2021 NTU Engineering Special Contribution Award
The NTU Engineering Special Contribution Award was established in 2018 to recognize significant contributions of public figures, institutions, and College of Engineering alumni toward either the construction of facilities or the academic development of the College. The award winners are presented with trophies at important annual events as tokens of appreciation for their contributions to the College of Engineering.
The six winners of the 2021 NTU Engineering Special Contribution Award are 1) Mr. Samuel (Yen-Liang) YIN, Chairman of Ruentex Group; 2) The NTU Civil Engineering Culture and Education Foundation; 3) Mr. Chia-Wei TAO, former Executive Deputy General Manager of Sinotech Engineering Consultants; 4) Dr. In-Lung CHU, former Chairman of CHIA-LUNG Industrial Co., Ltd.; 5) Chemical Engineering alumni, Class of 1970; and 6) Chemical Engineering alumni, Class of 1974. The awards ceremony was held on January 18, 2022, in which the Dean of the College of Engineering, Dr. Wen-Chang CHEN, presented trophies to all the award winners.
Brief Introduction of Mr. Samuel YIN's Contributions
Donation of the NTU Civil Engineering Research Building
In 2007, Mr. Samuel YIN donated the NTU Civil Engineering Research Building, whose construction cost more than NT$260 million, on behalf of Ruentex Group. The construction project was planned, designed, and executed by Ruentex Construction. Not only has this alleviated the long-standing issue of space shortage in the Department of Civil Engineering, but the seismic base isolation in the building is also used for teaching purposes.
Donation for the Extension of the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering
In 2018, the Department of Civil Engineering and the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering (NCREE) signed an MOU to jointly establish an AI research center. Hence, there was an urgent need for space to build facilities, train experts, and invest in R&D so as to facilitate more international exchanges on the topics of AI and smart cities. Also, the Civil Engineering faculty members and students who cooperated with NCREE were challenged by the lack of space, which long impeded their academic research. Fortunately, Mr. YIN generously donated to the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering Extension Project, which created much more research and teaching space. The newly extended parts of NCREE were officially inaugurated on November 9, 2020. The extra space will not only enhance research collaboration, industrial-academic development, as well as international exchanges, but also tremendously expedite future cooperation on R&D between the Department of Civil Engineering and NCREE as they jointly develop advanced earthquake prevention and mitigation technologies.
Brief Introduction of the NTU Civil Engineering Culture and Education Foundation's Contributions
Increasing International Exchanges and Improving Civil Engineering Technologies
Since its establishment, the NTU Civil Engineering Culture and Education Foundation has subsidized the Department of Civil Engineering to hold or sponsor international symposiums, and has offered grants to faculty members and students to participate in international conferences and events. In addition, the Foundation has also supported students’ participation in the KKHTCNN Symposium on Civil Engineering so that the number of participating countries can be expanded in order to both promote international exchanges and improve civil engineering technologies.
Supporting the Department of Civil Engineering & Sponsoring its Construction of Equipment and Procurement of Library Materials
The Foundation generously offers an annual subsidy of NT$400,000 for the Dept. of Civil Engineering and NT$250,000 for undergraduate and graduate student associations. Since 1995, the Foundation has donated a total of NT$17.55 million. In addition, the Foundation also actively supports fundraising and construction projects, such as fundraising for the construction of the Civil Engineering Research Building, the improvement of public spaces, as well as facilities for the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering Extension Project.
Providing Scholarships and Emergency Relief Funds to Civil Engineering Students
Each year, the Foundation awards approximately 19 students with scholarships (from NT$12,000 to NT$35,000) as an incentive and recognition of their hard work. So far, the Foundation has awarded roughly NT$6.3 million, benefiting a total of 220 students. In addition, a new scholarship for international students was set up in 2020, which provides grants for living expenses of NT$240,000 annually to each PhD student recipient in order to attract more talented scholars to study at NTUCE.
To help students who encounter financial difficulties due to the impact of the pandemic or other emergencies, the Foundation also set up the National Taiwan University Civil Engineering Student Emergency Relief Fund in 2020 and provided aid to three international students within one year. In the future, the Foundation will continue to raise funds and provide emergency relief for students in need.
Assisting the Development of the Alumni Association & Strengthening the Association’s Connections and Services
In conjunction with the annual NTU Azalea Festival, the Foundation holds an alumni meeting jointly with the Dept. of Civil Engineering and its alumni association, inviting affiliated guests and alumni to celebrate their outstanding achievements and share their valuable experiences. This event has inspired many current students and has helped connect alumni from different generations. Additionally, the foundation also organizes engineering project visits so that overseas alumni can exchange ideas with local scholars and experts. In the past two years, the Foundation has also started to promote live broadcasts online so as to strengthen the interactions and connections among overseas alumni in every way possible.
Brief Introduction of Mr. Chia-Wei TAO's Contributions
Mr. Chia-Wei TAO cares deeply about the development of the engineering industry, civil engineering education, and engineering ethics. He once said, “I have been working in civil engineering for more than 40 years. I love my career very much, and I am proud to be a civil engineer.”
In 1973, when the Department of Civil Engineering at NTU was troubled by limited educational resources, Mr. TAO assisted the Chair at the time, Prof. Sheng-Taur MAU, to persuade Sinotech Engineering Consultants Inc., China Engineering Consultants Inc., and Continental Engineering Corp. to raise funds in order to set up a high-paying scholarship. This scholarship was later extended to other universities, helping countless students to this day. Additionally, when Prof. Jenn-Chuan CHERN was the Dept. Chair, Mr. TAO also emphasized to him the importance of professional ethics in education, which prompted the Dept. to prohibit students from renting out their technician licenses to uncertified contractors.
After retiring in 1996, Mr. TAO compiled his past experiences and reflections on engineering and construction projects into a book on engineering regulations and management. To benefit more students and out of his love for the Dept., he donated more than 130 copies to the Dept. in person so that faculty members and students alike could look for inspiration in his stories.
In 2016, Mr. TAO enthusiastically donated the residence where he and his wife currently live to the Department of Civil Engineering, to be inherited by the Dept. after their passing away. After five long years of communication between the NTU Office of General Affairs and the National Property Bureau, at last, the concurrent Dept. Chair, Prof. Shang-Hsien (Patrick) HSIEH, Mr. Chang-Shiou WU, Chairman of the NTU Civil Engineering Culture and Education Foundation, and Mr. Gabriel HSIEH, who is a practicing lawyer, jointly made possible such an arduous mission by breaking through various administrative constraints. Thanks to the kind donation from Mr. and Mrs. TAO, their contribution also created a new mode of donation for future generations, and it is expected that more units at the University will be benefited besides the Dept. of Civil Engineering.
Brief Introduction of Dr. In-Lung CHU's Contributions
Dr. In-Lung CHU is an alumnus of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at NTU. After finishing his PhD degree and returning to Taiwan in 1968, he was immediately hired by the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering and became a professor deeply loved by his students. Later, in order to take over the business of his father, Mr. S.S. CHU, Dr. CHU shifted his focus to private industry and led companies such as CHIA-LUNG Industrial Co., Ltd. and Taihsin Dyeing & Textile, both of which ranked among the top 500 enterprises in Taiwan under his leadership.
Dr. CHU, who served as the chair of the alumni association of the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering and the chair of Zhiyuan Foundation for many years, has offered strong support for the Department, student emergency assistance, academic research, and event sponsorship, and has contributed tremendously to the alumni association. In 2001, he was selected as an Outstanding Alumnus of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. By 2003, he had donated more than NT$2 million to the Department. In addition, Dr. CHU was the main initiator of the Tse-Hong Hall Construction Project more than 40 years ago and helped raise a considerable amount of money from his father. Without him, the construction of the Tse-Hong Hall would not have been such a success and the Department would have faced challenges due to a lack of space. It was not until 2018 that the Hall was demolished due to the construction of a new building.
In 2021, Dr. CHU signed an agreement with the College of Engineering and the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering and generously donated NT$12 million for the international lecture hall named after his father in the new research building. He also pledged to donate another NT$3 million to support the research of professors at the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, extracurricular activities for students, and emergency relief.
Brief Introduction of Chemical Engineering Alumni Contributions (Class of 1970)
The Class of 1970 alumni have shown substantial support for the Dept. of Chemical Engineering, including Wei-Wen SUAN, Jenn-Pan HORNG, Kou-Chin CHEN, Ying-Ming YANG, Morrison LIANG, Tao-Kang HUANG, Jin-Kun GUAN, and a number of anonymous alumni. Together, they donated to the Exterior Wall Renovation and Roof Waterproofing Project of Chemical Engineering Building No. 1 with a total of NT$10,285,000, accounting for 48% of the total amount of funds raised. In 2021, NT$7,385,000 was donated, and the remaining NT$2.9 million will be donated this year in 2022.
In addition, with the active involvement of these alumni, the Dept. of Chemical Engineering established the Departmental Development Sustainability Fund in 2021 to build cohesiveness among the alumni and assist the sustainable development of the Department. After the establishment of the fund, in addition to donating NT$1 million each for the Exterior Wall Renovation and Roof Waterproofing Project, two class of 1970 alumni, Mr. Morrison LIANG, Chair of C SUN MFG., Ltd., and Mr. Jin-Kun GUAN, Chair of Symtek Automation Asia Co., Ltd., respectively agreed to donate an extra NT$4 million (i.e. a total of NT$8 million) over four years for the sustainable development of the department. The Sustainability Fund’s yield will be used for the following purposes:
●Grants for new faculty members, faculty training, appointment of chair professors, and optimization of teaching/research environment;
● Training of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows;
● Promotion of international cooperation and visibility in the international arena;
● Cooperation with enterprises in industrial-academic research;
● Events to connect the alumni;
● Other events or projects related to the sustainable development of the department.
Brief Introduction of Chemical Engineering Alumni Contributions (Class of 1974)
To encourage students to further strengthen dedication to their studies, the Class of 1974 alumni of the Department of Chemical Engineering have set up the National Taiwan University Department of Chemical Engineering Class of 1974 Alumni Scholarship since 2011, offering a scholarship of NT$30,000 (for each recipient) to at least three students each semester. The total amount donated so far has exceeded NT$2.1 million, with a total of 66 recipients. In addition, the Class of 1974 alumni also donated a total of NT$450,000 to the Exterior Wall Renovation and Roof Waterproofing Project of Chemical Engineering Building No. 1, and have donated a total of NT$1.55 million to the special fund for department development.
To commemorate the enlightenment given by his mentor, Prof. Cheng-Qing CHEN, and Prof. CHEN’s support and love for students, Class of 1974 alumnus Mr. Po-Yen LU established the Professor Cheng-Qing CHEN Memorial Scholarship of the NTU Dept. of Chemical Engineeringin 2021. Each year, four to five outstanding students experiencing financial difficulties are awarded this scholarship of NT$80,000-100,000 so that they can more easily focus on their studies and pay it forward to society in the future. There is no doubt that all the donations of the Class of 1974 alumni have exerted a profound and positive impact on the development of the Department and its current students.
The six winners have spared no effort in contributing to the College of Engineering in terms of facility construction and the development of teaching, research, and student life. Hence, the College of Engineering would like to extend our deepest gratitude for their significant contributions.