes, including the support of engineering and architectural talent locally, with the establishment of the University of Hawaii School of Architecture Hillside Laboratory. When Bob passed away after a battle with cancer, Carolyn continued their generosity and community involvement, supporting a number of youth, veteran and health organizations nationally and in Hawaii. Her decision to create the Bob Y.K. and Carolyn Wong Graduate Fellowship supporting the Geosystems Program in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley is an extension of their shared belief in the power of education to uplift communities and create a more sustainable future.