Features

Prof. Chin-Lung Wang Speaks of Math As the Purest Language

In his modest office, Prof. Chin-Lung Wang of NTU’s Department of Mathematics listens intently to a student’s presentation. Occasionally, he pauses to offer his reflections while gesturing at a dense mosaic of formulas on the whiteboard. This weekly meeting with his research team is a fixture in his schedule. Despite his recent induction as an Academician of Academia Sinica in July, Prof. Wang’s routine remains unchanged. “To bequeath a formula that will be used for hundreds of years—is there any greater joy?” He takes his new title with a calm indifference, viewing it as far less significant than making tangible contributions to theoretical science.

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HONOR

Prof. Tung-Wu Lu Honored as Fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology, USA

Prof. Tung-Wu Lu of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at National Taiwan University has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK), USA. He was officially inducted into the Academy during its 93rd Annual Meeting, in Minneapolis, Minnesota on September 28, 2024, where he was presented with the Fellowship certificate and medal.

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GLOBAL OUTLOOK

NTU-UGA-UT Tri-Nation Academic Alliance: A New Era of Global Collaboration

On October 4, 2024, a significant milestone was reached as National Taiwan University (NTU), the University Grenoble Alpes (UGA), and the University of Tsukuba (UT) formally launched the NTU-UGA-UT Trilateral Center. The signing ceremony, held at the University of Tsukuba, was attended by NTU President Wen-Chang Chen, UGA President Yassine Laknech, and UT President Kyosuke Nagata.

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NTU's Int'l Mentorship Program Wins Global Recognition

National Taiwan University’s (NTU) International Mentorship Program (IMP) has made its mark in international education, winning two prestigious awards at The PIEoneer Awards 2024. Held at London’s historic Guildhall, the awards ceremony brought together nearly 600 leaders from higher education, industry, and government to celebrate innovation and excellence in global education. The IMP was honored with the “Employability International Impact Award” for its outstanding success in fostering international employability. It was also named “Pioneer of the Year” for its innovative approach.

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Taiwan to Host 2025 Int'l Linguistics Olympiad, Showcasing Excellence

The International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) is a prestigious global competition that challenges high school students in logical reasoning, cultural understanding, and creativity. Unlike traditional academic Olympiads, IOL does not require participants to have extensive knowledge of linguistics or fluency in multiple languages. Instead, students are tasked with interpreting linguistic samples from unfamiliar languages, thus honing their skills in grammar, phonology, semantics, and script analysis. Through conducting intricate logical deduction and data analysis, participants develop their critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.

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Acer Foundation Supports Tuberculosis Control Project in Namibia

The Acer Foundation has made a significant contribution to global health efforts by donating 300 tablet computers to a collaborative project aimed at reducing tuberculosis (TB) transmission and alleviating its economic burden on Namibia in southern Africa.

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Achievements

The Sinking of Nan Madol: A Tragic Tale of Climate Change Echoing Today

On the eastern coast of Pohnpei Island, Micronesia, lie the abandoned ruins of Nan Madol, the ancient capital of the Saudeleur Dynasty. Known as the “Venice of the Pacific,” this floating city comprised over 100 artificial islets constructed from nearly a million tons of columnar basalt and coral rubble, spanning approximately 18 square kilometers. While the exact timeline and environmental factors affecting its development were previously unclear, a recent study has shed light on the site’s tragic history.

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Rapid Quantum Gas Formation through Electromagnetically Induced Transparency Cooling

Quantum gas is a novel, non-classical state of matter, alongside gas, liquid, solid, and plasma states. In recent years, quantum gases have played a crucial role in the development of quantum science and technology, with many breakthroughs relying on experimental advancements in quantum gas studies. The condition for a regular gas to transition into a quantum gas is when the de Broglie wavelength of individual atoms exceeds the atomic spacing, a transition that can be facilitated by cooling, which increases the wavelength of matter waves. Since Nobel laureates Prof. Eric Cornell and Carl Wieman first experimentally observed quantum gases in 1995, their creation has largely depended on evaporative cooling, a process akin to cooling hot water by letting it evaporate at room temperature. However, this cooling method is inefficient and requires time for atomic collisions and thermalization to complete.

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Interdisciplinary Collaboration Unveils Key Mechanistic Insights into DNA Recombination

Meiotic recombination is crucial for generating genetic diversity and ensuring proper chromosomal segregation during reproduction. This complex process requires recombinases to assemble on single-stranded (ss)DNAs, forming nucleoprotein filaments that facilitate homology search and strand exchange between homologous DNAs. However, ssDNAs are typically bound by abundant, high-affinity ssDNA-binding proteins (RPA), which protect these ssDNAs from degradation. The Mei5-Sae3 protein complex plays an essential role in assembling recombinases onto RPA-coated ssDNA, though the exact mechanism behind this has remained unclear—until now.

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Prof. Pisin Chen Wins 2024 Chandrasekhar Prize of Plasma Physics

The Association of Asia-Pacific Physical Societies Division of Plasma Physics (AAPPS-DPP) has bestowed upon Professor Pisin Chen as the 11th Laureate of the prestigious Chandrasekhar Prize for Plasma Physics. This accolade is awarded to scientists who have made seminal contributions to the field of plasma physics, and Professor Chen was recognized for his groundbreaking work in advancing the understanding of collective interactions in fundamental plasma physics. His seminal contribution includes the invention of the plasma wakefield accelerator (PWFA) and its acceleration and focusing processes. Incidentally, the European Physical Society conferred the 2023 Hannes Alfven Prize on Professor Pisin Chen for the same contributions.

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Teaching & Learning

Nobel Laureates Alain Aspect and Yuan-Tseh Lee Discuss Quantum Physics, Interdisciplinary Research, and Global Scientific Challenges at NTU Forum

On October 15, 2024, Nobel laureates Prof. Alain Aspect and Prof. Yuan-Tseh Lee captivated the audiences at National Taiwan University (NTU) during a public lecture and forum held in the Shih-Liang Chen Lecture Hall. The event was aimed to foster Taiwanese-French cooperation in science and technology, sharing insights into the latest in quantum physics, interdisciplinary research, and today’s pressing scientific challenges.

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NTU Online Course Wins Award from the Entomological Society of America

NTU Prof. Matan Shelomi of the Department of Entomology was awarded the 2024 Science Communication Award by the Entomological Society of America (ESA). According to an ESA press release last August, this award “recognizes impactful and innovative communication projects or programs that engage diverse public audiences with entomology-related scientific information.” Prof. Shelomi received this honor for his massive open online course (MOOC) Edible Insects, hosted on NTU’s Coursera platform. The MOOC course is based on his in-person class, Edible Insects, which has been one of NTU’s most popular elective courses since its launch in 2018.

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GUPS Makes Its Debut

On August 1, 2024, NTU’s International College proudly launched the Global Undergraduate Program in Semiconductors (GUPS), the college’s first all-English undergraduate degree program. NTU established this program in response to the rapid expansion of the global semiconductor industry and the national policy to cultivate a highly skilled, international workforce to help this industry in Taiwan and the world. GUPS aims to alleviate the current shortage of semiconductor professionals by cultivating talents with expertise and a global outlook.

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NTU x TPOD Higher Education Int'l Forum

NTU’s Future University Project Office, in collaboration with the Taiwan Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education (TPOD), successfully hosted “NTU x TPOD Higher Education International Forum and Poster Exhibition: What’s Next – Future-Focused University” on October 26. Nearly 180 people attended the Forum and Exhibition in person, while about 150 others participated online, in order to discuss opportunities and challenges in international collaboration and innovation in higher education. Representatives from the University of Tokyo, Hitotsubashi University, Seoul National University, and Times Higher Education (THE) were invited to share their experiences from across the Asian higher education landscape. Moreover, at the TPOD Poster Exhibition, 15 universities showcased domestic achievements in “internationalized learning” and “student support systems.”

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Major Companies Support OSA's Mentorship Program

On September 23, 2024, NTU’s Career Center, a unit of the Office of Student Affairs, hosted an event showcasing the “Interdisciplinary Internship – Mentorship Program”. Senior executives from leading companies, including TSMC, Delta Electronics, Foxconn, and CTCI Group, shared their successful collaboration stories with NTU, testifying to the program’s positive impact in preparing students to seamlessly transition into the workforce.

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People

Nobel Laureate Prof. Alain Aspect Awarded NTU Honorary Doctorate

National Taiwan University (NTU) hosted an honorary doctorate award ceremony on October 14, at which President Wen-Chang Chen conferred an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree on French scholar Prof. Alain Aspect. A 2022 Nobel Laureate in Physics and a leading figure in the field of quantum physics, Prof. Aspect is renowned for his groundbreaking research in quantum optics, atomic optics, cold atom physics, and quantum computing. His research work has opened new frontiers in these fields. Distinguished guests at the ceremony included representatives from the French Office in Taipei and senior NTU officials.

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Honoring a Legacy: 10th Anniversary Memorial Exhibition of Academician Yung-Ho Tsao

Academician Yung-Ho Tsao (1920-2014) is celebrated as an autodidact pioneer in Taiwan’s academic community. Despite having received only a high school education, Tsao embarked on an arduous journey of self-study from library assistant at National Taiwan University (NTU) to highly esteemed academician at Academia Sinica. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from NTU and received numerous international accolades, including the Order of the Netherlands Lion, conferred by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, for his research on the 17th-century activities of the Dutch East India Company in East Asia. Tsao was also honored by the Japanese government with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays, in recognition of his dedication to preserving historical archives and advancing research in East Asian maritime history, which strengthened academic exchanges between Taiwan and Japan.

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Circling the World on a Flying Platter: NTU Global Food Day

“Hello, bonjour! Would you like to try some French crepes?” In the corner of a bustling classroom, Rosan from France warmly offers her griddle fresh crepes to her new friends. She had stayed up the previous night, cooking these golden, paper-thin pancakes to perfection. Rosan delicately smooths jam over the crepe then expertly rolls it. “Voilà! There you go!” she says brightly, handing over the treat. From the first bite, her friends feel they have been transported to the romantic streets of France!

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NTU Unveils Top 100 Contributions: Celebrating a Century of Excellence

In anticipation of its looming centennial in 2028, National Taiwan University (NTU) has taken a momentous step to commemorate its legacy. The origins of NTU trace back to the founding of Taihoku Imperial University in 1928. During the subsequent years, the university has striven to establish itself as a leader in global higher education and also has played a pivotal role in numerous historic events.

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NTU Celebrates Its 96th Anniversary with a Grand Ceremony

On November 15, 2024, National Taiwan University (NTU) celebrated its 96th anniversary with a grand ceremony held at the university’s main sports complex. Presided over by President Wen-Chang Chen, the event brought together former presidents, alumni from around the globe, and distinguished guests from various sectors to honor NTU’s legacy and ongoing contributions.

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Dr. Min Kao awards the inaugural Garmin Chair Professors and Scholars

On November 25, 2024, National Taiwan University (NTU) hosted the “Garmin Chair Professorships and Scholar Fellowships” award ceremony. The event was graced by NTU’s distinguished alumnus and Garmin founder, Dr. Min Kao, who personally presented the awards to this year’s worthy recipients.

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