Lecture Speaker: Prof. Sung-Ming Choi
About the Sow-Hsin Chen Distinguished Lectureship
This Lectureship is motivated by the recognition of the significance of the leading role that National Tsing-Hua University (NTHU) has played in the development of nuclear science and technology in Taiwan. To continue the promotion of cutting-edge neutron science and technology research in Taiwan, Professor Sow-Hsin Chen, the Distinguished Honorary Chair Professor of the College of Nuclear Science of NTHU, made a specific donation to thank his alma mater. Professor Chen was a student in the first graduate class of the first “Graduate School of Nuclear Science” in Taiwan when NTHU reestablished its campus in Hsinchu in 1956. During 1956-58, the late President Mei Yi-Chi was the class' immediate advisor. President Mei's constant care and encouragement to students have left a permanent impression on Academician Chen.
The specialty education in nuclear science received by Academician Chen during his time at NTHU triggered his interest in nuclear physics. Immediately after graduation, he was chosen through a highly competitive national examination to receive the first IAEA fellowship to study emerging nuclear technology in the US. He then completed his Ph.D. in inelastic neutron scattering spectroscopy at McMaster University in Canada under Nobel Laureate Bertram N. Brockhouse, who invented this new and powerful spectrometry then. Before joining the MIT faculty in 1968, he spent a year as a research fellow at Harvard University under Nobel Laureate Nicolaas N. Bloembergen. Professor Chen is one of the most distinguished international experts in neutron- and x-ray scattering spectroscopy. He received many honors and awards, including in 1985 when he was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the 1985 highest German scientific award, the Alexander von Humboldt US Senior Scientist Award. In 2002, he received MIT's Lifetime Career Accomplishment Award. He was elected as an Academician of the Academia Sinica in 2006, and in 2008, he received the highest award of the Neutron Scattering Society of America, the Clifford G. Shull Prize, named in memory of Nobel Laureate Shull of MIT with whom Prof. Chen also collaborated. He is also a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the Neutron Scattering Society of America.
The “Sow-Hsin Chen Distinguished Lectureship on Neutron Science and Technology” is intended as a permanent lectureship. The basic foundation funding is set to be NT$3 Million, for which Academician Chen donates NT$1 Million as the initial fund, while NTHU and its College of Nuclear Science will contribute throughout the years with the other NT$2 Million. The Lectureship's activity will aim at one function per year or two years. Over the years, internationally distinguished experts will be invited to visit NTHU and share their research and experience related to their areas of expertise. By doing so, the Lectureship hopes to broaden the academic vision of our young scholars and help NTHU strengthen its foundation in neutron science and technology.
NTHU and the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC) started co-hosting this Lectureship in 2018. Through collaborative efforts to integrate resources, researchers in relevant fields can exchange research experiences and expand the academic horizons of young scholars. This aims to promote the advancement of neutron science and technology in the new generation and facilitate academic exchanges with industries.
▲ On the far right in the back row is Sow-Hsin Chen.