Prof. Huey-Lang Yang, the Director of Center of Bioscience and Biotechnology and Distinguished Professor at the Institute of Biotechnology at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), has been recognized for his excellent contribution to aquiculture and presented with the award - “2009 TWAS Prize in the Agricultural Sciences” from The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS) supported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Oct. 20th. He was cited for his outstanding contributions to the understanding of fish immunology, invention of oral vaccine technology and application to warm water fish aquaculture. He will be conferred with this award with a medal and USD15,000 in TWAS's 21st General Meeting in 2010.
This is the second time for the affirmation over the world since he received “Aquaculture Europe 2008-Best Poster Award” last year. Prof. Yang gave credit to the cultivation from NCKU President, Academician Michael Ming-Chiao Lai, the ex-President - Dr. Cheng I Weng, and Dr. Hwung-Hweng Hwung as Senior Executive Vice President, as well as the support from the Institute of Biotechnology and his family.
Prof. Yang commented that the Aquatic Animal Bio-Medicine R&D Team (AABM Team) of NCKU was established ten years ago under his guidance, organized a research team, established a laboratory and an experimental pond for development of biomedical technology. There are many research achievements presented in academy area but also applied to industry. They looked forward to becoming an international grouper biotech research and technology industrial development center.
In addition, Prof. I-Min Chen, an Assistant Professor closely working with Prof. Yang, developed a novel method that could extract pollution-free docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) from an indigenous micro-algal species, which could revolutionize the way that the nutritional supplement is produced commercially. Indeed, the contamination, such as alkyl mercury and dioxins, commonly found with DHA production from marine fishes, stimulated us to search for new ways to produce worry-free DHA. Their fruitful research outcomes have proved the microalgaes could produce DHA in sufficient quantities and without any articifcial pollutants, indicating its potential as a food ingredient. Consequently, they have been recognized with the Best Poster Award in the conference of Aquaculture Europe 2008.
About Prof. Huey-Lang Yang
Prof. Yang received his Ph.D in Bacteriology from University of California at Davis (1972). He has served as the Director and the Associate Director of the NCKU Institute of Biotechnology; the Research Fellow of Institute of Bio-agricultural Sciences, Academia Sinica; the Adjunct Professor of Department of Veterinary Medicine of National Taiwan University (NTU); the Division Head of Molecular Biology, Development Center for Biotechnology; the Visiting Professor of National Yang-Ming University (NYMU); the Managing Director of Research and Development, ENZO Diagnostics Inc.; the Director of Recombinant DNA/Microbiology, ENZO Biochem, Inc.; the Senior Research Associate of Dept. of Genetics, The Public Health Research Institute in the City of New York; the Adjunct Assistant Professor of New York University, School of Medicine; and the Senior Research Associate of Dept. of Biological Sciences, Columbia University.
Prof. Yang has received many awards and honors, including “NIH Technique Ad Hoc Committee for SBIR Grant” (1986, 1987); “Executive Yuan Honored Outstanding Applied Sciences and Technology Award” (1992); “Young Inventor Award: Bronze Award” by Hewlett Parker & Far Eastern Economic Review (2002); “Academia-Industry Collaborations Award” by Ministry of Education (MOE) (2003); “KT Li Honorary Scholar Award” (2006); and “National Innovation Award”(2007). In addition, he has advised and directed his students on various projects, whom have been awarded with gold medals in “2008 Crazy Idea - King of Practical Applications on Creative Researches and Development of Biotechnology” and “Aquaculture Europe 08 Best Poster Award”; and a bronze medal in “2009 Crazy Idea - King of Practical Applications on Creative Researches and Development of Biotechnology”.
Prof. Yang is a well-known and respected expert in biotechnology, vaccine, and diagnostics, and with main research in warm-water fish bio-medicine. There are three main topics of his researches: (1) to apply a novel and innovative technological breakthrough in aquaculture to China and Southeast Asia, and promote domestic aquaculture industry; (2) to utilize nervous necrosis virus (NNV) from grouper in epinephelus immunology, viral pathogenesis, and pathogen-host interaction; and (3) to develop the innovative vaccine technology, testing and vaccine product.
About The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS)
TWAS is an autonomous international organization based in Trieste, Italy. Its principal aim is to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable development in the South. TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world, is an autonomous international organization, founded in 1983 in Trieste, Italy, by a distinguished group of scientists from the South under the leadership of the late Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam of Pakistan. It was officially launched by the secretary-general of the United Nations in 1985.
TWAS represents the best of science in developing countries. Its main mission is to promote scientific excellence and capacity in the South for science-based sustainable development. The Academy's strength resides in the quality and diversity of its membership - internationally renowned scientists elected by their peers. TWAS Fellows, who live and work in developing countries, represent 85 percent of the membership; TWAS Associate Fellows live and work in developed countries. The current membership stands at 950.
The objectives of TWAS are to recognize, support and promote excellence in scientific research in the developing world; to respond to the needs of young scientists in S&T-lagging developing countries; to promote South-South and South-North cooperation in science, technology and innovation, and to encourage scientific research and sharing of experiences in solving major problems facing developing countries.
A Council, elected every three years by TWAS members, is responsible for the Academy's broad policy and programmatic directions. The secretariat headed by an executive director and located on the premises of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy, assists the Council in the administration and coordination of the programmers.
In 1991, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) assumed responsibility for administering TWAS funds and personnel on the basis of an agreement signed by TWAS and UNESCO. In 2004, the Italian government passed a law that ensures a continuous financial contribution to the Academy's operation. Representatives of the Italian government and UNESCO are members of the TWAS Steering Committee, which meets annually to discuss financial matters.
In addition to its strong links with UNESCO and ICTP, TWAS provides administrative support for the Third World Organization for Women in Science (TWOWS), the Inter Academy Panel on International Issues (IAP) and the Inter Academy Medical Panel (IAMP). The Academy also maintains close ties with academies, research councils and ministries of science and technology in developing countries.
There are many contributors to TWAS's current activities such as The Government of Italy, the Department for Research Co-operation (SAREC) of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the OPEC Fund for International Development, the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) and so on.
About National Cheng Kung University (NCKU):
NCKU is located in the ancient city of Tainan, the historical and ancient cultural capital city of Taiwan, which boasts more than 50 national relics sanctioned by the government and is approximately 250 kilometers south of Taipei. It is connected to all major cities in Taiwan by the recently initiated state-of-the-art Taiwan High Speed Rail. Further, this historical heritage is the pride of Tainan City and represents a rich cultural resource to NCKU. The technological sectors in the Southern Taiwan Science Park offer students at NCKU with a stage to apply what they have learned into practice.
With three quarters of a century of distinguished history, with well over 130,000 powerful alumni now dotting the globe, many have achieved supreme successes in arts, business, education, science, technology and healthcare and are ready and willing to assist the 22,000 academic selective students and 1200 academic faculty members. Currently, both have an international flavor, with enormous regional support, and there is a permeating culture of proactive intellectual growth on the world’s stage. NCKU in Tainan, Taiwan, has evolved from its engineering genesis into a powerful and comprehensive research international university in the Asia Pacific.
Since NCKU’s establishment in 1931, it has developed into a research intensive and comprehensive university with integrated academic fields in nine colleges: Liberal Arts, Sciences, Engineering, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Planning & Design, Management, Social Sciences, Medicine, and Bioscience & Biotechnology. NCKU currently offers 40 undergraduate programs (excluding the Program of Bachelor’s Degree), 78 master’s degree programs, 54 doctoral programs and 20 master’s degree programs for working professionals.
Photo: http://www.cna.com.tw/postwrite/cvpread.aspx?ID=41180
Contacts:
NCKU
Julia (Ying-Chen) Liu
Press Officer, +886-6-275-7575 ext.
50042
yingchen@mail.ncku.edu.tw
