NCKU Museum "Taiwan Engineering Education History Exhibition VII: Mineral Masterpieces"-國立成功大學永續發展SDGs

The National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) Museum's Taiwan Engineering Education History Series Exhibition VII, titled "Mineral Resources and Materials," opened on November 11 and will run until March 31, 2025. It is being held at the Future Building, Rear Section (formerly the Centennial Library) on the Shengli campus. The exhibition focuses on the development of the university's Department of Mining Engineering into the current Departments of Resource Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering. In addition to showcasing relevant artifacts and literature, the exhibition also presents scientific popularization content related to resources and materials.


The opening ceremony for "Taiwan Engineering Education History Exhibition VII: Mineral Resources and Materials" was held on December 10 at the Humanities Exhibition Space on the 1st floor of the Macronix Hall at NCKU. The event included the presentation of the "National University Student Engineering and Arts Award." The ceremony was hosted by Associate Vice President and Museum Director, Professor Ping-Sheng Wu, and attended by Vice President Yuh-Neu Chen, department heads and professors from the departments of Resource and Materials Engineering, former Museum Director Jeng-Horng Chen, scholars and experts who assisted in the engineering education history exhibition, and the award recipients.


In her speech, Vice President Yuh-Neu Chen introduced the background of the engineering education history series and emphasized the significance of the relationship between NCKU's engineering education, Taiwan's higher education, and industrial development. She also praised the curation team's efforts to restore the university's history and popularize engineering knowledge. Furthermore, she appreciated the museum's initiative to organize the "National University Student Engineering and Arts Award," which integrates humanistic and artistic approaches with engineering and technology.


Associate Vice President Ping-Sheng Wu stated that the engineering education history series has been an ongoing project since 2016, designed to showcase NCKU's pioneering role in Taiwan's higher engineering education. This year's exhibition focuses on Resource Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering, reviewing Taiwan's development from mining and metallurgy to advanced technologies like urban mining and semiconductors. Wu emphasized that NCKU has been a crucial base for nurturing talent in both academia and industry. He also thanked professors, departments, and units within the university for their strong support for the exhibition and the engineering and arts awards.


During the ceremony, the exhibition's planning process was introduced by Professor Mei-Fang Kuo, a guest researcher at the museum, who represented the project's initiator, former President Hong-Shan Weng. Honorary Professor Fu-Shih Yen of the Resource Engineering Department and Professor Hsing-I Hsiang, Chair of the Department of Materials Science, shared the development history of their respective departments and the exhibition's planning. The museum's Deputy Researcher, You-Hua Tsai, then outlined the execution of the project.


The latter part of the event featured the presentation of the "National University Student Engineering and Arts Award," with certificates presented to eight award-winning students by Associate Vice President Bing-Sheng Wu and the chair of the judging panel, Professor Wen-Song Chen. This award, which had been temporarily suspended for two years, returned this year. It offers a humanistic and emotional interpretation of engineering and technology themes through artistic creation. Winning works were also showcased in the exhibition.


The exhibition not only traces the development of NCKU's Resource and Materials Engineering departments but also displays textbooks, reference books, theses, cooperative industry reports, course models, tools such as hammers and gloves used for mineral collection, drilling heads for oil and gas exploration, silicon single crystal column samples, and microscopes used for photographing crystals. The exhibition is open to the public Monday through Friday, from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM, until March 31, 2025. All are welcome to visit and engage with the displays.