{"id":33035,"date":"2025-02-04T15:04:43","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T07:04:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eng.cycu.edu.tw\/?p=33035"},"modified":"2025-02-04T15:06:19","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T07:06:19","slug":"students-honored-at-the-presidential-office-for-the-2024-topco-thesis-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eng.cycu.edu.tw\/?p=33035","title":{"rendered":"Students Honored at the Presidential Office for the 2024 Topco Thesis Award."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The 17th Topco Thesis Award successfully concluded recently. Since its establishment in 2008, the competition has become a crucial platform for academic and industrial exchange in Taiwan. This year\u2019s event attracted 1,023 master’s and doctoral theses from 73 universities worldwide, covering fields such as business management, economic development, AI and information technology, and sustainable management, making the competition highly competitive. Students from Chung Yuan Christian University stood out in this prestigious selection process, showcasing the university\u2019s exceptional research capabilities and innovative potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thesis Award. Li Yi-Shan, a doctoral student under Professor Chen Rong-Hui from the Department of Chemical Engineering, won the Excellence Award in the Ph.D. Thesis Category. In the Master’s Thesis Category, Huang Bo-Han, also mentored by Professor Chen Rong-Hui, and Hsu Chia-Yu, guided by Professor Chen Yi-Fen and Assistant Professor Lai Ching-Hsien from the Department of International Business, received Excellence Awards. The three awardees were invited to the Presidential Office for recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On January 20, 2025, President Lai Ching-te hosted the winners of the Top Excellence and Excellence Awards at the Presidential Office. In his speech, President Lai praised the Topco Thesis Award as the “Oscar of Taiwan\u2019s management academia,” recognizing it as a driving force for nurturing national talent. He emphasized the government\u2019s commitment to advancing higher education development programs to enhance university research capabilities and teaching effectiveness, equipping students with essential skills to face future challenges. President Lai also expressed gratitude to Topco Scientific Co., Ltd. and the Taiwan Academy of Management for their long-term dedication to this competition, which has significantly contributed to Taiwan\u2019s academic research and industry-academia collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outstanding Research Recognized by the Judges<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doctoral student Li Yi-Shan won the Excellence Award for her research on “Developing a Cyber-Physical Reinforcement Learning Model for Quality Prediction in Batch Chemical Processes.” Master\u2019s student Huang Bo-Han was also recognized for his work on “Zero-Shot Process Training for a Reinforcement Learning-Based PID Auto-Tuner in Virtual Environments.” Under the guidance of Professor Chen Rong-Hui, their research demonstrated a strong integration of academic inquiry and industrial application, earning high praise from the judging panel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Master\u2019s student Hsu Chia-Yu received the Excellence Award for her study titled “Let\u2019s Get Moving! Exploring Consumer Perceptions of Virtual vs. Physical Fitness through the Means-End Chain Approach.” Utilizing qualitative research methods, in-depth interviews, and textual analysis, she provided comprehensive insights into the impact of virtual and physical fitness on consumer behavior. Her advisors, Professor Chen Yi-Fen and Assistant Professor Lai Ching-Hsien, remarked, “Qualitative research requires keen insight and great patience. Chia-Yu has exemplified the academic dedication and passion of Chung Yuan students.”<\/em> Notably, Assistant Professor Lai Ching-Hsien was also a recipient of an Honorable Mention in the Ph.D. Thesis Category at the 17th Topco Thesis Award, highlighting the university\u2019s strong tradition of academic excellence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional Award-Winning Research at Chung Yuan Christian University<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Chung Yuan awardees include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n