The Houston Cheng Kung University Alumni Association 2024 Meeting and Mixer took place on Sunday, June 9th at 12:30 pm at TASTY Seafood (formerly New Palace) restaurant. The event featured a keynote speech on the practical application of AI in business by David Chang, the founder of elQdigital, Inc. Among the distinguished guests were Eva Hsiao, Director of the Bureau of Energy, Pin-Chuan Chen, Technology Division Head, Ying-Rong Wang, Director of the Overseas Compatriot Education Center, Yi-Li Huang, Vice Director, and Pei-Ching Dai, President of the Southern U.S. College Association, who attended along with alumni and their families, making a total of six tables at the event.
The event was hosted by Jimmy He, who introduced the guest speakers and kicked off the proceedings with a rendition of the Cheng Kung University alma mater by consultants Hong-Chih Yeh and Wan-Er Chao. The newly elected president, Jing-Hsiang Chen, a 2004 graduate from the Civil Engineering department, welcomed attendees and encouraged them to join the newly established Cheng Kung University alumni Line group. In her speech, Eva Hsiao highlighted the 56-year history of the alumni association, praising the unity and dedication of the alumni. She emphasized the global academic reputation of Cheng Kung University and congratulated the new leadership on reaching new heights in their endeavors.
Ying-Rong Wang mentioned that Cheng Kung University is a cradle for nurturing scientific and engineering talents. Notable figures such as academicians Wei-Kan Chu and Ching-Wu Chu, both graduates of the Physics department at Cheng Kung University, as well as Technology Division Head Pin-Chuan Chen, have made significant contributions in the Southern U.S., showcasing the talent pool nurtured by the university. She also revealed insider information that the father of global trending figure Ren-Hsun Huang is also an alumnus of the Chemical Engineering department at Cheng Kung University.
Hong-Chih Yeh introduced the 90-year-old alumnus Kuo-Tuo Ho, a distinguished former associate professor. Additionally, there were two of the youngest alumni who graduated after 2020, creating a three-generational presence at the event. Pin-Chuan Chen then introduced the keynote speaker, David Chang, as a trailblazer who pioneers the integration of AI and energy industries, while also being an aviation enthusiast with an adventurous spirit.
David Chang discussed the evolution of industrial production from manual to automated processes over 50 years, whereas the shift to digitalization and AI has transformed our lives and work within a few years. He stressed the importance of embracing and applying AI, showcasing his company’s development of Personalized Energy and demonstrating a conversation with an AI robot, as well as conducting price comparison and analysis of household electricity bills. Alumni in attendance were impressed by the practicality and promptly visited the company’s website to try it out.
Towards the end of the event, there was a raffle draw and introductions of the 2024 team, including President Jing-Hsiang Chen, Vice President Jimmy He, Secretary-General Chien-Pu Huang, Treasurer Jun-Han Yu, Membership Committee Chairman Rui-Hsiang Liao, Advisors Wan-Er Chao and Hong-Chih Yeh, as well as Advisors Le-Luen Mu, Chih-Chung Huang, and Shih-Hsiao Chang.