At the Gala Dinner held during the 3rd Mediterranean Seminar on Engineering and Technology Education in a waterfront restaurant in Piraeus, and in celebration of on the Chinese Year of the Snake, the only native Chinese participant, a distinguished WIETE Fellow and a Vice-President of the WIETE International Academic Advisory Committee, Professor David W.S. Tai was presented with a commemorative sterling silver coin with a snake, issued this year by the Australian Mint.

Prof. David Tai has made an outstanding contribution to research, development and promotion of engineering and technology education internationally, through the activities of the WIETE, and earlier through its predecessor the UNESCO International Centre for Engineering Education (UICEE). Over the last 15 or so years, he has received numerous prizes and awards for his exceptional achievements, including the UICEE Silver Badge of Honour in 2001 and the UICEE Gold Badge of Honour in 2003. In 2008, he received the highest UICEE Award that is the prestigious UICEE Order for Excellence in Engineering Education for his extraordinary services to the globalisation of engineering education and the UICEE in particular.

He is the founder of the Association of Taiwan Engineering Education and Management (ATEEM) and its International Journal of Engineering and Technology Education, and for many years he was the Association's President and Editor-in-Chief of its Journal. He has founded, chaired and organised several international conferences, including a sequence of the North-East Asia International Conference on Engineering & Technology Education.

Prof. Tai has held several key management positions. He was the Head of the Department of Industrial Education at the National Changhua University of Education (NCUE), Changhua, Taiwan, and later became the Dean of the College of Technology at the University. More recently, he was the Dean of the College of Management at Hungkuang University, Taichung, Taiwan. Under his management, both the ATEEM and Hungkuang University became active partners of the WIETE. On this special occasion, we wish to thank Prof. Tai for his support of the WIETE. Readers will find more information on Prof. Tai's achievements in the WIETE News of 25 January 2010.

The picture shows Prof. David W.S. Tai (r) accepting the WIETE gift from the WIETE Director.