Abstract:

Central planning and free enterprise broadly characterize the different approaches taken historically by Asia and the United States toward higher education and research funding in knowledge-intensive industries. Based on personal working experience in Taiwan and America, I compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of the two systems. I argue that some blend of Eastern and Western approaches is probably necessary to solve the larger social, economic, and environmental problems that face these two regions. While convergence toward a middle road is happening to some extent, a freer exchange of people and ideas is probably needed to bridge the two cultures and to utilize better all the available resources.

Bio:

Dr. Frank Shu is Distinguished Professor of Physics at UC San Diego and is a University Professor of the whole University California System. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and American Academy of Arts & Sciences. He is an Academician in Academia Sinica in Taiwan. From 1968 to 1973, he was on the faculty of SUNY Stony Brook. From 1973 to 2002, he was on the faculty of UC Berkeley holding different positions including Chairman of the Astronomy Department and University Professor of the whole UC System. From 2002 to 2006, he was the President of National Tsing Hua University, one of the top universities in Taiwan and located in Taiwan's Silicon Valley - Hsin-Chu Scientific Park.

Dr. Shu received his B.S. degree from MIT and Ph.D. degree from Harvard. He has received numeric honors and awards. He is the author of several books, among them Physical Universe: An Introduction to Astronomy (University Science Books, 1982) which has become one of the standard textbooks for undergraduate astrophysics courses all over the world.

The IT Eminent Lecture Series (ITELS) is jointly sponsored by LSU-CCT and LSU Computer Science Department.