Well-designed exhibitions on diverse scientific topics to be held not only in Taipei but also in the center and the south of the country are a starting point for the public to learn fundamental scientific knowledge, the National Science Council (NSC) said yesterday.
A large exhibition room on the ground floor of the Technology Building on Heping East Road in Taipei has been closed for renovations for months. But yesterday, it was re-opened to house an exhibition marking National Science Week, an educational program presented annually by the council.
Since 2000, the council has used National Science Week to inform the public of important scientific developments and the nation's science and technology programs.
The latest exhibition is a summary of themes covered in the last five years. Topics range from earthquakes, genetics, life sciences, biotechnology and water to sustainable development.
"From now on, we will use the display room here intensively to deliver scientific knowledge to the public," NSC Minister Wu Maw-kuen (
To promote public awareness, the science education program has this year been further expanded from a week to what the NSC calls a "National Science Season."
The council is focusing on physics this year to match the rest of the world, which is celebrating the International Year of Physics, a UN-sponsored promotion.
The exhibition launched yesterday will continue to the end of October. In addition to displays of pictures and textual information, films will screen on weekends. Some interactive displays will also be set up, NSC officials said.
The council has released an introductory pamphlet in Chinese for visitors. An English-language version of the pamphlet will be available early next month.
Meanwhile, the Expo for the Exploration of Physics, an educational program designed by the council, has been launched in northern, central and southern Taiwan. In Taipei, interactive displays designed to develop public interest in physics are on show at the CKS Memorial until Aug. 7.
Renowned physicists including Steven Chu (朱棣文), a professor at Stanford University who shared the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics, have been invited to speak to the public. Chu, who will take up a chair at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California in August, will speak on "A Biological Solution to the Energy Crisis" at 10am today at the Taipei expo.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”