Features

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

VP for R&D - Prof. Chung-Chih Wu

Overseeing the core academic research operations at NTU, the Office of Research and Development (ORD) is dedicated to constructing a robust campus research environment, sponsoring cutting-edge research, and providing crucial administrative support. Over the past two years, following the blueprint of Future NTU Initiatives, ORD has focused on four main strategies: deepening international cooperation, attracting and retaining key talents, encouraging interdisciplinary innovation, and promoting technology transfer and application. These strategies are aimed at maximizing the social impact of NTU’s academic achievements by drawing on existing resources and outcomes in collaboration with industry, government, and academia.

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HONOR

Congrats to 3 Newly Elected Academicians

On July 4, Academia Sinica announced that three esteemed faculty members from National Taiwan University (NTU)-- Prof. Emeritus Tze-Chien Wang, Prof. Carl K. Y. Shaw, and Prof. Ching-Lung Wang—were listed among the new academicians for its 34th term.
Prof. Emeritus Tze-Chien Wang taught at NTU’s College of Law until his retirement. After graduating from NTU's Department of Law with a bachelor’s degree, he earned his Doctor of Laws (Dr.iur) degree from the University of Munich in 1968, becoming a leading authority on civil law in Taiwan. He was named a Grand Justice of the Judicial Yuan in 1994 and concluded his term in 2003. His eight-volume masterpiece, Research on the Theory and Precedents of Civil Law, is essential reading for law students. The “Anspruchsgrundlage” (basis for claim) theory, introduced by Prof. Wang from his teacher Karl Larenz, has become the paradigm in Taiwan’s civil law practice. His influence has also extended across the Taiwan Strait to Mainland China, where he is considered the foremost contemporary civil law scholar.

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GLOBAL OUTLOOK

Harvard Taipei Academy 2024 Grand Opening

The Harvard Taipei Academy (HTA), a collaborative initiative between National Taiwan University (NTU) and Harvard University, formally commenced on June 16, 2024. This year’s academy, made possible by generous support and assistance from the Ministry of Education and the Harvard Club of Taiwan, ROC, attracted 52 students from leading American colleges and universities, including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, Williams, and Reed, to participate in an eight-week Chinese language program. HTA is aimed to enhance the students’ Chinese language skills through intensive courses and cultural exchanges with NTU students, enriching and broadening the international perspectives of every participant.

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NTU Plus Academy Features Exceptional Programs

National Taiwan University (NTU) continues to enhance its reputation as a leader in academic excellence and international collaboration through its stimulating short-term programs. The NTU Plus Academy, administered by the Office of International Affairs (OIA), offers a range of initiatives that build on academic knowledge, foster cross-cultural connections, and elevate Taiwan's global stature. With over 400 students enrolling in ten different programs, NTU Plus Academy stands out as a premier destination for international students.

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Visits to Japanese and Korean Universities: A New Starting Point for Win-Win Cooperation

As international higher education development enters the post-pandemic era, universities in Asia often face similar challenges and considerations due to their comparable campus cultures and student learning preferences. To further strengthen policy exchanges with universities in the region, Vice President Shi-Tong Ding led a delegation in June, with representatives from the Office of Academic Affairs, Office of International Affairs, General Education Center, and the Future University Project Office, to visit six universities, including the University of Tokyo and Seoul National University. The delegation held in-depth discussions with administrative and academic counterparts on such topics as the internationalization of higher education, interdisciplinary learning, and industry-academia collaboration.

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Hosting the 2024 Digital Government Research Conference

NTU’s College of Social Sciences proudly hosted the 25th Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research (dg.o 2024), June 11-14, 2024. Themed "Internet of Beings: Transforming Public Governance," this year’s conference explored how digital technologies can enable people-centric approaches and open platforms for the collaborative creation of municipal services and products. By highlighting the benefits of AI, blockchain, open platforms, the Internet of Things, and big data, dg.o 2024 was aimed to discuss ways to enhance integration, collaboration, and value creation in public governance.

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NTU, Japan-Taiwan Exchange Asso. to Support Japanese Studies

National Taiwan University (NTU) and the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association (the Association) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on July 16, 2024, to cultivate Taiwanese talents in Japanese studies. This MoU ratifies the “Support Plan for Researchers in Japanese Studies,” under which the Association will support NTU’s Colleges of Law, Social Sciences, and Liberal Arts employment of postdoctoral fellows specializing in Japanese studies.

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NTU CACIB, U-Tokyo IQB Sign MoU for Advanced Computing Research

The National Taiwan University Center for Advanced Computing and Imaging in Biomedicine (NTU CACIB) and the University of Tokyo Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (U-Tokyo IQB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Academic Collaboration Activities on May 24, 2024, at the 2024 Conference of Advanced Computing and Imaging in Biomedicine: Asia-Pacific Spatial Omics Technology (APSOT). The MOU signing ceremony took place at the National Taiwan University Cancer Center with Distinguished Professor Pai-Chi Li representing NTU CACIB and Director Katsuhiko Shirahige representing U-Tokyo IQB. The MOU establishes a framework for future academic collaboration in biomedical computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and imaging research, opening the way for future international exchanges for professors and students from both institutions. A special parallel session preceding and following the MOU signing ceremony was also held at which 11 top scholars from NTU and U-Tokyo presented their latest research.

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Achievements

Deciphering the Mechanisms Controlling the Pacemaker of Global Warming

The equatorial Pacific plays a crucial role in regulating tropical cloud formation and regional weather extremes, earning it the nickname “the pacemaker of global warming.” Though its impact may seem subtle, this oceanic region has been a silent hero, slowing the pace of global warming. Now, climate scientists are on a quest to discover whether this protective mechanism will continue to pulsate in our favor.

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Interfacial Insights into the Garnet-Based Lithium Metal Battery

Prof. Ru-Shi Liu of NTU’s Department of Chemistry, Advanced Research Center for Green Materials Science and Technology, and Graduate School of Advanced Technology and his research team are dedicated to finding sustainable and safe energy storage solutions, especially for batteries. Addressing the challenges posed by conventional lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has become increasingly important. Although LIBs with liquid electrolytes are widely used, they come with significant safety risks due to their susceptibility to self-ignition under certain conditions.

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Explaining the Hottest Period in a Million Years: The “MIS 11c Paradox”

For millions of years, Earth has experienced cycles of ice ages and warm periods. Today, we are in a warm period heavily influenced by human activities. As greenhouse gas levels rise, global warming intensifies, causing ice sheets to melt and sea levels to rise, posing severe threats to ecosystems and human societies. Understanding past extreme warm periods is therefore crucial.

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High-Performance Near-Infrared OLEDs Maximized at 925 nm and 1022 nm through Interfacial Energy Transfer

Prof. Pi-Tai Chou and his team have been devoted to the study of near-infrared (NIR) organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) in recent years. By putting theory into practice, they have repeatedly broken the world record for NIR organic luminophores, overcoming the energy gap law. In 2017, they developed Pt(II) complexes with an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 24% at 740 nm, followed by a molecule with an EQE of 10% at 800 nm in 2018. In 2020 and 2022, through the derivation of a new theory and deuterium C-D substitution,

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NTU Collaborates with National Science and Technology Council to Develop AI Robotic Dogs

Under the leadership of Professor Chung-Hsien Kuo of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the Autonomous & Soft Robotics Laboratory (ASR Lab) at National Taiwan University (NTU) has made significant progress in developing AI robotic dogs, with generous funding from the National Science and Technology Council. The ASR Lab members have successfully developed two prototypes: a small-to-medium-sized robot dog named Oliver in February 2024, followed by a working robot dog named Dustin in May 2024.

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Teaching & Learning

College of Public Health Joins ASPHER to Promote Global Health

The Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER) is a unique international organization dedicated to strengthening public health education, research, and policy formulation across Europe. It plays a pivotal role in advancing public health initiatives and disseminating public health knowledge.

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People

Distinguished Alumnus Prof. Cho-Yun Hsu Wins Tang Prize in Sinology

National Taiwan University (NTU) proudly congratulates its distinguished alumnus and Academia Sinica Academician, Prof. Cho-Yun Hsu, on receiving the 2024 Tang Prize in Sinology on June 20, 2024. Despite physical challenges, Prof. Hsu has remained dedicated to academic research, achieving breakthroughs and making significant contributions. His profound knowledge spans both Eastern and Western historiography, and he is highly respected for his dedication to quality education, rigorous scholarly approach, and commitment to social conscience and intellectual integrity.

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Perusing the Natural History Collections from Early NTU

Taiwan, located in the subtropical and tropical regions of the Western Pacific between the Ryukyu Islands of Japan and the Philippines, boasts rich and diverse landscapes. These geological features host unique biodiversity, catching the attention of early settlers and natural explorers from around the world. Westerners in the 19th century, followed by Japanese and Chinese scientists in the 20th century, were amazed by the vibrant ecology of this small island, leaving behind extensive records and natural history specimens. For nearly a century, NTU has acquired books, instruments, and specimens to support teaching and research, as well as setting up department-specific specimen rooms.

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CSB Faculty Drive Innovation in Nature Portfolio’s Communications Biology

Communications Biology, is an innovative, high-quality open-access journal in the respected Nature Portfolio Journal (npj) series. It is dedicated to publishing the latest research, reviews, and commentary in all areas of the biological sciences. It offers biologists an accessible publication option with a balanced approach to research impact and significance, prioritizing salient advances that bring fresh insights to specialized research areas in biology. This approach is particularly important for biologists whose work might present significant breakthroughs in a highly specialized subfield without immediate broader generalization. In general, Communications Biology values and solicits novel findings in niche fields.

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15th GIS: Rebuild and Revive

The 15th Global Initiatives Symposium (GIS) kicked off its five-day annual conference at NTU on July 1. This year’s theme, “Rebuild and Revive,” drew inspiration from the metamorphosis of a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis. The theme encouraged the student representatives to break free from past dependencies, challenge existing frameworks, and reshape their understanding of the world-- while remaining open to new possibilities. By “rebuilding” their mindset, participants were invited to undergo a personal “revival.”

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NTU Opening Ceremony: “Where Creativity and Dreams Take Flight”

Spotlighting the theme “NTU: Where Creativity and Dreams Take Flight,” the 2024 opening ceremony at National Taiwan University (NTU) encouraged the incoming students not just to develop their skills and knowledge during their academic journey but also strive to make a positive impact on society.

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