Prof. Luo Shiaw-shyan of the Department of Transportation Management has been appointed by Taipei City Government as the Director of the Department of Transportation. His appointment is celebrated by many people who know him and there are many. He is not only one of the most popular but also the most senior faculty members of the department, who started working there since 1987. Before he came to TKU, he had worked briefly as a research assistant at the National Chiao-tung University, and while he was working for TKU, he completed his Ph.D. at the National Taiwan University in 1994 specializing in transportation planning, freeway engineering, system simulation, traffic flow theories, logistics and track transportation safety. Academic pursuit aside, in 1981 he worked as the Inspector for Taiwan Highway Bureau.

However, this time his new appointment does not allow him to mix academic career with official duties. He will have to resign shortly and as he told this news to his junior students on December 21, their reaction was a mixed bag of excitement and curiosity. They wanted to know, for instance, how would he adjust or change Taipei’s policy on transportation under his leadership. Of course, Prof. Luo could not reveal too much at that point, but he did promise his students that he would increase the chances of internship for TKU students. With this promise, he encouraged his students to work hard to earn such an opportunity.

Prof. Luo understands that many challenges await him at his new post, as one of his students, Chen Yi-ting, reminded him during this class. His first challenge, expressed by Chen, is in fact the traffic situations at the New Year Eve. Chen wondered whether Prof. Luo could improve the traffic chaos people have to live with in recent years on this particular occasion. Prof. Luo joked that he would certainly try. If he fails by only having been five days into his new job, he will make history by being the shortest reign Director of the Department of Transportation! ( ~Ying-hsueh Hu )

Picture: Prof. Luo Shiaw-shyan handed over the Chairmanship of the Department of Transportation Management to the new chair in 2004.