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US – Taiwan Workshop on Simulation-Based Engineering and Science (SBE&S) in Enabling Transformative Technology
Wing Kam Liu
Northwestern University
February 18-21, 2008
National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in Tainan, Taiwan
Acknowledgment
We wish to acknowledge the support of NSF and NSC who made this workshop possible, especially the contributions of Program Director Anne Emig and Engineering Advisor and Program Director Dr. Ken Chong of the U.S. National Science Foundation, and at Taiwan National Science Council, Professor Ching-Ray Chang, Director General of the Department of International Cooperation, and Program Director Jennifer Hu as well as all the contributors listed below.
I) Introduction
The “US – Taiwan Workshop on Simulation-Based Engineering and Science (SBE&S) in Enabling Transforming Technology” took place February 18-21, 2008 at the beautiful National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in Tainan, Taiwan. This unique workshop brought together researchers from outstanding Taiwanese and US universities and national labs in an intimately collaborative environment. The aim of this workshop was to enhance collaboration between research teams in Taiwan and the US in emerging technology through an intensive exchange of related state-of-the-art research being carried out in both countries. These interactions among researchers and students will lead to meaningful research partnerships, curriculum building, and technology transfer between these countries.
The workshop presented nano-engineering, energy harvesting, nano-manufacturing and nano-engineered medicine with one of the focuses on the viewpoint of simulation-based engineering and science. The discussions and interactions at the workshop identified research activities and roadmaps to remove the challenges associated with focused applications. In addition to technical discussions, US-Taiwan bilateral collaboration was stimulated by the issues proposed in the workshop.
II) Background
Funding for the workshop
Funding for this workshop was obtained from dual grants from the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Taiwan National Science Council (NSC).
Focus of the workshop
 The focus of the workshop was primarily nano-engineered biomedicine, enabling materials and energy by demand. Given the rapid advance in genomics, informatics, sensing, wireless communication, and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and nano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMS) technologies, it is not difficult to envision that future medical treatments will be patient-specific and handled by integrated nano-devices which can sense, think, communicate, and act. These integrated nano-devices can be equipped with various functions to perform multiple special-purpose tasks. For example, a whole process of medication could include the use of nano-engineered devices and processes as described below.
While these advances are not yet readily available, many potential applications are possible. For example, a self-guided, or remotely steered, sensing device could be injected into the human body and move around for better detection and cell sample collection. Another application could be a special device designed to deploy a site-specific precise dosage of medicine. The nano-engineered therapeutics could incorporate special coatings to tailor the release profile of a given drug. A nano-sensor could also be added to monitor the effectiveness of the medication in real time. Each of these methods could improve the health and disease maintenance for many patients.
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