Minister of Science and Technology Chen Liang-gee (陳良基) yesterday presented “young scholar” fellowships to 46 academics, one of whom suggested that female researchers be allowed more flexibility in carrying out projects during pregnancy.
To encourage young researchers to conduct more ambitious and innovative projects, the Ministry of Science and Technology last year launched the Einstein Program and the Columbus Program.
The Einstein Program targets doctorate holders younger than 32, with recipients receiving annual subsidies of up to NT$5 million (US$167,937) for three to five years. The Columbus Program targets doctorate holders younger than 35, with recipients receiving annual grants of up to NT$10 million for three to five years.
The ministry has admitted 67 projects to the two programs, including 32 projects in engineering, 14 in natural science, 13 in biotechnology, seven in the humanities and one in scientific education.
At a ceremony in Taipei yesterday, Chen presented program recipients with fellowship certificates, encouraging them to “bravely sail toward uncharted areas in this age of exploration.”
Einstein Program recipient Chen Yun-nung (陳縕儂) said that she had been conducting research on artificial intelligence (AI) before its commercial applications gained more popularity after 2011 and was glad to see that AI research and applications are now booming.
Having earned a doctorate at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, Chen is now assistant professor in National Taiwan University’s (NTU) Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering.
Researchers in Taiwan can enjoy more academic freedom, as those in the US have more difficulty obtaining government funding and are subjected to business requirements if their research is funded by private firms, Chen added.
While expressing her gratitude for the ministry subsidy, she said the ministry should allow female researchers more flexibility to extend their projects and deadlines, given that many could experience childbirth during their career.
The ministry plans to study the feasibility of this idea when next year’s budget plans are proposed for the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program, the minister said.
Among the few humanities academics receiving the fellowship, NTU Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures assistant professor Hsu Yi-hsin (許以心) said she is working on Shakespearean studies in Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, and expects the ministry subsidy to support her field trips to the two nations.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
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