 Ellison Onizuka became the first Asian American astronaut and was the mission specialist aboard "Challenger" at the time of its explosion.Immunologist Santa J. Ono became the first Japanese American president of a major research university University of Cincinnati and subsequently University of British Columbia.Bell M. Shimada was a notable fisheries scientist of the 1950s after whom the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research ship NOAAS "Bell M. Shimada" (R 227) and the Shimada Seamount in the Pacific Ocean were named.