Donation of Cosmology Hall and Lecture by Nobel Laureate in Physics

Dr. Chee-Chun Leung (梁次震), Vice Chairman and President of Quanta Computer, donated the Chee-Chun Leung Cosmology Hall to his alma mater, NTU. The construction of the building began in 2015, and was completed in 2 years. After the grand inauguration ceremony was held in November 2017, the construction team continued a series of optimizations, and finally the building is ready for use now. In the afternoon of NTU’s 90th anniversary on November 15, a ceremony marking the physical donation of the Chee-Chun Leung Cosmology Hall was held on campus along with an invited lecture given by Prof. Takaaki Kajita (梶田隆章), a Nobel laureate in physics in 2015.

The NTU Leung Center for Cosmology and Particle Astrophysics (LeCosPA), an institute founded primarily through the donation by Dr. Chee-Chun Leung in 2007, has advanced rapidly in both academic achievements and international reputation. At the donation ceremony, NTU Interim President Tei-Wei Kuo (郭大維) appreciated Dr. Leung’s foresight and generous donations. Dr. Leung expressed his delight in helping facilitate cosmology research at NTU. In his address, LeCosPA Director Pisin Chen (陳丕燊) extended his appreciation to Dr. Leung and NTU for their generous and long-term support to the Center.

Good tidings arrived soon after the inauguration of the building last year. The Chee-Chun Leung Cosmology Hall, designed by world-renowned architect Kris Yao (姚仁喜), was shortlisted as a finalist for the World Architecture Festival Awards 2018 in the category of “Higher Education and Research – Completed Buildings.” Moreover, LeCosPA Director Pisin Chen was named the laureate of the Blaise Pascal Chair in 2018, a highly prestigious position in the international academic community. With the advanced facilities provided the Hall, Director Chen vowed to lead the LeCosPA team to make further contributions to the field of cosmology and particle astrophysics.

University of Tokyo Prof. Takaaki Kajita, a Nobel laureate in physics, was invited to witness the donation and later give a lecture titled, “Unveiling the Secret of the Universe with Neutrinos and Gravitational Waves.” This enlightening lecture drew active participation from both on and off campus. Prof. Kajita shared his discovery of cosmic neutrinos and his investigations and findings at the Kamioka Gravitational Wave Detector (KAGRA) in the Kamioka Observatory, introducing the audience to the vast and magic world of cosmology.