NTU had the sublime honor of hosting a lecture by the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics laureate Shuji Nakamura on September 3.  Known as the Father of the Blue LED, Dr. Nakamura, who works at the University of California, Santa Barbara, earned the prestigious award jointly with Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano, both of Nagoya University, for the invention of the efficient blue light-emitting diode which has “enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources.”

This extraordinary opportunity to attend Dr. Nakamura’s lecture was made possible by the efforts of the NTU Center for the Advancement of Science Education.  Interest in the event was so high that CASE announced the completion of online registration on the same day it opened.  A capacity crowd of 330 science fans, including students and professors, engineers and industry representatives, as well as members of the general public, filled the lecture hall to hear Dr. Nakamura personally relate how, after years of experimentation, he finally achieved his breakthrough using gallium nitride as the core material for his revolutionary bright blue LEDs.

On the day of the lecture, Dr. Nakamura was first warmly welcomed by NTU President Pan-Chyr Yang before receiving an introduction from CASE Director Yeong-Chuan Kao.  In addition to delivering his lecture, Dr. Nakamura also took part in a press conference conducted by Executive Vice President for Academics and Research Liang-Gee Chen, as well as a post-lecture discussion forum moderated by Prof. Yuh-Renn Wu and Chairperson Gong-Ru Lin of the Graduate Institute of Photonics and Optoelectronics.

In his lecture, called “The Road toward the New Light―The History of Bright Blue LEDs,” the Nobel laureate recalled the critical technological bottlenecks he encountered in his mission to create the bright blue sensation.  He also discussed how the tiny creations of the laboratory lead to major turning points in the development of modern society.  The incredible advances he accomplished in epitaxy quality as well as his invention of a method for p-type doping of gallium nitride are now recognized as the most significant breakthroughs in the history of solid-state lighting technology.

In addition to speaking about his scientific achievements, Dr. Nakamura also shared his insights into other issues, such as the advantages and disadvantages of the open liberal education system of the United States as compared to the diploma-oriented approach that predominates in Asia.  In his conclusion, Dr. Nakamura advised the students of Taiwan to demonstrate greater enthusiasm and give free reign to their wildest ideas if they wish to face the rapidly changing world head on.