Recently ANPERC had the privilege to host Professor Chih-Ping Lin, Dean of Engineering College at National Yang-Ming Chiao-Tung University (NYCU), Taiwan, and Professor of the Department of Civil Engineering at Yang-Ming Chiao-Tung National University in Taiwan.

Professor Chih-Ping was at KAUST between February and July 2021 to complete his sabbatical year at the Energy GeoEngineering Laboratory (EGEL), alongside Professor J. Carlos Santamarina.

Here is Professor Chih-Ping’s description of his experience at ANPERC-KAUST.

Visiting KAUST and deciding to spend a sabbatical with EGEL

I had an opportunity to shortly visit KAUST in December 2019 when Prof. Carlos Santamarina invited me over on my way to a nearby conference. The lab visit opened my eyes, and I decided to ask for the opportunity to spend my sabbatical with Energy GeoEngineering Laboratory (EGEL). Then came the long-lasting pandemic. The plan was delayed indefinitely, but I still wanted to make it happen. Coming here during the pandemic was dramatic. The original flight was canceled at the last minute due to a new Covid-19 restriction; then, it was further delayed and rerouted. Carlos and even I couldn’t believe I could make it in such a difficult time. I didn’t want to delay my sabbatical visit further because I was a contender for the dean of our engineering college starting in the following semester.  My determination paid off. My family and I had a wonderful and unforgettable experience in KAUST.

Perception of KAUST and experience at ANPERC

KAUST is a research utopia. Faculty, staff, and students here are not just technically supported in a way no other place can compare, but also well taken care of in the community life. We settled down so quickly, and I was immediately ready to work after we arrived. This reminded me of my first sabbatical in 2010 at a University in the US. Settling down in the new place was quite tedious and inconvenient. Here, my family and I got on track easily and quickly. I was able to really focus on work and was rewarded with many rejuvenating after-work activities. In the past five months, I had a chance to participate in EGEL’s group meetings, exchange ideas with lab members, give a theme workshop, and share my research thoughts in KAUST. EGEL’s ongoing researches are quite diverse and driven by important energy-related challenges. The participation was inspiring and served the purpose of my sabbatical. My own research group focuses more narrowly on subsurface imaging and properties/process monitoring techniques. Despite the difference in research focus, I hope my presentations and discussions are also stimulating to EGEL group members.

In addition, I enjoyed coffee meetings with Carlos; our conversation was often about what is the really important problem in our profession and society that could make a huge impact. We don’t have an answer yet. I think we will and should continue to ask ourselves this question in the midst of already busy research activities.

  Professor Chih-Ping and his family during his visit to KAUST

Future plans

On a personal level, I would like to have more research collaborations with EGEL. While in KAUST, I was successfully elected to be the Dean of Engineering College at National Yang-Ming Chiao-Tung University (NYCU), Taiwan. NYCU was recently merged with National Yang Ming University (NYMU), a research university focused on the fields of medicine and biotechnology, and National Chiao Tung University (NCTU), a prestigious research university in Taiwan known for its prowess in electrical engineering, computer science, and applied chemistry. On an institute level, I will be more than happy to share with my colleagues the amazing experience I had in KAUST and facilitate broader collaborations between the two universities.”