The Ministry of Science and Technology yesterday unveiled a science streaming platform on YouTube in collaboration with National Geographic, saying that the film Brown Is The New Green (綠金未來), featuring Taiwan-born and New York City-based fashion designer Jason Wu’s (吳季剛) family, would premier on it tomorrow.
The film explores how Wu’s father, Wu Kun-min (吳昆民), and his brother, Wu Chi-heng (吳季衡), who used to receive complaints from their neighbors about pollution from their pig farms, came to work with Feng Chia University to build the world’s first power generator that used waste water from pig farms.
It was chosen as the first film to be streamed on the platform, partly because it reflects the urgent need to develop renewable energy sources in Taiwan, Minister of Science and Technology Chen Liang-gee (陳良基) told reporters.
Photo: Photo: Chien Hui-ju, Taipei Times
Just as the popular US television show The Big Bang Theory was referred to when the Nobel Prize in Physics was announced on Thursday last week, the platform aims to share stories connecting science and life to a wider and younger audience, Chen said.
The platform would also broadcast inspirational stories about scientists’ struggles, he said, adding that content about Taiwan would be prioritized.
Starting from tomorrow, the platform would broadcast films about popular science at 9pm every Friday, such as stories related to Taiwan’s space technology, sports science and technological applications, he said, adding that the ministry has helped produce more than 70 scientific documentaries since 2006.
Chen said he hopes that the platform can expand into a channel with diversified content.
National Geographic would assist the ministry in selecting films for the platform, while aiming to cater to the needs of different age groups without sacrificing production quality, National Geographic Channel (NGC) international content director Glenis Tsai (蔡雅霖) said.
The partnership would last until May next year, at which point the two sides would discuss whether to continue collaborating, said Lee May-yi (李美儀), vice president of NGC regional production and development for Asia Pacific and Middle East.
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