International Huskies

UW Converge Taipei 2019

Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019      

W Taipei
10 Zhongxiao East Road Sec. 5, Xinyi District

Registration for our 2019 event is closed. See photos and read our wrap-up story or learn about joining us in 2020 by visiting our UW Converge Virtual event page.

We’re excited to invite you to University of Washington Converge Taipei, the premier gathering of the UW’s international network of alumni and friends. Held annually, UW Converge events are a unique opportunity to learn from UW experts, connect with Huskies from around the world and discover the University’s global impact.

This annual tradition is an outpost of Husky spirit abroad, not to mention an unmatched opportunity to connect with UW faculty and leadership. Be a part of UW’s global community and leave equipped with new knowledge and networks. You won’t find anything else like UW Converge!

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Overview

Every year, University of Washington alumni and friends from all over the world come together at UW Converge, an event unlike any other. In 2019, this premier gathering of international Huskies is taking place in Taipei.

The day starts with a public summit discussing the exciting topic of artificial intelligence. UW President Ana Mari Cauce is the keynote speaker and attendees will also hear from leading experts who will offer insights from their backgrounds in law, medicine, engineering and business. These concise talks will offer a glimpse into the applications, latest developments and future potential of AI in a wide range of industries and disciplines.

After the summit, there will be plenty of time to connect with the UW’s world-class alumni network and enjoy a cocktail with friends from all over the globe at an exclusive rooftop reception for Husky alumni and friends. Don’t miss your yearly opportunity to deepen your relationship with the international Husky community and UW at the same time.

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Summit

 

The Future of AI

As different applications of Artificial Intelligence become ubiquitous across our society, and have the capacity to change a wide range of industries, the potential for AI truly is boundless. That’s why faculty and students at the University of Washington are working to harness that potential for the benefit of all.

The questions their research is asking get at some of the biggest challenges – and greatest opportunities – we face. Can we use AI to help understand human behavior, enabling us to tackle problems like substance abuse or discrimination? Can we use it to transform health care, such as by giving a surgeon real-time insights on their patient’s condition or helping scientists discover new pharmaceuticals? Can AI help solve environmental challenges, such as by improving clean energy technologies or developing greener chemicals? Can we create AI that adapts to the needs of its users, widening access to technology? And at a time when the rapid development of technology threatens to upend how people live and work, how can we inform policies and practices that ensure technology will work for the benefit of everyone?

These are some of the questions University of Washington students and scientists are addressing, and they’re the sorts of questions we’ll be tackling at Converge Taipei this November. We hope you’ll join us and add your voice to this vital conversation about our shared future.

Keynote Speaker

UW President Ana Mari Cauce leads one of the world’s great public universities, advancing its mission in four key areas: providing a leading-edge student experience, conducting research and scholarship that has a global impact, upholding the UW’s dedication to its public mission and infusing the entire University with a commitment to innovation. In June 2015 Cauce announced the launch of the Global Innovation Exchange. A partnership between the UW and Tsinghua University, with foundational support from Microsoft, GIX will educate the next generation of innovators through a project-based, globally focused curriculum available nowhere else. Full Bio

Lightning Talk Speakers

Jean Choy is the Associate Dean at the University of Washington Foster School of Business. She is responsible for developing long-term strategic partnerships to promote new business development and collaborative initiatives with corporations, academic institutions and government offices to mutually benefit the organizations and the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington. Full Bio

William Covington directs the Technology Law and Public Policy Clinic at the UW School of Law. The clinic provides students with the opportunity to craft legislation and write white papers in areas where policy and technology intersect. Areas such as privacy, data security, autonomous vehicles, TOR, surveillance and police use of body cameras. Under his direction UW law students have conducted legislative workshops and testified before the Seattle City Council. Full Bio

Brian Fabien is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Engineering at the University of Washington. From 1983 to 1985 he worked at Perkin-Elmer in Danbury Connecticut where he served as the lead mechanical engineer on the construction of the Optical Control System for the Hubble Space Telescope. He is the lead faculty advisor for the UW EcoCAR team and has written more than 100 conference and journal papers, as well as two textbooks. Full Bio

Jeff Hou is a professor of landscape architecture and a Taiwan studies faculty member. His work focuses on public space, democracy, community design and civic engagement. He has worked with indigenous tribes, farmers and fishers in Taiwan, neighborhood residents in Japan, villagers in China and inner-city immigrant youths and elders in North American cities. He is recognized for his pioneering writings on guerrilla urbanism and bottom-up placemaking. Full Bio

Camille Hsiao-Wei Hu  received a PhD degree in information management from the National Central University and had been a research scholar at the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University, US. She is currently an Associate Professor with the School of Big Data Management, Soochow University, Taipei, Taiwan. Full Bio

Chih-Kung Lee  received his M.S. and Ph.D., in theoretical & applied mechanics, with a minor in physics from Cornell University. He is currently the chairman of Industrial Technology Research Institute and Institute for Information Industry. He is also a Distinguished Professor of the Graduate Institute of Electronics Engineering, the Institute of Applied Mechanics and the Dept. of Engineering Science & Ocean Engineering at National Taiwan University Full Bio

James Lin is a historian of Taiwan and its interactions with the world in the 20th century, focusing on international agrarian development. He earned his Ph.D in history from the University of California, Berkeley in 2017. At the University of Washington he teaches courses on modern Taiwanese history, interdisciplinary Taiwan Studies, political economy and development. Lin is the first faculty hired as part of the Jackson School’s new Taiwan Studies Program. Full Bio

Sean Mooney is an innovator and researcher in biomedical informatics. He now leads Research Information Technology for UW Medicine as Chief Research Information Officer (CRIO) and as a professor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education at the UW. As part of his role, he leads informatics for the Institute of Translational Health Sciences and other projects involving research computing both regionally and nationally. Full Bio

Ethan Tu is a pioneer in Taiwan’s AI industry and the founder of Taiwan’s largest and most popular online bulletin board system PTT. In 2016, he founded the Taiwan AI Labs, which is a Taipei-based and privately-funded research organization specialized in AI solutions. Since its inception, the team has shown significant results using AI in medical imaging, drones, Smart City applications, and speech and face recognition, while fostering and retaining local talent. Full Bio

Kuansan Wang is Managing Director of Microsoft Research Outreach. He joined Microsoft as a researcher in the Speech Technology Group working on various speech products including Voice Command on mobile that eventually became Cortana and Microsoft Speech Server. He works on large scale natural language understanding and web search technologies, and is currently responsible for running the large machine reading efforts that use AI agents to dynamically acquire knowledge from the web and make it available to the general public. Full Bio

Panels on AI

Health & Medicine

Sean Mooney
Moderator
Professor, UW Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education
Full Bio

Liang-Kung Chen
Director of the Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology of Taipei Veterans General Hospital
Professor, National Yang Ming University School of Medicine
Full Bio

Chih-hsing Ho
Professor and Research Fellow, Academia Sinica
Full Bio

Ethan Tu
Founder, Taiwan AI Labs
Full Bio

 

Engineering & Technology

Gary Hsieh
Moderator
Associate Professor of Human Centered Design & Engineering, University of Washington
Full Bio

Tzi-Cker Chiueh
VP & General Director of Information and Communications Research Labs, Industrial Technology Research Institute
Bio Coming Soon

Jenq-Neng Hwang
Professor, UW Electrical & Computer Engineering
Full Bio

Yi-Bing Lin, ’90
Vice President, National Chiao Tung University
Full Bio

Kuansan Wang
Managing Director, Microsoft Research Outreach
Full Bio

 

Business & Finance

Frank Hodge
Moderator
Dean, UW Foster School of Business
Full Bio

Arthur Chiao, ’80
Chairman & CEO, Winbond Electronics Corp. & Chairman, Nuvoton Technology Corp.
Full Bio

Ralph Cheng, ’14
CEO Tmesis Technology
Full Bio

Ken Sun, ’00
General Manager, Microsoft Taiwan
Full Bio

Sophia Tong
Group CEO, Test Rite International Co.
Full Bio

 

Law & Society

William Covington
Moderator
Director, UW Technology Law & Public Policy Clinic
Full Bio

George Chia-Chun Chen, ’85
Senior Counsel, KPMG Law Firm
Full Bio

James Lin
Assistant Professor, UW Jackson School
Full Bio

Paul Liu, ’83
Chairman, Cornerstone Intellectual Property Foundation & Co-director, Master of Law-IPR Program, Tsinghua University
Full Bio

Vincent Shih
Assistant General Counsel, Microsoft
Full Bio

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Reception

When the sun goes down, the fun begins! Connect with the UW’s world-class alumni network, mingle with summit speakers and VIPs, and enjoy a cocktail with friends from all over the globe at a swanky reception.

Following the end of the public summit and a short break, we’ll begin this exclusive reception for UW alumni and friends. At the party, you’ll be immersed in elegant surroundings and treated to delicious food with the W pool and Taipei skyline as a backdrop. You won’t want to miss this yearly opportunity to deepen your relationship with the international Husky community and the University.

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Venue and Accommodations

The UW Converge Taipei summit and reception will be held at the W Taipei hotel. Centrally located in the Xinyi district, this luxurious and stylish venue places you in the vibrant heart of Taipei. Summit and reception attendees can look forward to modern design and amenities including fully wired technology and a stunning rooftop pool area. Those who choose to stay at the W Taipei can book a special UW Converge rate through October 30, 2019 by contacting Sandy Tam at +886 2 7703 8864 or Sandy.Tam1@whotels.com. Special rate subject to availability at the time of reservation.

Other Recommended Hotels

In rough order of proximity to the W Taipei

• Just Inn Taipei (Xin Yi)
• Humble House Taipei
• Home Hotel
• Tango Hotel (Xin Yi)
• Eslite Hotel
• Taipei 101 Sparkle Hotel
• Place X Hotel

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Excursions

Make the most of your time in Taiwan by booking an excursion through MyTaiwanTour. We’ve partnered with this exciting travel company to offer UW Converge Taipei attendees discounted rates on four tours that explore authentic Taipei. See the city, venture to natural beauty spots or take a cooking class. There’s a tour for everyone. Remember to use promo code “UWAA2019” for 15-percent off your booking.

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Notable Attendees

UW Leadership

Several leaders from the University will be in attendance to meet international alumni and friends of UW

Mario Barnes

Toni Rembe Dean of the University of Washington School of Law
Full Bio

Frank Hodge

Orin and Janet Smith Dean of the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business
Full Bio

Jeffrey Riedinger

University of Washington Vice Provost for Global Affairs
Full Bio

Denzil Suite

University of Washington Vice President for Student Life
Full Bio

 

UW Converge Taipei Host Committee Members

We want to extend a special thanks to our UW Converge Taipei host committee members. Without their hospitality and expertise, this event wouldn’t be possible.

Arthur Chiao, ’80

Chairman & CEO, Winbond Electronics Corp.
Chairman, Nuvoton Technology Corp.
Full Bio

Hung Chang, ’01

Deputy Surgeon General, Taiwan Ministry of National Defense
Professor of thoracic surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital
Full Bio

Jon Hodowany, ’03

Taiwan Huskies Chapter President
General Manager, JC Grand
Full Bio

Kung-Yee Liang, ’82

President, National Health Research Institutes
Full Bio

Yi-Bing Lin, ’90

Chair Professor, National Chiao Tung University
Full Bio

Paul Liu, ’83

Chairman, Cornerstone Intellectual Property Foundation
Co-director, Master of Law-IPR Program, Tsinghua University
Full Bio

Ken Sun, ’00

General Manager, Microsoft Taiwan
Full Bio

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About the UW Converge Event Series

UW Converge (formerly the International Alumni Weekend) is the premier gathering of the University of Washington’s global alumni and partners. It is a truly international event, hosted each year by a new city and a new alumni chapter. This annual tradition was born from the desires of international alumni to deepen their sense of community, to network and to do business with each other. UW Converge is an outpost of Husky spirit, a place to gain cutting-edge knowledge from experts and a direct line to the University’s work and initiatives. It is an unmatched opportunity to connect with UW’s faculty, leadership and global alumni network. It offers those who attend a chance to join in UW’s work and equips them with new knowledge and networks. It is also a destination for those who want to enjoy reconnecting with old friends and traveling while taking advantage of the host chapter’s Husky hospitality.

For more information, please contact us.

Looking for UW Converge Tokyo 2018? You’ll find it here. Want to see all the highlights from 2018? Read our wrap-up here.

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Sponsors

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With support from