Launch of the First Asian Society for Engineering Education Held at the University of Hong Kong
The Asian Society for Engineering Education (AsiaSEE) was officially launched at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) on 8th May, 2019, which marked the establishment of the first Asian regional network of higher educational institutions to improve engineering education. More than 40 guests and founding members of the Society, who all hold important positions as Presidents, Deans, and Professors in Asian universities, were present at the Launching Ceremony.
Addressing at the Ceremony, Vice President and PVC (Teaching and Learning) of HKU, Professor Ian Holliday congratulated on the official launch of AsiaSEE and called it a “landmark of giving students the best possible opportunities”. Professor Andy Hor, HKU’s Vice President and PVC (Research) also acknowledged the value of AsiaSEE network by “integrating engineering and education”. The Founding President of AsiaSEE, Dr. Cecilia Chan from the Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in HKU, and the Vice President of AsiaSEE, Prof. Haydn Chen from Taiwan National Chiao Tung University, delivered the officiating address and introduced how the idea of developing an engineering education network finally came into reality through joint efforts of different parties.
More than 20 founding members from universities across Asia including Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, China, Thailand, India, Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Macau, Vietnam and UAE signed a declaration of commitment to join AsiaSEE and to work together for the advancement of engineering education via research and practices. The Society also received support from the president of European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI) – Prof. Mike Murphy, Australasian Association for Engineering Education (AAEE) – Prof. Mark Symes, and American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) – Prof. Stephanie Farrell who all look forward to more cross-regional collaborations with AsiaSEE in the future. Professor A. Lin. Goodwin, Dean of Education, HKU, and Professor Christopher Chao, Dean of Engineering, HKU, gave closing speeches at the end of the morning session. In her speech, Professor Goodwin said she appreciated the establishment of AsiaSEE to pull together different perspectives and she expected “greatness to happen”. Professor Chao also expressed his good wishes to AsiaSEE and emphasised that engineering requires people from all disciplines to work together.
Panel discussions with AsiaSEE founding members were held in the afternoon to detail future agendas and to promote sustainable development of the Society. After several rounds of lively discussions, AsiaSEE founding members reached a consensus that AsiaSEE will provide a solid foundation and a vibrant forum for all interested parties to exchange ideas, deepen understandings and work in collaboration. In the future, AsiaSEE will endeavour to form partnership with a wider community, including the engineering educators, engineering industries, students, and government authorities, to reach a broader impact.
For more information, please visit the '2019AsiaSEE Launch' Page under the 'Events' Tab.
