2013 UST-Kyoto University iCeMS International Symposium
The 2013 UST-Kyoto University iCeMS International Symposium hosted by the University System of Taiwan took place over two days at National Chiao Tung University on November 18 and 19. Many distinguished guests spoke in the symposium including Professor Norio Nakatsuji, Dr. Kouichi Hasegawa, Prof. Kou-Juey Wu and Prof. Hsei-Wei Wang and many other professors from NCTU and iCeMS. NCTU President Wu Yan-hwa and UST Vice Chancellor Wing-Huen Ip also attended the event. In addition, not only professors and doctors from UST but also many students broke away from their studies to listen in on the symposium.
President Wu noted that each university in UST offers its own distinct advantages. For example, Yang Ming University is strong in medical science. In addition to biological science and technology, NCTU is also well-known for its departments of chemistry and physics. National Central University and National Tsing Hua University also boast great academic research in many fields.
The Dean of the College of Biological Science and Technology of NCTU, Jong Yuh-jyh, noted that UST led a team to iCeMS in Japan for scholarly exchanges last year. “I am hopeful that there will be more and more seminars and symposiums in the near future, advancing the development of UST,” said Jong.
“I am honored to be invited to give a speech at National Chiao Tung University. My topic is Technical Innovation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Biology towards Regenerative Medicine,” Professor Kouichi Hasegawa said in an interview. “I am also very impressed by the students at NCTU. Just about everyone is eager to learn and asks questions when they don’t understand. It’s an excellent environment for studying.”
Students were delighted to have a chance to attend this year’s international symposium. In addition, most of them cannot wait for the next time a similar activity is held in Taiwan.
“I really like the international symposium held by UST,” said postgraduate NCTU student Tseng Jing-yi. “I also love using the UST library! If I want to borrow a book from the other three universities in UST, I don’t even need to go to their libraries around the area. It’s useful and convenient, and I can spend more time on my studies.”
Students in Taiwan have many different forms of support and method to conduct research even when they are studying different majors.