The College of Veterinary Medicine at National Chung Hsing University yesterday held a ceremony to launch the use of bionic animals in clinical training.
Living animals and animal remains are indispensable in traditional veterinary medical internships, but concerns have been raised over limited resources and animal welfare, college dean Chen Peng-wen (陳德勛) said.
Using bionic animals as teaching materials is an efficient and standardized learning method that would reduce the dependence on laboratory animals, as well as enable students to practice surgical skills in a stress-free environment until they master core techniques of clinical diagnosis and treatment for small animals, he said.
Photo: Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei Times
Bionic teaching materials can be used for practicing small animal clinical operations such as blood draws from the leg, palpation of internal organs, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, tracheal intubation, nasogastric intubation, dental surgery, spaying, bandaging and stitching. These tools are expected to help students cultivate professional capabilities in simulated environments, Chen said.
The college also introduced life-sized bionic dairy cattle from Canada under the Ministry of Education’s Higher Education Sprout Project in 2020, becoming the first institute to use bionic animals as teaching materials in Taiwan, he said.
Last year, it used funding from the Ministry of Agriculture to introduce life-sized bionic dogs for training on small animal clinical operations, Chen said, adding that five dog models were procured for each type of operation.
Photo: Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei Times
Hsieh Chia-yu (謝嘉裕), associate professor of the college, also developed a bionic fish model for blood-draw training, he added.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture Tu Wen-jane (杜文珍) said that bionic animals could not substitute for real animals, but they could boost students’ confidence and skills.
Combined with artificial intelligence and virtual intelligence, bionic teaching materials would increase teaching quality by providing enhanced simulated context and sensory feedback in the future, she said.
University president Chan Fu-chih (詹富智) said the investment in bionic teaching materials has made the university a model for veterinary medical education nationwide, bringing multiple benefits for students, animals and the whole of society.
The college bases its teaching and training on case studies, encouraging students to practice techniques and solve problems in simulated clinical contexts, Chen said.
Such a practice-oriented teaching method allows students to learn better by deepening their understanding of diagnosis and treatment processes, ensuring that each graduate from the college is equipped with professional competencies that can be transferred immediately to the workplace, he said.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
The eastern extension of the Taipei MRT Red Line could begin operations as early as late June, the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said yesterday. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said it is considering offering one month of free rides on the new section to mark its opening. Construction progress on the 1.4km extension, which is to run from the current terminal Xiangshan Station to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, was 90.6 percent complete by the end of last month, the department said in a report to the Taipei City Council's Transportation Committee. While construction began in October 2016 with an
NON-RED SUPPLY: Boosting the nation’s drone industry is becoming increasingly urgent as China’s UAV dominance could become an issue in a crisis, an analyst said Taiwan’s drone exports to Europe grew 41.7-fold from 2024 to last year, with demand from Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression the most likely driver of growth, a study showed. The Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) in a statement on Wednesday said it found that many of Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) sales were from Poland and the Czech Republic. These countries likely transferred the drones to Ukraine to aid it in its fight against the Russian invasion that started in 2022, it said. Despite the gains, Taiwan is not the dominant drone exporter to these markets, ranking second and fourth
RSS