Industry and Academia Work Hand in Glove to Foster High Technology Talents Department of Chemistry's New Research Building Officially Opened for Use

The second phase of the construction project for the new chemistry research Building (the Tzi-Shueh Hall) was completed on the 12th of November. In the opening ceremony, President Si-Chen Lee, Academia Sinica's former President Dr. Yuan-Tseh Lee, Dr. Morris Chang, Chairman of TSMC, Dr. F.C. Tseng, Chairman of the TSMC Cultural and Educational Foundation, Mr. Cheng-Ching Wu, Chairman of TASCO Chemical Corporation, Mr. Su-Ming Cheng, Chairman of San-Fu Chemical Ltd, and former President of NTU Dr. Wei-Chao Chen all attended with many other dignitaries to extend their congratulations.

The new chemical research building (Tzi-Shueh Hall) is situated beside the Drunken Moon Lake, and was rebuilt over the site of the old Chemistry building, the Chemistry Center building, and the Isotope building. It now stands as a research building comprised of eight stories above ground and one basement. The construction of the new chemical research building is divided into two phases. The first phase (Building A) has been completed in June 2005 and opened for use. The second phase's (Building B, the Tzi-Shueh Hall) fund raising was aided by Academia Sinica's former president Dr. Yuan-Tseh Lee who invited TSMC and other Department of Chemistry alumni to join the project and bring it to fruition. This is the first case in National Taiwan University in which a new building was completed through the joint efforts of alumni and industrial members.

The funding of the construction of the new Tzi-Shueh Hall came partly from the University, and the rest was donated by TSMC (120 million N.T.), Taiwan Tasco Chemical Corporation and China Fongda Group(each donated 50 million N.T.) and over 100 Department of Chemistry alumni. The naming of the new building was to commemorate the generous donation of TSMC, so "Tzi" was taken from the Chinese name of TSMC, whereas "Shueh" was taken from the Department of Chemistry, so the new building became "Tzi-Shueh" Hall. The Heart of Literary Dragon has a saying: "Accumulation of knowledge (Tzi-Shueh's meaning in Chinese) is to prepare for a true genius, and contemplation of reasons is to enrich a talent." This saying reflects the profound significance of the "Tzi-Shueh" Hall.

In his speech delivery President Si-Chen Lee said: "The Chemistry department of NTU has stellar performance in both teaching and research. It not only is a paragon for other departments to follow, but has cultivated many outstanding research fellows and received broad international recognition. With the opening of the new chemical research building, the Chemistry Department will be able to hire more good quality faculty, to guide more students and to engage in more advanced research to serve our society and mankind. This kind of development will raise the reputation of the Department, and unveil more proud research achievements, so that the Department will become one of the important center for chemical research in the world.

Dr. Morris Chang, Chairman of TSMC, in his turn, said: "As a pioneer in Taiwan's knowledge development, TSMC should play a role in the future knowledge development of Taiwan. Supporting the basic science education to foster high technology talents has been our philosophy ever since. We are very happy to see that the Tzi-Shueh Hall is completed and ready for use. We hope that through the donation of software and hardware to the institutions of higher learning, we can build a fortress for academic research for our country and society. The Chemistry Department of NTU has fostered many outstanding talents in the past. We hope that this research building will continue to sustain the outstanding scientific research of Taiwan, to foster more top notch talents, and become a beacon for the basic scientific research of Taiwan. "