【A visit from Vice Provost Ramani of Washington University in St. Louis】

Dr. Vijay Ramani, Vice Provost for Graduate Education and International Affairs, and Dr. David Ho, Professor Emeritus of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis (WashU), visited National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) to discuss potential collaborations on March 15^th, 2024. The delegates had met with NCKU’s representatives from the Office of International Affairs, Innovation Headquarters, Academy of Innovative Semiconductor and Sustainable Manufacturing (AISSM), and WashU alumni at NCKU to explore possibilities for university-level programs and industry-academia cooperation and shared insights into WashU's advancements.

From left to right: Prof. David Ho, Professor Emeritus of Biology, WashU, Dr. Vijay Ramani, Vice Provost for Graduate Education and International Affairs, WashU, Prof. Sun-Yuan Hsieh, Vice President for International Affairs, NCKU, Assoc. Prof. Chia-Hsiang Lin, Director of International Relations Division, NCKU, and Ms. Ya-Tsui Ellen Hsueh, Deputy Director of International Relations Division, Office of International Affairs, NCKU   

During the meeting hosted by the International Affairs Office, Prof. Sun-Yuan Hsieh, Vice President for International Affairs, highlighted the longstanding academic collaboration between NCKU and WashU, particularly in fields such as Biochemistry, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Medicine, and Engineering. VP Hsieh expressed hopes for furthering research-oriented faculty and student exchanges and fostering industry-academia innovation between the two institutions. Vice Provost Ramani expressed admiration for NCKU's research capabilities and proposed expanding collaborations by initiating more joint research projects or offering dual-degree programs for graduate students.

Vice Provost Vijay (middle) visited NCKU Innovation Headquarters

During the meeting at the Innovation Headquarters, Assoc. Prof. Wei-Chen Tu, Director of the Program on Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology from AISSM, introduced how the Semiconductor Master's Program could be a part of academic collaborations. Additionally, WashU alumni Assoc. Prof. Hsiu-Tzu Chang, Department of Urban Planning, shared insights into NCKU's USR program and proposed feasible collaboration directions with WashU. Assoc. Prof. Wung-Lik Ng from the Department of Economics also shared his academic experience at WashU. The positive and fruitful discussion is expected to further deepen collaborations between the two institutions.