It is well known that Germany's more than 300 institutions of higher education offer incredible opportunities to students from all over the world. A wide and fascinating range of subjects, excellent academic standards, and an immense variety and diversity of institutional profiles ensure that students from other countries will find study opportunities to match their personal requirements and interests. German universities have restructured their programs during the past decade so that they also can offer more than 500 international degree courses that are taught in English.
This broad variety of German universities is complemented by outstanding research facilities, which can easily hold their own in any comparison with the world's best research institutes. As most Taiwanese students are already graduates when going to Germany this could be of special interest for them, because these institutions are also looking for highly qualified international graduates and post-docs.
Only recently established, Caesar (Center of Advanced European Studies and Research) is a fine example of an outstanding research institution. Located in the former German capital, Bonn, this new international, multidisciplinary research center uses cutting-edge technologies at the interface of information sciences, physics, chemistry, biology and medicine. The goal of each single research project is not only to make a noticeable contribution to science, but also to create marketable innovations that lead to the establishment of start-up companies. In competitive economies, basic research and product development increasingly proceed in tandem. Therefore Caesar is to develop and test new mechanisms for converting research results into industrial applications (see: www.caesar.de).
The Hermann von Helmholtz-Association of National Research Centers (HGF) is an alliance of 15 autonomous scientific centers dedicated to the pursuit of long-term research goals and priorities of the state and society. The HGF seeks to provide significant contributions to the solution of urgent problems in its research areas -- energy, earth and environment, health, key technologies, transport and space (see: www.helmholtz.de).
Since its establishment in 1949, the Fraunhofer Society (FhG) has become a driving force behind the trademark "Made in Germany." Aiming at applied research, the FhG undertakes contract research on behalf of business and industry, the service sector and government institutions. Commissioned by a client, FhG develops solutions to technological and organizational problems. The main goal is the transformation of scientific know-how into practical applications. FhG also conducts strategic research for Germany's federal and state governments wherever relevant research projects call for innovative solutions in key technologies (see: www.fraunhofer.de).
The Max-Planck-Society for the Advancement of Science (MPG) emerged in 1948 in order to strengthen research efforts in Germany. It is also an umbrella organization for 80 institutes focusing on basic research in the natural sciences and the humanities. The institutes provide excellent research conditions for internationally renowned scientists. Promoting close cooperation with the foreign research establishment is part of the MPG philosophy (see: www.mpg.de).
Last but not least, three institutions that support scientific excellence on an institutional as well as individual level also should be mentioned: The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) is dedicated to serving all fields of science and the humanities by financing research projects carried out in universities and public research institutions. Furthermore, it advises governments and authorities on scientific issues, promotes cooperation between science and industry, and fosters links with research abroad. Particular emphasis is placed on supporting young scholars (see: www.dfg.de).
The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Alexander von Humboldt foundation (AvH) support individuals. Beside some other important tasks, the DAAD awards grants and scholarships to talented foreign and German students, graduates, PhD-candidates and scholars (see: www.germany.org.tw/daad and www.daad.de).
The AvH grants research fellowships and research awards to highly qualified post-doctorate scholars, regardless of their nationalities and academic fields. The only selection criteria are the individual candidates' outstanding academic records. Initial sponsorship is followed by lifelong contacts. 33 Humboldt fellows received Nobel prizes at a later stage in their careers, which is indicative of the quality of the Humboldt Foundation selection process (see: www.humboldt-foundation.de).
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique