The National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University Library has recently finished producing the first three films of the “Technology Pioneers” series. These films include “Taiwan’s First Breakthrough – Andrew Chew,” “The Giant Who Brings Changes – Lo Hou Chew,” and “The First Seed of Hsinchu Science Park – Ing-Dar Liu.” These documentary films honor the contributions of teachers and alumni at the Yang Ming and the Chiao Tung Campus. On March 13th, the “Beginning of Silicon Island: Technology Pioneers Series Videos Premiere Seminar” was held to celebrate and recognize the significant contributions of NYCU alumni to Taiwan.
When Chiao Tung University was re-established and founded the Institute of Electronics, the related industries in Taiwan were still underdeveloped. As a result, most graduate students from NYCU chose to go abroad to study or work for foreign companies. However, a small group of students determined to contribute to Taiwan after graduation called themselves “the abnormal club.” Their unwavering belief laid the foundation for the robust semiconductor industry in Taiwan. One of these students was Andrew Chew, a NYCU alumnus.
Andrew Chew is an NYCU alumnus who was born into a low-income family. Initially, he didn’t have any plans to pursue further studies. However, with the encouragement of his teacher, he was able to gain admission to Taipei Municipal Chien Kuo Senior High School. Later on, he was recommended for admission to National Taiwan University and was admitted to the graduate institute of NYCU. His research work was focused on semiconductors.
After graduation, with the support of Professor Simon Min Sze, he led the first semiconductor company in Taiwan — UNITRON Industries Corp., LTD. Chew’s work in the semiconductor industry made him a pioneer in Taiwan. He was experienced in transforming the company’s decision-making, and he established a trading company that played a significant role in Taiwan’s original equipment manufacturing industry.
Later, faced with the ups and downs of his career, Chew decided to leave the electronics industry and devote himself to the art field. He established the Hong-gah Museum to showcase collections and support artists for curation. Chew’s goal was to encourage young people to pursue art and literature.
Throughout his life, Chew faced many challenges and obstacles. He believes that one has to make every effort to overcome these obstacles, just like a resistor. The current flows soundlessly and colorlessly. Only when it encounters a resistor does the light appear. Chew believes that overcoming all the obstacles in life makes it most meaningful.
Lo Hou Chew, an alumnus of NYCU, was born into a low-income family but his diligence and perseverance got him admitted to the university. After that, he excelled at being a good manager. He was elected as the leader of the mess committee in the students’ self-governing mess at National Chiao Tung University (NCTU). He woke up early to accompany the kitchen staff to the markets to bid for fish and vegetables. He also set up a cap control for catering fees, which saved many students in NCTU a lot of food expenses. Through this experience, he realized that he was better suited for management than research. After graduating from the Department of Communication Engineering, he worked as an electronic process engineer at UNITRON Industries Corp., LTD, until the company was acquired by ITT. He then decided to leave the company and think about how he could contribute to society and the nation. It was then that Chew became Taiwan’s first representative, recruited by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) since it established the Electronics Department. Chew also recruited talents to be trained in the U.S. to learn IC design and manufacturing.
Chew returned from the U.S. and decided to study accounting, finance, and economics to prepare for his future endeavors as an entrepreneur. He started his business at the age of 48 and focused on venture capital. Chew was recognized as one of the top four capitalists, having invested in over 400 companies in Taiwan, the U.S., and Southeast Asia. He helped expand technology companies and developed and grew industries in Taiwan. Chew witnessed Taiwan’s economic boom in the 90s and is concerned that young people nowadays are afraid of stress and challenges, which could hinder Taiwan’s future development. He encourages NYCU juniors to become interdisciplinary talents, not only specialists. He suggests cultivating other expertise and interests to have diversified lives.
Ing-Dar Liu had initially applied to NYCU’s Department of Electronics for his university studies. He said that he didn’t complete and hand in his Joint College Entrance Examination paper early as he believed that his scores were already high enough to secure enrollment at NTU. After graduating from the Institute of Electronics, he began working at Fine Products Microelectronics Corp. Later on, in 1974, the Electronics and Engineering Research and Development Center was established by the Industrial Technology Research Institute. Ing-Dar Liu was recruited to join the team and learn new processes, which led him to travel to the United States for training. After spending a year in the U.S., Liu brought back the photomask of the commercial chip CIC001, which was the first-ever self-developed chip in Taiwan, to his home country.
Ing-Dar Liu was the first employee of the United Microelectronics Corporation, appointed by Hu Ding-Hua, the director of the Institute of Electronics at the time. He was involved in building factories and witnessed the origin of Taiwan’s high-tech industry. The employee bonus system and the four-shift-two-round system he advocated were adopted by the companies in Hsinchu Science Park and had a profound impact. Ing-Dar Liu believed that his job was a true calling and explained the meaning behind his last name “劉” (Liu). The component “卯” (mao) represents starting to work diligently early in the morning, while “金” (jin) represents tools, equipment, and instruments, and “刀” (dao) represents the idea of fighting and maintaining a tense fighting condition every day. This embodiment of his name eloquently reflects the role he played in UMC. He encourages students to be dedicated to their work and believes that building a good foundation is crucial so that one can choose the best way when making decisions.