A Gathering of Elites: Jade Award Recipients Event Organized by National Chung Hsing University
2024-06-11
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National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) held the first “Gathering for Jade Award Recipients” on May 31. NCHU President Dr. Fuh-Jyh Jan presided over the event, which facilitated an exchange and dialogue between past award recipients and generous donners. Former NCHU President and Jade Award founder Dr. Der-Tsai Lee, who is also an Academia Sinica Academician, and Ms. Jo-Fen Wen, CEO of the Enjoyable-Sunshine Gentleland Educational Foundation and one of the major donors, were in attendance.
In 2013, Dr. Lee raised approximately NT$15 million to establish the Jade Award, aimed at encouraging outstanding young scholars under the age of 45 to engage in high-potential research areas. To date, 39 young scholars have received the award. After Dr. Jan became president in August 2023, he took on the responsibility of supporting outstanding young scholars and began actively fundraising. In March 2024, Ms. Wen answered the call and donated NT$5 million. Department of Applied Economics Chair Professor Lynn Lin also pledged US$150,000, while Dr. Lee generously added NT$1 million. These contributions ensure that the award is fully funded for the next eight years.
Dr. Jan indicated that award recipients have performed exceedingly well in various fields, and many of them have won major domestic and international awards after receiving the Jade Award. These honors include the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Outstanding Research Award, the NSTC Ta-You Wu Memorial Award, the Future Tech Award, and the National Innovation Award. Many have also made the “World’s Top 2% Scientists” list. This year, four NCHU scholars received the NSTC Outstanding Research Award, ranking the university fourth nationwide, with two of the recipients being previous Jade Award winners. The Jade Award’s selection process is highly rigorous and fiercely competitive, making it challenging for scholars to distinguish themselves. Dr. Jan expressed his hope that everyone will continue their efforts to bring acclaim to NCHU and enhance the university’s reputation.
Dr. Lee stated that during the beginning of his tenure as president, he and four junior high school classmates jointly donated NT$5 million in the name of “Datong Junior High School, Class of 1964, 12th Stream” to establish the Jade Award. He subsequently continued raising funds until the total reached NT$15 million. In April this year, Dr. Lee gave himself a 75th birthday present by donating an additional NT$1 million. He hopes to continue the spirit upon which the award was established and said he was very happy to have the opportunity to meet award recipients. He also took the opportunity to encourage young scholars to shoulder greater responsibilities and serve as examples for their colleagues.
Ms. Wen, an NCHU alumna, shared that the Enjoyable-Sunshine Gentleland Educational Foundation was established as a means to give back to society and is dedicated to improving the quality of university education. She commended Dr. Jan for his diligent management of the university since assuming the presidency and expressed that the foundation is ready to collaborate with NCHU to support young scholars with potential, providing them with both mental and financial support. She emphasized that this collaboration is very meaningful endeavor.
NCHU’s Dean of the Research & Development Department, Jenn-Ming Song, is a recipient of the 2014 Jade Award. He said that achieving the “NTU-NTHU-NYCU-NCKU-NCHU” goal requires not only NCHU’s century of heritage but also investment in talented individuals and hard work. He expressed gratitude to Dr. Lee and Dr. Jan for fostering an excellent campus atmosphere and promoting healthy and positive competition. Mr. Song also highlighted that such exchanges are rare opportunities, expressing his hope that gatherings of outstanding colleagues can continue in the future to promote cross-field understanding and mutual inspiration.
Department of Physics Professor Yen-Fu Lin, a 2017 Jade Award recipient, stated that his research specialty is semiconductor manufacturing. When he joined the university, he essentially started from scratch and experienced significant frustration initially. In addition, his repeated applications to the NSTC for subsidies for the Higher European Research Course for Users of Large Experimental Systems Program were all rejected, resulting in even greater frustration. Prof. Lin emphasized that the Jade Award serves as a promising source of motivation for budding educators, providing them with the courage to face future challenges.
Department of Environmental Engineering Distinguished Professor Andrew Lin, a 2018 Jade Award recipient, expressed profound gratitude for this recognition. Winning the award served as both an affirmation of his past achievements and an incentive for future endeavors. Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences Distinguished Professor Yu-Ting Liu, a 2020 Jade Award winner, believes that the award strengthens teachers’ commitment to the university while simultaneously encouraging young teachers to delve deeper into their research and reinforcing their sense of responsibility to enhance NCHU’s reputation. Department of Chinese Literature Associate Professor Han-Chen Shiau, a 2022 Jade Award recipient, acknowledged that during the research process, it is easy to lose faith and experience doubts about being on the right path. She described the Jade Award as gentle comfort for the soul and a morale boost that strengthens one’s dedication to academic research.
In 2013, Dr. Lee raised approximately NT$15 million to establish the Jade Award, aimed at encouraging outstanding young scholars under the age of 45 to engage in high-potential research areas. To date, 39 young scholars have received the award. After Dr. Jan became president in August 2023, he took on the responsibility of supporting outstanding young scholars and began actively fundraising. In March 2024, Ms. Wen answered the call and donated NT$5 million. Department of Applied Economics Chair Professor Lynn Lin also pledged US$150,000, while Dr. Lee generously added NT$1 million. These contributions ensure that the award is fully funded for the next eight years.
Dr. Jan indicated that award recipients have performed exceedingly well in various fields, and many of them have won major domestic and international awards after receiving the Jade Award. These honors include the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Outstanding Research Award, the NSTC Ta-You Wu Memorial Award, the Future Tech Award, and the National Innovation Award. Many have also made the “World’s Top 2% Scientists” list. This year, four NCHU scholars received the NSTC Outstanding Research Award, ranking the university fourth nationwide, with two of the recipients being previous Jade Award winners. The Jade Award’s selection process is highly rigorous and fiercely competitive, making it challenging for scholars to distinguish themselves. Dr. Jan expressed his hope that everyone will continue their efforts to bring acclaim to NCHU and enhance the university’s reputation.
Dr. Lee stated that during the beginning of his tenure as president, he and four junior high school classmates jointly donated NT$5 million in the name of “Datong Junior High School, Class of 1964, 12th Stream” to establish the Jade Award. He subsequently continued raising funds until the total reached NT$15 million. In April this year, Dr. Lee gave himself a 75th birthday present by donating an additional NT$1 million. He hopes to continue the spirit upon which the award was established and said he was very happy to have the opportunity to meet award recipients. He also took the opportunity to encourage young scholars to shoulder greater responsibilities and serve as examples for their colleagues.
Ms. Wen, an NCHU alumna, shared that the Enjoyable-Sunshine Gentleland Educational Foundation was established as a means to give back to society and is dedicated to improving the quality of university education. She commended Dr. Jan for his diligent management of the university since assuming the presidency and expressed that the foundation is ready to collaborate with NCHU to support young scholars with potential, providing them with both mental and financial support. She emphasized that this collaboration is very meaningful endeavor.
NCHU’s Dean of the Research & Development Department, Jenn-Ming Song, is a recipient of the 2014 Jade Award. He said that achieving the “NTU-NTHU-NYCU-NCKU-NCHU” goal requires not only NCHU’s century of heritage but also investment in talented individuals and hard work. He expressed gratitude to Dr. Lee and Dr. Jan for fostering an excellent campus atmosphere and promoting healthy and positive competition. Mr. Song also highlighted that such exchanges are rare opportunities, expressing his hope that gatherings of outstanding colleagues can continue in the future to promote cross-field understanding and mutual inspiration.
Department of Physics Professor Yen-Fu Lin, a 2017 Jade Award recipient, stated that his research specialty is semiconductor manufacturing. When he joined the university, he essentially started from scratch and experienced significant frustration initially. In addition, his repeated applications to the NSTC for subsidies for the Higher European Research Course for Users of Large Experimental Systems Program were all rejected, resulting in even greater frustration. Prof. Lin emphasized that the Jade Award serves as a promising source of motivation for budding educators, providing them with the courage to face future challenges.
Department of Environmental Engineering Distinguished Professor Andrew Lin, a 2018 Jade Award recipient, expressed profound gratitude for this recognition. Winning the award served as both an affirmation of his past achievements and an incentive for future endeavors. Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences Distinguished Professor Yu-Ting Liu, a 2020 Jade Award winner, believes that the award strengthens teachers’ commitment to the university while simultaneously encouraging young teachers to delve deeper into their research and reinforcing their sense of responsibility to enhance NCHU’s reputation. Department of Chinese Literature Associate Professor Han-Chen Shiau, a 2022 Jade Award recipient, acknowledged that during the research process, it is easy to lose faith and experience doubts about being on the right path. She described the Jade Award as gentle comfort for the soul and a morale boost that strengthens one’s dedication to academic research.
A Gathering of Elites: Jade Award Recipients Event Organized by National Chung Hsing University
