Chronology of IONTU

 
May 1966 The American oceanographers Dr. I. E. Warren and Dr. H. B. Steinbach suggest Taiwan’s government to set up an oceanographic research institute. The Ministry of education assigns National Taiwan University with this task.
August 1968 The Institute of Oceanography is officially inaugurated. Prof. Zu You Zhu is appointed as director.
May 1969 A former US Navy tugboat Geronimo is converted to become R/V Chu Lien, under the management of the Taiwanese Navy. National Science Council (NSC) assigns the vessel to oceanographic research.
August 1969

IONTU accepts a first batch of Master’s student into the institute two departments: Physical Oceanography and Marine Biology. The institute borrows the facilities of the geology and biology colleges , and altogether comprises 7 professors and 5 students.

August~September 1960

R/V Chu Lien conducts a research cruise in the South China Sea and calls at Bangkok, Thailand.

April 1971 The IONTU’s building is completed.
May 1971

First Taiwan-US joint-conference on oceanography, with Dr. John Craven as a chairman, with altogether 8 professors and 18 students participating. The first publication of “National Taiwan University Oceanography” follows.

May 1971

The Navy transfers R/V Chu Lien to NSC, which assigns her for use by IONTU.

June 1971 Graduation of first session Master
May 1972

R/V Chu Lien conducts a research cruise in the West Philippines Sea and calls at Guam.

August 1973

Opening of the “Marine Geology & Geophysics” department. Altogether, the Institute counts 12 professors and 39 students.

August 1974 The 2nd Director, Ju-Chin Chen
November 1975

For National Taiwan University thirtieth anniversary, president Chia-Kan Yen visits IONTU.

July 1976

R/V Chu Lien and R/V Thomas Washington (SCRIPPS Institution of Oceanography, USA) complete a joint-survey in the Philippines Sea

August 1978

For its tenth anniversary, IONTU holds a conference. More than a hundred domestic and international scholars participate.

December 1979 IONTU  hosts the first Taiwan/South Korea oceanography joint meeting.
August 1980 The 3rd Director, Rong-Tsung Yang
August 1981

The second Taiwan/South Korea oceanography joint meeting is hold in Seoul. Numerous IONTU’s professors present the results of their research during the meeting.

1983

NSC commissions A. S. Mjellen+Karlsen (Norway) to build its next research vessel “R/V Ocean Research 1” (OR1)

October 1983

1983: IONTU organizes the second Taiwan-US joint-conference on oceanography in Taipei.

July 1984 R/V Chiu Lien is decommissioned
August 1984 Doctoral curriculum is added. IONTU counts 21 professors and 47 students.
October 1984

The construction of R/V Ocean Researcher 1 is completed. She sails from Norway to the South china Sea to conduct her first research cruise.

October 1984

The French R/V Jean Charcot completes its western Pacific research mission, which IONTU’s researchers took part in.

January 1985 R/V OR1 berth at Kaohsiung harbor. NSC assigns her to IONTU.
May 1985 The 4th Director, Hsi-Chiang Liu
August 1986

IONTU establishes the “R/V OR1 Instrumentation Center”.

November 1987

The “Management of marine resources” Taiwan-Japan joint meeting, organized by IONTU is held in Taipei

June 1988

IONTU’s first PhD student graduates.

August 1989

The Kuroshio Edge Exchange Process (KEEP I) project starts for a duration of 5 years. Several IONTU’s professors take part in the project.

September 1989

IONTU  organizes the third Taiwan/South Korea oceanography joint meeting held in Taipei.

August 1990 The 5th Director, Chuen-Tien Shyu
September 1990

IONTU organizes the first Taiwan/France joint meeting on Oceanographic technology in Taipei.

December 1990

R/V Ocean Researcher I takes part in the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) project with a research cruise in the Philippines Sea and calls at Manila (Philippines)

June 1991

IONTU organizes the Taiwan International Collaborative Research for Understanding Subduction-collision System in Taiwan (TAICRUST) in Taipei

August 1991

IONTU opens its Marine Chemistry department. The institute counts 33 professors and 76 students.

October 1992

The 7th Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) meeting is held in Taipei. Several professors from IONTU participate in the meeting.

November 1992

R/V Ocean Researcher I calls in the Philippines, conducts WOCE Taiwan-Philippines joint surveys

June 1993

Completion of the extension of IONTU’s building

August 1994

The KEEP II project starts for a duration of 3 years. Several IONTU professors take part in the project.

December 1995 R/V OR1 carries surveys for the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere (TOGA) program. She crosses the
January 1995

Holds the Taiwan-US joint-meeting on the exploitation of underwater resources

March 1995

IONTU organizes the third Taiwan-France symposium on “Active Collision in Taiwan” (ACT)  in Taipei.

August 1995

Taiwan and US collaborate on the TAICRUST project with a joint survey by R/V OR1 and American R/V Ewing. Several IONTU’s professors are involved.

June 1996 As part of the Taiwan-France ACT program, a survey on N/V L’Atalante is carried out east and southwest of Taiwan. Several IONTU research staff are involved.
August 1996 The 6th Director, Nai-Kuang Liang
October~November 1996

R/V OR1 operates in the South China Sea, calls at Taiping island.

January 1997

Taiwan joins the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP). Several IONTU professors are involved.

August 1997

The project KEEP3 starts for a duration of 3 years. Several professors from IONTU are involved.

August 1997

National Science Council establishes National Center for Ocean Research (NCOR). IONTU works alongside it.

May 1998

The Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting is held in Taipei. Several IONTU professors participate and present their research results.

July 1998

A conference is held in IONTU for the institute 30th anniversary.

August 2002 The 7th Director, Kuang-Lung Fan
January 2004

IONTU cooperates with the Central Geological Survey for a project on natural gas hydrate exploration.

May 2004

A joint earth science conference is held in Longtan, in which several IONTU professors present the results of their research.

November 2004

The international conference on gas hydrate exploration is held in Taipei.

January 2005

7th national symposium on Science and Technology.

August 2005

The 8th director, Ching-Sheng Chen actively hires a generation of young scholars to teach at IONTU.

November 2005

IONTU’s professor Shu-Cheng Pai is awarded a prize by the Ministry of Education. He is the first oceanographer to rewarded with this prize.

March 2007 Start of the surveys for the Ministry of Interior project on continental shelf
December 2007

IONTU cooperates with the Department of Law on the “regulations of oceanographic affairs” and is granted one more academic position. National Science Council’s NCOR’s project ends.

August 2008

The 9th director, Ling-Yun Chiao, abolishes the previous system of one head for each of the four departments.

December 2008 Start of the “Synthesis of Taiwan Natural Resources” project.
March 2009

For the 40th anniversary of the Institute, conducts a review of past works and future prospects, and establishes the Institute alumni.

October 2009

Conducts the International Symposium, on Quantitative Ecology & 2nd Taiwan-Japan Ecology Workshop.

August 2010 IONTU’s Prof. Chih-Hao Hsieh is awarded the 2010 Ta-You Wu Memorial Award and receives an additional award from the College of Science.
November 2010

IONTU’s Associate Prof. Takeshi Miki is awarded the 15th Denzaburo Miyadi Award 2011 from the Ecological Society of Japan

August 2011 The 10th Director, Chang Feng Dai
August 2011

Prof. Chi Lu Sun becomes the vice-president of the committee on the scientific knowledge on tuna species in the North Pacific ocean.

August 2011

Deputy director Prof. David Tang assumes responsibility over R/V OR1 operations and assists the director in the various Institute affairs.

September 2011

Establishment of the committee for funding the new IONTU premises.

June 2012

R/V OR1 completes its 1000th cruise. She is back in Kaohsiung harbor on 13 June.

December 2012

On 25 December, the executive council approves the establishment of a Ocean Center originating from IONTU.

January 2013

Signature of a memorandum for scientific cooperation with the Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology’s Institute of Oceanography.

July 2013

Prof. Ching-Ling Wei assumes the position of deputy director starting from 25 July.

July 2014

As part of its talent promotion program, the Ministry of Education supports an increase of 3 positions of senior professors at IONTU, at a rate of 1 per year starting from 2015.

August 2014

Prof. Ching-Ling Wei assumes responsibility as the 13th director of IONTU, with Prof. Sen Jan as his deputy director.

August 2014

Celebrations for the 30th anniversary of R/V OR1 service under IONTU.

August 2017

Prof. Sen Janassumes responsibility as the 13th director of IONTU, with Prof. Chih-hao Hsieh as his deputy director.