Premier-designate Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) yesterday announced his second wave of Cabinet member appointees, naming current National Central University (NCU) chancellor Lee Lou-chuang (李羅權) as the new National Science Council (NSC) minister.
Liu yesterday also named National Tsinghua University professor of engineering and system science Tsai Chuen-horng (蔡春鴻) as the new Atomic Energy Council (AEC) minister.
Reacting to his appointment, Lee said: “Education and advanced technology are the two most important fields that will provide Taiwan with momentum to go forward.”
“In research as well as in leading a team, you need to gather your resources, set a goal and formulate a plan to achieve that goal — in both [research and leadership], you can [only succeed by] being the first, and I will build Taiwan’s research foundation upon this spirit,” he said.
Lee, an academic inducted into the Academia Sinica for his achievements in space physics, is a well-rounded leader who had propelled NCU into the ranks of elite higher education institutes, NCU vice-chancellor Ip Wing-huen (葉永烜) said.
“In addition to good leadership, Lee’s experience as the former director of the National Applied Research Laboratories [under the NSC], where he grasped technological developmental trends and was open to opinions from all sides, makes him a very good candidate for the [NSC] position,” Ip said.
Other than scientific developments, at NCU Lee had also been keenly developing the humanities fields, an experience that would help with his development of the nation’s social sciences as NSC minister, Ip said.
Addressing emerging global environmental problems, Lee said that “promoting environmental sustainability is the inescapable responsibility of scientists.”
“In the future, I plan to consolidate resources and place more emphasis on research in the fields of the environment as well as clean energies,” he said.
In related news, AEC minister-designate Tsai was described by his colleagues as an accomplished nuclear expert competently fit to lead the council.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
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