On January 6, 2024, upon the recommendation of two renowned experts and through the evaluation of multiple professors from the International Engineering and Technology Institute (IETI),  Prof. Chih-Ming Kao, a Chair Professor at National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan and an academician of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, has been awarded the 1st 2024 IETI James Crabbe Award for Life and Environmental Sciences.

Reasons for the Award: Professor Kao has been committed to pioneering advanced green and sustainable soil (land) and water treatment technologies for the restoration of polluted soil, surface water, and groundwater. These innovations have broken through the limitations of traditional treatment methods. Having been recognized in practical applications, they are highly praised, marking a significant step forward towards sustainable development.

It is reported that the IETI James Crabbe Award for Life and Environmental Sciences aims to recognize interdisciplinary engineering and/or technological work that has had a significant impact in the fields of life and/or environmental sciences.

He graduated from National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan with a bachelor's degree, and obtained his master's and doctoral degrees from North Carolina State University in the United States. He served as the Director of the Institute of Environmental Engineering at National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan and is currently a Chair Professor at the university. He is a Distinguished Fellow of IETI, an academician of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, a Fellow and Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the recipient of the Rudolph Hering Medal, a Fellow of the International Water Association, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the recipient of the McKee Medal of the Water Environment Federation. He serves as the Editor-in-Chief or Associate Editor of multiple SCI journals. His citation count on Google Scholar is 10,908, with an h-index of 59.