CIA_EN

Background

The Center for Intelligent Agriculture Education and Research of the College of Bioresources and Agriculture at National Taiwan University was established in August 1992. Formerly known as the Education Center for Agricultural Automation, the Center was originally founded in order to coordinate the educational resources in agricultural automation from bio-agricultural departments so that resources are shared and integrated within the College. As its goals adjusted, the Center was renamed the Education and Research Center for Agricultural Automation in May 1997 to promote researches on agricultural automation, and the Education and the Research Center for Bio-Industrial Automation in August 2005 to meet the trend and need of the society.

As the information and communication technology, the Internet of Things, the cloud, and big data technology develop, revolution sweeps the agriculture industry in the aspects of production, protection, and consumption. The agriculture industry, electronized in the era of intelligentization, is bound to be digitalized, intelligentized, and mobilized by technology. Responding to the trend, the Center is renamed the Center for Intelligent Agriculture Education and Research, in order to continue to promote agricultural education, research, service, and extension. In the future, the Center will offer more core courses about intelligent agricultural concepts and technology, in pursuance of bringing great changes in agriculture industry and cultivating talents in digitalization and intelligentization.

Objective

The Center for Intelligent Agriculture Education and Research is a service unit under the College of Bioresources and Agriculture and the School of Veterinary Medicine (both share the resources of the Center) which supports education and research. The Center provides:

1. Computer classrooms: There are 50 personal computers in the classroom, which is open from 8:30 to 18:30 on weekdays. Lecturers may use the software for classes related to information science. Students from the College are also welcomed to practice after-class or complete their assignments with the computers when the classroom is unoccupied.
2. Network server service: The Center’s data center offers two network server hosts and the virtual operating platform VMware vSphere 6 Essentials. The platform houses the websites of the administrative units in the College of Bioresources and Agriculture such as the Center, the College, the School of Forestry and Resource Conservation, the Department of Biomechatronics Engineering, the Department of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering, the Department of Agricultural Economics, the Department of Agronomy, the Department of Agricultural Chemistry, the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, the Committee of Agricultural Extension, the Center for International Agricultural Education and Academic Exchanges, and the Bioenergy Research Center, etc., as well as the teaching and research websites of several professors from the College.
3. Education: The Center designs curriculum and cultivates talents in intelligent agricultural technology. It also helps form research teams specialized in intelligent agriculture and assists lecturers in applying and conducting research projects.

Structure

As shown in the organization chart below, the Center belongs to the College of Bioresources and Agriculture. The Coordinator of the Advisory Committee is the Dean of CBA. Each member in the Advisory Committee is an associative professor or above recommended by his or her school, department, or institute in CBA. They make plans for the courses, facilities, funds, and integrate different projects. The Center has a director, who monitors and evaluates the progress of ongoing affairs, an assistant director, who handles general affairs and coordinates administrative affairs, and the leaders of teaching and research sections. The Center also has several instructors and researchers expertized in relevant fields to teach and conduct research projects, several teaching assistants to assist in their teaching and research, and several technicians to operate and maintain the facilities. To support other teaching and research projects, the Center may employ research assistants or part-time workers.