Five NTU Labs Join GASE Summer Program to Promote Scientific Research

The Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) established the Center for Global Affairs and Science Engagement (GASE) at NTU to provide a platform for international cooperation in scientific research for colleges and universities. This year, GASE launched the Summer Program, selecting outstanding youths from abroad to join top labs in Taiwan for five weeks of research and cultural activities from June 17 to July 27. Five NTU professors and their labs joined the program to help develop international scientific talents.

The 2019 MOST GASE Summer Program opened on June 19. This year, the program featured “quantum technology” and “artificial technology”—the two areas that the Taiwanese government has been promoting in recent years. At the opening ceremony, MOST Deputy Minister Yu-Chin Hsu (許有進) welcomed youths interested in scientific research from around the world to join the labs led by Taiwan’s outstanding scholars for five weeks of experiential learning, a week of group training, and a meeting for final presentations. Through these experiences, Minister Hsu expected the participating international students to foster stronger connections with Taiwan.

According to GASE Director Hsiao-Wei Yuan (袁孝維), 34 outstanding young scholars from over 10 countries, including Germany, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, Lithuania, Latvian, India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia, were selected to participate in the summer program. In addition, GASE invited leading labs across Taiwan to join the program to help foster the connections between Taiwan’s academia and the universities and research institutes abroad.

This inaugural event has engaged 13 universities and 23 university labs across Taiwan to provide training sessions and experimental courses. NTU Executive Vice President Chiapei Chou (周家蓓) said NTU was glad to have five professors invited to serve as mentors in the program. They were renowned quantum computing scholars Distinguished Prof. of Physics Ching-Ray Chang (張慶瑞), Prof. of Physics Hsi-Sheng Goan (管希聖), Prof. of Electrical Engineering Jie-Hong Roland Jiang (江介宏); and artificial intelligence scholars Prof. of Mathematics Weichung Wang (王偉仲) and NTU IoX Center Director Jane Yung-Jen Hsu (許永真). Chou mentioned that Director Hsu was the only female mentor, and there were six female students in the program. She was optimistic that more female mentors and students will participate in the GASE Summer Program in the future, showcasing women’s competitiveness and capacity in scientific research.

Studying at cutting-edge, innovative labs helped the young scientists broaden their horizons. The summer program also provided an opportunity for potential scientific talents around the globe to interact with excellent university faculty and lab team members in Taiwan. Overall, this program not only familiarized the participating students with the higher education and scientific research environment in Taiwan, but also allowed the lab mentors to assess the expertise of the students and encourage those with extraordinary potential to pursue further studies or work in Taiwan. After returning to their countries, the participants could also help spread the word about Taiwan’s research capacity, enhance Taiwan’s visibility, and add more value to both the academia and industry of our country.