To encourage and recognize the sustainable creativity and actions of faculty, students, and staff, National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) held the inaugural “NTHU Sustainability Awards.” A total of 55 teams—comprising more than 250 participants from faculty, students, and administrative staff—entered the competition. In the end, 9 outstanding teams were selected to receive Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards.
The winning projects include the establishment of a Circular Materials Laboratory that recovers rare earth elements from electronic and industrial waste; the formation of an interdisciplinary sustainability team focused on the Touqian River basin; and the promotion of innovative sustainability education programs that tackle the challenges of the new generation and seek sustainable solutions.
Vice President Dr. Nien-Hwa Dai noted that after years of effort, sustainability values are now deeply rooted in the NTHU campus and are reflected in faculty research, student learning, social engagement, and administrative innovation. The award-winning projects represent the best examples of this progress. In addition to the awards, NTHU also launched the “Sustainability is Communication” joint exhibition and organized inter-university exchange lectures.
Dr. Dai emphasized that sustainability is a multifaceted and interdisciplinary endeavor. Several years ago, NTHU established a Sustainability Development Committee composed of representatives from academic affairs, student affairs, general affairs, and sustainability leads from all colleges. This committee collaboratively plans sustainability strategies and coordinates resources. With the joint efforts of the campus community, NTHU was awarded Asia’s first STARS Gold Rating for university sustainability in 2022 and has won Taiwan’s top sustainability university award three times.
Dr. Lin Fu-Jen, NTHU’s Chief Sustainability Officer, highlighted that “NTHU graduates nearly 4,000 students every year. If each of them enters the workforce with a sustainability mindset, it will become a powerful force for change in Taiwan.” He added that the selection process for the Sustainability Awards placed strong emphasis on whether the proposed initiatives leveraged NTHU’s strengths and extended their impact beyond the campus.
The competition involved a two-stage evaluation process, including preliminary and final reviews. During the final stage, applicants had to present their proposals in person and respond to questions from both internal reviewers and external committee members from companies like MediaTek, UMC, and TSMC—ensuring the selection process was professional and diverse.
In the student category, the Gold Award went to PhD student Shao-Chi Lo from the Institute of Materials Science and Engineering. Under the guidance of Professor Chih-Huang Lai, Lo developed electrochemical techniques to recover rare earth elements and tungsten carbide alloys from discarded electronics, batteries, and electric vehicle motors—greatly reducing the use of chemicals and carbon emissions compared to traditional methods. The recovered metals are strategic resources, and Lo advocates for “urban mining” as a cleaner alternative to resource extraction. While acknowledging that short-term returns may not match the semiconductor industry, Lo believes that circular material science holds great promise and humorously stated, “On the road to sustainability, only those who give up will fail.” His team also pledged part of their prize money to support interdisciplinary scholarships at NTHU.
The Gold Award in the faculty category went to Professor Hsiu-Hsuan Chou from the Institute of Environmental Engineering for the project “NTHU Sustainability Hub: Touqian River Basin Living Circle.” This initiative engaged students in fieldwork along the river, studied pollution-related health risks from sediment, introduced AI-based pollutant recognition systems, offered general education courses to promote sustainable action, and collaborated with local environmental groups—demonstrating the university’s social impact. The interdisciplinary team includes Professors Hung-Lin Chan (School of Medicine), Jui-An Tung (Institute of Environmental Engineering), Neng-Fu Huang (Computer Science), Shun-Chi Wu (Engineering and Systems Science), Chao-Jan Chang (Accounting and Finance), Assistant Researcher Chun-Ming Chen (Center for Regional Innovation), and Assistant Professor Meng-Lun Kuo (College of Technology Management), addressing sustainability from pollution control to environmental education and green finance.
The Gold Award in the administrative category was won by research assistant Nai-Yun Chang of the NTHU College Program. She organized orientation activities for students in this experimental education program, which allows for flexible study plans outside traditional departments. The events included visits to the Xinfeng mangrove forest and Hukou Old Street to explore local ecology and Hakka culture, as well as horse-riding activities to promote animal welfare and sustainable management. According to Chang, college years are crucial for forming deep connections with peers and understanding local culture. After participating, students reported an 83% increase in environmental awareness and a 71% increase in sustainability knowledge.
TCF Executive Director Kuan-Yu Peng, a juror from the TSMC Charity Foundation, remarked that “sustainability cannot be sustained if it goes against human nature.” He praised NTHU students and faculty for developing not only sustainable but also more cost-effective and impactful alternative materials that can be integrated into value chains. NTHU’s R&D Director, Dr. Shang-Hsiu Hu, also commended the winning teams for applying cutting-edge technologies to sustainability—from drones and robotics to oceanic innovations.
To celebrate Earth Day on April 22, NTHU launched the 2025 NTHU Sustainability Joint Exhibition under the theme "Passion to Action – From the Heart, Towards Sustainability." The exhibition showcases the winning projects of the NTHU Sustainability Awards, campus sustainability actions by student ambassadors, the Campus Life Laboratory, and sustainable visual arts projects—demonstrating NTHU’s recent efforts and achievements in sustainability. The exhibition is open until April 21 in the first-floor hallway of the Macronix Building.