Tsing Hua in Taiwan The story of Tsing Hua reflects a piece of modern history in Asia. Its predecessor, the Tsing Hua Academy, was funded with a war indemnity imposed on the imperial Qing government for its role in the Boxer Rebellion. It was then a prep-school for China’s talented youths intending to pursue advanced studies in the United States. The academy was established in 1911, the year before the birth of the first republic in Asia. In two decades the academy evolved into a full university, the National Tsing Hua University (NTHU). Its Department of Physics, established in 1926, soon earned the reputation as being one of best physics departments in China. During World War II the university was forced to move from Beijing, eventually settled in Kunming, and temporarily merged with Peking University and Nankai University to form the National Southwest Associated University. The physics Nobel Laureates, C. N. Yang and T. D. Lee, were students of the university at that time. In 1956, after the civil war in China, NTHU was reinstalled on its current campus in Hsinchu City, Taiwan. NTHU began its operations with the Graduate Institute of Nuclear Science (INS), which was then made up of three divisions. The Nuclear Physics Division, the predecessor of the physics department, was one of them. Since then, NTHU has blossomed into a comprehensive research university offering baccalaureates to doctorates in degree programs ranging from the sciences, engineering, humanities and social sciences, and management. NTHU has been consistently ranked as one of the premier universities in Taiwan and is widely recognized as the best incubator for future leaders in industries as well as academics and government services.

2. History and Overview

The Department of Physics of NTHU evolved from the Physics Division of INS, admitting its first B.S. students in 1965. In 1966, the Graduate Institute of Physics began its master's program. The doctoral program followed the next year. Due to the growing importance and local research strength in astronomy and cosmology, the graduate institute of astronomy was established in 2001. Recognizing the importance of physics training for the high-tech industry, an undergraduate concentration in optical physics was initiated in 2003. Currently, there are approximately 250 undergraduates and 150 graduate students (with about 100 students in the master’s program and 50 in the Ph.D. program). The main facilities of the department are located in a seven-floor-high building, designed by the famed architect, C. Y. Lee, whose recent works include the Taipei 101 building. The department currently has 35 full-time faculty members, six of whom are associated with the Institute of Astronomy. Additional expertise is provided by 20 adjunct professors from Academia Sinica, the National Synchrotron Research Center and the National Institute of Health. Their research areas cover particle physics and fields; gravitation and astrophysics; statistical and mathematical physics; atomic, molecular and optical physics; condensed matters; and microwave and plasma physics. The research atmosphere in the department has always been very strong. Faculty members have been consistently receiving the largest grants for funding for physics-related research projects sponsored by the National Science Council (NSC), Taiwan. The number of times in which faculty members have been recipients of various academic awards is, among physics departments, also the highest in Taiwan. Four faculty members have been elected as members of the Academia Sinica, as are seven of our alumni. Over one-third of our faculty members have received the Outstanding Research Award of the National Science Council. Teaching and mentoring have not been overlooked either. Each faculty member is also a mentor for undergraduate students, taking care of their needs in school work and addressing problems arising in their daily lives. On the average, each mentor oversees about eight students; consequently, the opportunity for interaction among students and teachers is abundant.