In spring last year, a thesis falsification case was reported, with former director of Academia Sinica’s Institute of Biological Chemistry and distinguished research fellow Chen Ching-shih (陳慶士) found falsifying data and committing research misconduct.
After an investigation that took more than a year, the Ministry of Science and Technology shared their findings, which, surprisingly, not only concealed Chen’s name, but also issued a light penalty, suspending his rights for only five years and retracting NT$600,000 (US$19,367) in grant money. Academia Sinica itself remains silent.
In connection to this breach of academic ethics, many issues immediately come to mind:
First, from being hired by Academia Sinica in 2014 to his resignation after the case was exposed last year, Chen served as a full-time distinguished researcher and director of the institute, with a monthly salary of probably several hundred thousand NT dollars. During this period, he was also a professor at Ohio State University.
Second, Chen was in charge of more than NT$40 million in ministry research grants for projects he led, but the amount of internal Academia Sinica funds that he was in charge of or in direct control of during his years of service there remain unknown.
Third, Chen is likely to have participated in many large domestic research programs and served as judge or reviewer for academic awards. Who might have benefited from his judgement and who might have encountered their downfall because of it?
Academia Sinica and the ministry have an undeniable responsibility to publish a detailed report addressing these issues.
The case brings to mind a forgery scandal from November 2016, when medical research papers published by National Taiwan University (NTU) professor Kuo Min-liang’s (郭明良) research team were reported to contain forged research using duplicated images. Although many people were dissatisfied with how the case was handled, NTU made a good effort by holding several news conferences and issuing statements during the investigation to explain its progress.
Within a few months, NTU released an investigation report of more than 100 pages that showed the results in detail. The investigation process was bumpy and jerky, but it was a great step forward in how academic ethics issues are handled in Taiwan. Unfortunately, those lessons have faded from the public’s mind.
However, the past should not be forgotten, but should be a lesson and guide. The purpose of scientific research is to search for the truth and to resolve the profound mystery of how matters interact and function in the realms of nature and the universe. The spirit of science is to seek the truth.
Hopefully Academia Sinica — Taiwan’s most prestigious academic research institution — will soon release a professional and comprehensive report of the investigation into Chen’s case.
Lin Juhn-jong is a professor at National Chiao Tung University’s Institute of Physics and Department of Electrophysics.
Translated by Chang Ho-ming
In an article published by the Harvard Kennedy School, renowned historian of modern China Rana Mitter used a structured question-and-answer format to deepen the understanding of the relationship between Taiwan and China. Mitter highlights the differences between the repressive and authoritarian People’s Republic of China and the vibrant democracy that exists in Taiwan, saying that Taiwan and China “have had an interconnected relationship that has been both close and contentious at times.” However, his description of the history — before and after 1945 — contains significant flaws. First, he writes that “Taiwan was always broadly regarded by the imperial dynasties of
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will stop at nothing to weaken Taiwan’s sovereignty, going as far as to create complete falsehoods. That the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has never ruled Taiwan is an objective fact. To refute this, Beijing has tried to assert “jurisdiction” over Taiwan, pointing to its military exercises around the nation as “proof.” That is an outright lie: If the PRC had jurisdiction over Taiwan, it could simply have issued decrees. Instead, it needs to perform a show of force around the nation to demonstrate its fantasy. Its actions prove the exact opposite of its assertions. A
An American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) spokesperson on Saturday rebuked a Chinese official for mischaracterizing World War II-era agreements as proving that Taiwan was ceded to China. The US Department of State later affirmed that the AIT remarks reflect Washington’s long-standing position: Taiwan’s political status remains undetermined and should only be resolved peacefully. The US would continue supporting Taiwan against military, economic, legal and diplomatic pressure from China, and opposes any unilateral attempt to alter the “status quo,” particularly through coercion or force, the United Daily News cited the department as saying. The remarks followed Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently sat down for an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in which he openly acknowledged that ChatGPT’s model behavior is indeed influencing the entire world, and that he himself is responsible for the decisions related to the bot’s moral framework. He said that he has not had a good night of sleep since its launch, as the technology could bring about unpredictable consequences. Although the discussion took place in the US, it is closely related to Taiwan. While Altman worries about the concentration of power, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has already weaponized artificial
RSS