Tzu Chi University’s President Ingrid Y Liu is Presented Lifelong Honorary Fellowship and Outstanding Female Scientist Award by the Thai Neuroscience Society

國神經科學會於2019年12月11日在曼谷朱拉蓬研究所舉辦年度研討會, 今年邀請慈濟大學校長，也是醫學科學研究所教授劉怡均為大會第一場主題演講之講者，並於演講後頒發終身榮譽會士及傑出女科學家奬，以表彰劉校長開啟台泰神經科學教研合作，博士人才培育之努力，以及在記憶退化機轉研究之貢獻。

The Thai Neuroscience Society held its annual conference on December 11, 2019, at Chulabhorn Graduate Institute. Tzu Chi University president and professor of the Institute of Medical Science, Ingrid Y Liu, presented “Exploring natural products for Alzheimer’s disease” as the first keynote speaker. President Liu was presented Lifelong Honorary Fellowship and Outstanding Female Scientist Award, after her presentation, by the Thai Neuroscience Society, for her endeavors in enhancing collaborations in neuroscience teaching and research between Thailand and Taiwan, nurturing students and researchers, and conducting her research on how our memories form and fade.

Five years ago, president Liu took the initiative to work with Thailand’s Mahidol University, on its Ph.D. program of the College of Medicine, and as a result, Mahidol University and Tzu Chi University have developed a dual Ph.D. degree program in the biomedical field. Since then, the two universities have been working together to nurture biomedical researchers, by carrying out exchange programs of faculty members and students, sponsoring conferences, and sending three Ph.D. students from Mahidol University to Tzu Chi University. In recent years, the universities have collaborated in the extraction of compounds from Thailand’s traditional herbs, to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease, and so far the results have been fruitful.

The Thai Neuroscience Society’s president spoke highly of president Liu. She has done splendidly in her teaching and research, carried out collaborations in neuroscience between Thailand and Taiwan, nurtured Ph.D. students and researchers, and sponsored academic exchanges; thus, the Thai Neuroscience Society presented her the 2019 Outstanding Female Scientist Award and Lifelong Honorary Fellowship. In the years ahead, president Liu may participate in nominations and vote for the society’s president; moreover, she will enjoy the privilege of being a society member.

President Liu is grateful to the Thai Neuroscience Society for giving her this acknowledgment. Dharma Master Cheng Yen is the founder of Tzu Chi University, and the Dharma Master’s principle on education is rooted in Buddhism. Thailand is a Buddhist country, so Thai scholars have high regard for Tzu Chi University’s educational goals. So far, collaborations between two universities have been carried out well. Tzu Chi University’s faculty members’ endeavors in teaching and research have attracted Thai students to come to the University for pursuing their doctoral studies or to take short-term programs. In the near future, the two universities are going to enjoy more fruitful results from our joint efforts in the field of neuroscience.