Austria's Delegates visit to NTUST, Taipei

To Promote bilateral cooperation with Austria in technological and vocational education, the Ministry of Education on September 8, 2008 signed a memorandum on cooperation in general and vocational training with the Ministry of Education, Art and Culture of the Federal Republic of Austria. 

Witnessed by Political Deputy Minister Lu Mu-lin and Mrs. Sieglinde Spanlang, head of Austria's Tourism Department, Chen Ming-yin, Director General of the Department of Technological and Vocation Education (TVE) and Dr. Theodor Siegl, Director General of the Department of Technological and Vocational Education, the Ministry of Education, Art and Culture of the Federal Republic of Austria sign the memorandum.

After sign a memorndum with Taiwanese officals, Austria deligates visitied my university (National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, NTUST). Our school presented a nice introduction about university, Taiwan Building Technology Centre (TBTC), University- Industry Cooperative Centre (UICC), Taiwan NCP programme. 

NTUST opens lotto, gaming research center

The National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST) established on 29th November 2007,  the first Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming in Taiwan to conduct the research on the thriving gaming business and help train industry professionals.

Officially named the Taiwan Lottery and Gaming Research Center, it will start offering relevant courses to postgraduates in the university’s MBA programs.

Future steps will include providing undergraduate courses and setting up a department of gaming.

Professor Chen Shih-shun, NTUST president, conceded that personally he has never purchased a lotto ticket. But he said he recognizes the role of the gaming industry in a modern and democratic society like Taiwan.

He said the new center is part of the university’s aspiration to internationalize its study program by cooperating with other higher learning and research institutions in other nations.

Prof. Liu Dai-yang, director of the center, has been engaged in gaming research after he started teaching business management at NTUST in 1988.

Liu was consigned by the Ministry Finance (MOF) and other government agencies to carry out research before the government revived the public-interest lottery several years ago.

In addition to the current Taiwan Lottery, the government is ready to launch the sports lottery soon.

Liu said the sports lottery game alone will create annual revenues for over NT$100 billion to support sports activities and social welfare programs.

With proper management Liu believes the gaming business will help reenergize business activities, create more job opportunities, and attract more tourists to the island when the number of jobs in the manufacturing sector continues to decrease.

Both neighboring Macau and Singapore have been recruiting staff from Taiwan for their gaming business. The wages they offer range from more than NT$50,000 a month to NT$1 million each year.

The figure are highly attractive for college graduates whose starting pay has declined to a little over NT$20,000 as the local economy has been trapped in prolonged doldrums for almost eight years.

A couple of universes and colleges in Taiwan have already been offering gaming courses to meet the demand from both domestic and overseas markets.

William Eadington, professor of economics and director of the Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming at the University of Nevada, Reno, was among the guests invited to participate the ceremony marking the establishment of the NTUST’s lotto and gaming study center.

He said the gaming industry has become more mature with the extensive development in both upstream and downstream business.

The Internet has also vastly globalized modern business operations and created tremendous business opportunities, he said.

He suggested that the government here follow the examples of Melbourne, Australia and Singapore to integrate developments in the gaming business and tourism industry.

As an internationally recognized authority on the legalization and regulation of commercial gambling, Prof. Eadington has written extensively on issues relating to the economic and social impacts of commercial gaming,

He organized the First through Eleventh International Conferences on Gambling and Risk Taking between 1974 and 1997.

Dr. Eadington has also served as a consultant and advisor for governments and private sector organizations throughout the world on issues related to gaming laws, casino operations, regulation, legalization and public policy. He is a founding member of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism, and a former Associate Editor of the Annals of Tourism Research and the Journal of Gambling Studies.

Taiwan's first humanoid robot from NTUST

Taiwan's first humanoid robot performer "Janet," which can speak, sing and walk, made its debut at a news conference on Monday.

"Janet" was unveiled ahead of the 11th National University and Technical College Creative Robot Design and Manufacturing Contest organized by the Ministry of Education. The contest will be held Oct. 19 to Oct. 21 at Cheng Shiu University in Kaohsiung County.

Lin Chi-yu (林其禹), a professor at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST), whose researchers developed Janet over two years, said the school plans to create a similar robot -- to be named "Thomas."

Lin said the two robots would be used on a trial basis in performances for disadvantaged groups beginning next summer before making their international debut.

Automaker Honda created ASIMO, the world's most advanced humanoid robot, but ASIMO has no facial features or performance-related functions, Lin said.

The HUBO robot developed by Oh Jun-ho, a professor at the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, can display facial expressions, but lacks the capability to stage a show, he said.

"Janet" was developed to have interactive and performing functions, Lin said, adding that the state-of-the-art performing technology was created through the concerted efforts of NTUSC and several Japanese robotics labs.

Seven professors and scores of doctoral and masters degree students at NTUSC took part in Janet's development, Lin said.

He said the hardware needed to build the robot cost NT$10 million (US$307,000).

Lin said the team plans to set up a "Taiwanese robotic theater" in major amusement parks around the world in five year