After years of attempting to inspire more of the nation's youngsters to join the social science professions, the National Science Council (NSC) yesterday announced encouraging results after graduating 1,400 elite students from the council's High School Humanities and Social Sciences Summer Camp.
The annual camp was set up in 2000 by a former director of the NSC's department of humanities and social sciences, Cyrus Chu (朱敬一), camp director Chen Tung-sheng (陳東升) said.
Chen, who is a sociology professor at National Taiwan University, said Chu noticed that while the nation had been investing in producing scientists since 1983 with annual physics, mathematics and life science camps, such opportunities did not exist for those interested in the social sciences, and that those students ought to be offered similar opportunities to excel in their chosen fields.
Since its establishment the camp has attracted more than 1,000 high school students each year from the 318 high schools nationwide, Chen said. The application process sifts out only the top 200 students, with a female to male ratio of 7:3.
The students attend two intense two-week summer programs. The first is between their first and second years at high school, which gives them a "taste" of the eight subjects -- psychology, political science, spatial research, philosophy, economics, sociology, anthropology and history.
The second course is in the summer before the students attend college, where students select two of the subjects and attend classes and discussion seminars instructed by renowned academics, from 9am to 9:30pm daily.
"In the beginning the students cringed at the rigorous curriculum, but after two weeks many yearned for more," Chen said.
2001 participant Hsu Wan-ting (許宛婷) said the camp "changed her way of thinking."
"I've always wanted to follow in the footsteps of my favorite author Hou Wen-yung (侯文詠), who is a doctor-writer," the pharmacy senior at Taipei Medical University said. "I couldn't sleep most nights during the two weeks, thinking about the new things I was exposed to -- scientists should reinvent themselves and instill elements of the humanities in their specialized fields."
Among the 2005 summer camp participants, 65 percent said it improved their critical thinking skills and 100 percent said they would recommend the program to younger students, Chen said.
"In addition, 31 percent of the participants who are now college seniors said they would apply for jobs in academic research, while 60 percent said the camp influenced their career choices," he said.
The success of the camp has also led to the establishment of specialized classes for the social sciences at three of Taipei's elite high schools -- Taipei First Girls' High School, Chienkuo High School and Zhongshan Girls' High School -- "which indicated a change in society's perception of the importance of the fields," Chen said.
Quoting philosopher Hu Shi (胡適), Chen said: "To reap the sort of harvest you desire you must first cultivate your crops accordingly. Talent development sees no shortcuts; the council hopes that activities such as these will continue to bring more bright youngsters into the social sciences."
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
Chinese embassy staffers attempted to interrupt an award ceremony of an international tea competition in France when the organizer introduced Taiwan and displayed the Republic of China flag, a Taiwanese tea farmer said in an interview published today. Hsieh Chung-lin (謝忠霖), chief executive of Juxin Tea Factory from Taichung's Lishan (梨山) area, on Dec. 2 attended the Teas of the World International Contest held at the Peruvian embassy in Paris. Hsieh was awarded a special prize for his Huagang Snow Source Tea by the nonprofit Agency for the Valorization of Agricultural Products (AVPA). During the ceremony, two Chinese embassy staffers in attendance
RSS