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Pao Retires After 45 Years of Service at CUA
From left: Professor Pao, Father O’Connell, Provost Brennan and Dean Nguyen in Taiwan in
June 2009.
Hsien Ping Pao, Ph.D., professor of civil engineering, joined the faculty
in 1964 and for the past 45 years has served the university in numerous
capacities. Pao's research areas include fluid mechanics and heat transfer
and clean combustion of solid fuels and wastes. His research has been
supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, Office of Naval
Research, Department of Energy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration and other agencies.
Among other achievements, Pao developed a fast-response, fourelectrode
conductivity sensor for use in rivers and oceans; an automated
bubbler tide-gauge system; and a shaped-charge clean-combustion system
for which two U.S. patents have been granted.
CUA delegation visits Chung Yuan Christian University.
Pao was also appointed the director of international program development
in 2008, and will continue in this position after his retirement on
September 1, 2009. “In addition to his longtime contribution to the School
of Engineering as a faculty member, in the role of director of international
program development, Dr. Pao has been traveling with me extensively in
Asia and Europe and has been instrumental in setting up academic and
research programs with several universities around the world. I look
forward to continuing working with him to expand our international programs,”
said Dean Charles Nguyen.
Pao received the Benemerenti Medal from His Holiness, Pope John Paul II,
in 1995.
Strategic Plan 2012: Engineering Exceeding Targets
Developed in 2006 by the School of Engineering’s
Executive Committee, the 2012 Strategic
Plan established a detailed growth plan with
measurable targets and major milestones to
be achieved between 2007 and 2012. The fiveyear
strategic plan listed desired goals in the
areas of research pre-eminence, undergraduate
education and professional training. This year,
a strategic plan review committee consisting of
representatives from each undergraduate and
graduate program and co-chaired by professors
Jeff Giangiuli and Binh Tran assessed progress
toward engineering’s plan. The committee found
that engineering was ahead of schedule in many
of the desired areas outlined in the plan.
The committee found that faculty research
productivity in terms of publications and research
funding increased dramatically since the start
of the plan. Extramural funding and research
expenditures increased by 56 percent and 72
percent, respectively, over the past two years. As
a result, there was a 70 percent increase in the
number of full-time doctoral students enrolled in
the school over the same period.
In recent years, engineering has developed
several new academic programs at both the
undergraduate and graduate levels in the areas
of bio-optics, acoustics and alternative energy.
These new programs, combined with the recent
study abroad and student exchange initiatives
with international universities in Vietnam and
China, have helped provide exciting opportunities
for current and future students.
Undergraduate and graduate enrollment has
continued to climb in recent years. In fall 2009,
engineering will exceed 300 undergraduate
students, a 33 percent increase since the start
of the strategic plan. Likewise, graduate enrollment
has climbed 37 percent in the same period
due to accelerated growth in engineering management
and biomedical engineering over the
past five years, as well as the joint electrical and
mechanical engineering off-campus program
at the Night Vision and Electronic Sensors
Directorate at Ft. Belvoir, Va.
While key challenges remain ahead, the
committee was optimistic that the School of
Engineering will successfully achieve and
exceed the major milestones set forth in the
2012 Engineering Strategic Plan.
Professor Jeff Giangiuli
Professor Binh Tran