Dr. Joonho Choi, the newly appointed President of the IAQVEC (Indoor Air Quality, Ventilation and Energy Conservation in Buildings) international society and Professor at the School of Architecture, University of Southern California (USC), visited the Department of Architecture at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (Taiwan Tech) for an academic exchange from June 14 to June 18, at the invitation of Professor Yun-Shang Chiou.
“Dr. Choi (second from left) and Professor Yun-Shang Chiou posing for a photo at the IAQVEC 2026 Conference at the University of Southern California in May.”
This visit built upon the successful exchanges from the IAQVEC 2026 Conference held at USC in Los Angeles this past May, while responding to the strong enthusiasm for research in building science and indoor environmental quality among faculty and students at Taiwan Tech. In addition to delivering two keynote lectures—“A Systems Thinking of the Post-Occupancy Survey” and “AI-assisted Human-Centric Building Performance Analysis”—Dr. Choi designed a four-day intensive course that comprehensively introduced the research framework and practical methodologies of Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE).
“Dr. Choi illustrating the contribution of POE to healthy buildings using real-world case studies during his lecture.”
The course curriculum covered three major dimensions: spatial observation, indoor environmental quality measurement, and user satisfaction surveys. Graduate students were taught how to integrate disparate data sources and apply analytical methods, such as machine learning, for cross-validation. This enabled them to identify indoor environmental quality issues along with their key influencing factors, ultimately building data-driven building performance analysis capabilities.
“Dr. Choi explaining the structure and purpose of POE survey sections in class.”
Dr. Choi was deeply impressed by the learning enthusiasm, presentation quality, and English proficiency demonstrated by Taiwan Tech students. He praised their performance highly, noting that it was fully on par with that of graduate students in the Building Science program at USC. He also encouraged students to actively participate in international academic conferences and exchange activities to broaden their global perspectives, elevate their academic visibility, and enhance their research impact.
“Students presenting indoor environmental measurement and analysis results in class.”
Dr. Choi’s visit not only marks a new milestone in international academic cooperation for Taiwan Tech’s Department of Architecture, but also demonstrates tangible results in aligning graduate-level EMI (English as a Medium of Instruction) courses with global standards.
The course adopted a co-teaching model:
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First Half of Semester: Professor Yun-Shang Chiou taught measurement and analysis methods for indoor physical environments, helping students build a solid foundation in building science.
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Mid-Semester: He led faculty and students to the US to participate in the IAQVEC international conference as volunteers and paper presenters, offering them firsthand exposure to top-tier global academic exchanges.
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End of Semester: Dr. Choi traveled to Taiwan to lecture in person, deepening students’ understanding of POE research methods and practical applications—completing a holistic learning path that integrated theory, hands-on practice, and international engagement.
Beyond teaching, Dr. Choi also engaged with faculty, students specializing in Sustainable Building Technology, and practicing architects over meals to discuss future avenues for international industry-academic collaboration.
“Dr. Choi (center) dining with Taiwan Tech architecture faculty, students, and committee members from the Architects Association to discuss future pathways for international industry-academic collaboration.”
Through this international partnership, the Department of Architecture at Taiwan Tech not only offers students the opportunity to learn directly from world-class scholars, but also establishes direct links with the global building science research community—opening up a broader international stage for students aspiring to pursue research in building science and indoor environmental quality.
“Taiwan Tech faculty and students posing with international scholars at the USC conference.”
