A NTHU alumnus and Nobel Laureate of Chemistry, Prof. Yuan-Tseh Lee returned to Tsing Hua campus on April 29^th to address students and share his experience as a student at NTHU. As always, Prof. Lee's speech was inspiring and generated a great deal of responses from his audience. He urged them to be the master of their own destiny and work hard to establish a unique "niche" within the environment of their life.

President Lih J. Chen was on hand to welcome Prof. Lee and spoke of the significance of this special event. The year of 2011 is not only the 100^th anniversary of Tsing Hua, it is also the fiftieth year of Prof. Lee's graduation from NTHU as well as the 25^th anniversary of his receiving the Noble Prize. Furthermore, it is also the year that Prof. Lee will start his term as the President of the International Council of Science (ICS), the largest organization of scientists in the world. Prof. Lee has had a very successful career since he graduated from NTHU. Despite of being extremely busy with his own research and administrative tasks, Prof. Lee has kept a strong tie with NTHU and has been one of the most enthusiastic supporters of his alma mater.

Prof. Lee recalls the time when he first enrolled at NTHU. He joined the Institute of Nuclear Science in 1959 and was very excited by the "modern" facilities, including a nuclear reactor and accelerator; and the quality of faculty members in his program. But, in comparison with what he sees today, the teaching facilities and campus environment that he and his classmates had at that time were rather lacking. He and his fellow students, however, persisted with their research and studies despite of the physical conditions. In addition to scientific subjects, Prof. Lee also read extensively on philosophy and social studies and developed a keen interest in social issues which later on fueled his great concern on the development and improvement of our society.

College days were not only a time for book-learning, it was also a time to develop one's social skill said Prof. Lee. There was a faculty member who were considered by Lee and his classmates as the most difficult person to get along with and all his fellow graduate students did their best to avoid working under this particular professor. Prof. Lee, however, took the time to figure out effective ways to interact with this so-called "difficult" professor and eventually completed his research under this professor's guidance. Looking back, Prof. Lee found such experience rather inspiring because through this unique experience he gained a great deal of confidence. In his own words, Prof. Lee believes one of the unexpected outcome of his time at NTHU was "gaining a strong sense of confidence by learning how to handle relations and work with different people."

Prof. Lee told his audience not only to excel in their selected field of studies but also to develop a strong sense of social commitment. As a senior in high school, Prof. Lee had already set a lofty goal for his life. He wanted to excel and create his own career as an excellent scientist. But, that was not his final goal; he wanted to use his expertise and scientific knowledge to work with people who share his conviction and to reform our society into a fair and just society.