Evergreen Lily Elementary School is an indigenous primary school in rural Pingtung that was rebuilt with the support of the Chang Yung-fa Foundation after the village was destroyed by Typhoon Morakot. This activity was held for Evergreen Lily as part of the University Social Responsibility (USR) Practical Aerospace Science Micro-Program designed by the Smart Mechatronics Bachelor Degree Program at NPUST. Professor Hudson Hsu headed up the effort, arranging for students from his department to work with Associate Professor Chia-Wei Hsu of Da-Yeh University and Researcher Hong Bin Chang of NPUST to create course content to teach students about drone flight, design, maintenance, communication, navigation and more. The science teaching aids used in the course were all developed with subsidies from the National Science Council and the Ministry of Education, and underwent rigorous testing by teachers and students to ensure that they were safe, interesting, informative and engaging for young students.

During the three-day workshop, the camp organizers were honored to invite six inter-school university professors and seven college students to hold classes together. The learning activities allowed the children to gain a deeper understanding of aviation science and experience practical operations. The course content included air force history, analysis of flight principles, 360-degree aircraft turning operations, parachute water rocket making, simulated flying, large RC drone flight performances, and exciting drone football competitions. The students experienced the unique charm of aerospace technology through hands-on practice and creative competitions. The atmosphere was very lively and inspired many children to set their goals on becoming future aviation experts. Gangshan, which was the location of the event, has been an important aviation center since the Japanese colonial era. It was once the location of the Navy’s 61^st Aircraft Manufacturing Bureau and still retains its unique culture and history. The location is also home to an old two-story residence for air force dependents which has been preserved as a historical building, and which was also used for the filming of a popular TV series, A Touch of Green. Altogether, not only were the students exposed to in-depth aviation science through classroom education, but they also witnessed the country’s rich cultural heritage and air force history through visits to local cultural sites. The winter vacation camp was full of surprises, and helped the children find wings that will help lift them towards their aviation dreams.

Professor Hudson Hsu, who served as chief judge of the conference, is the director of the Program of Artificial Intelligence and Mechatronics at NPUST. Hsu explained that the large-scale event was jointly organized by the Taiwan Chapter of IEEE FTS UASACT and the Malaysian Autonomous Intelligence & Robotics Association (MYAIRA). With strong support from the Johor State Tourism Board, the event was a real feast for the international technology community. Malaysian royal family members and many government officials from the Johor local government were in attendance at the opening ceremony.

Taiwan’s qualification round was held in Taoyuan, Taiwan in July (2024), with more than 300 teams gathering to compete. Based on the results of the preliminaries, 96 outstanding teams were selected to represent Taiwan in Malaysia. Competition events include a variety of creative challenges including drone football, drone fishing and obstacle races. Drone football, in particular, has set off a new trend to combine technology and entertainment. The contestants from Pingtung, Kaohsiung, and Taichung performed particularly well, demonstrating Taiwan’s technological strengths and innovative energy on the international stage.

At NPUST, the Program of Artificial Intelligence and Mechatronics has long been engaged in technological agriculture, mechatronics integration, industry 4.0 skills cultivation, automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence. They have also done a lot of work to promote drone operation training and to expand drone applications in the field of agriculture. The NPUST drone football team participating in the competition combined their solid theoretical training with practical operations. Their brilliant achievements in the arena won them international recognition and helped contribute to Taiwan’s science and technology diplomacy.

The 2025 preliminary round of the competition will be held at the Taichung City Government Building later this year, and expectations are that an AI drone “Process Control” category will be added to inject new innovative elements into the technological competition. With experts from many different backgrounds getting involved in the activities, hopes are to see Taiwan’s educational and technological strengths continue to catch attention and shine on the international stage for once again.

Professor Hudson Hsu said that the science festival is being used to promoted local economic and cultural development, and through activities, it also helping cultivate local small farmers’ cultural and creative industries and urban tourism-related industries. In this way, it is able to further strengthen the connection between science education and local industries. National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) is actively cooperating with local communities to extend science education from the classroom to the community as it works to fulfill its University Social Responsibility (USR) and inject new impetus into local development. In the future, the university will continue to deepen its cooperation with local governments and promote more influential and innovative education and industry integration programs.

Secretary-General Charles C. Li has served as ambassador to St. Lucia and Indonesia, and has also worked in other capacities at foreign embassies and ministries in many other countries. With rich experience in international cooperation, Li’s lecture offered deep insight into Taiwan’s role in international cooperation and assistance, with real-world cases that gave his audience a picture of Taiwan’s international positioning and its conception of peaceful coexistence. Li also pointed out that Taiwan’s international assistance programs are not limited to allied countries, but also include other countries which are friendly towards Taiwan. Their aim, he explained, is to share Taiwan’s strengths, and implement a philosophy of “using local for the local”. This is how they are working to achieve their vision of “helping partners to advance and practicing sustainable development”. He emphasized that Taiwan has always been a friendly country and is willing to establish ties with countries around the world.

Though the main target audience of the lecture was NPUST’s Taiwanese students, it attracted international students from all over the world, including St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Christopher, Belize, Guatemala, Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, Vietnam, India, Philippines, Thailand, Somaliland, Pakistan, Uganda, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Haiti. Recognizing the value of having a good understanding of the ways in which Taiwan exerts its influence in the world, the students seized upon the rare opportunity to ask questions and take part in an in-depth conversation with Secretary-General Li. 

The atmosphere at the lecture was lively, and Secretary-General Li’s humor and enthusiasm were well received as he shared many practical insights and answered the students’ questions. Although the time was limited, it was an excellent display of enthusiasm towards international cooperation and the shared desire for more exchange activities in the future. NPUST established a cooperative relationship with TaiwanICDF in 1998, and since then, has cultivated more than 300 outstanding professionals from countries around the world in the areas of agriculture, fisheries, and animal husbandry. The first TaiwanICDF doctoral program awardee, Dr. Albert Linton Charles, even went on to become a professor in the NPUST Department of Tropical Agriculture. The close friendship shared by NPUST and TaiwanICDF not only benefits allied and friendly countries, but helps promote Taiwan’s brand on the international stage.

Expressing gratitude to Secretary-General Li for his wonderful speech, the organizers of the event hope that it has inspired students, and will help give them new ideas about how to find their ideal career in the future.

The university representatives kicked off the event together with Indian Association councilor, Omkar Byadgi, and chair, Sagar Pandappa Kalahal. The eventful evening included a history into, lighting ceremony, Indian dance, traditional costume fashion show, food sharing activity, and more.

President Chin-Lung Chang thanked the Indian Student Association for organizing the celebration, saying “through this event, we can learn about different cultures; and Taiwanese and international students can grow together. With a solemn blessing it is my prayer that that the university will be a shining light and our students will all be safe and healthy”.

“Diwali is one of the most important festivals in India”, said Dean Jik-Chang Leong. “It is a time when every family displays lanterns to welcome happiness and light. The Indian Student Association faithfully organized this unique and meaningful event on campus, not only providing Taiwanese students with a chance to learn about the cultural characteristics of other countries, but also allowing NPUST’s Indian students to enjoy the festive atmosphere of their home country.”

At present, there are 14 Indian students, one Indian teacher, and one Nepalese teacher at NPUST— and the event offered them a chance to celebrate India’s biggest annual festival together. Comparable to Chinese New Year celebrations in Taiwan, Dawali is a time for family and friends to reunite. During the festival, lights are used to symbolize knowledge and the “light in people’s hearts”. The light drives away ignorance and darkness, brings people peace of mind, and calls them to look forward to a more prosperous new year. The organizers hope that all teachers and students who participated in the event will be left with good memories to take with them.

NPUST is committed to creating a friendly and multilingual learning environment and providing care for international students, so they can to quickly integrate into their study lives in Taiwan and make the most of every moment.

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Dr. Milla received a master’s degree in Agribusiness Management from NPUST in 2007 and her doctorate degree in Agriculture and Environmental Engineering in 2013. During her five-year doctoral studies, Milla focused on agriculture waste management for biochar production and evaluated the impact that bottom ashes from waste incineration plants have on agriculture. During this time, she successfully published 9 scientific papers on her research.

In September 2013, Milla returned to El Salvador, and from October of the same year to January 2015 she worked as an operations manager/researcher for a company that develops Bio-fertilizers containing microorganisms. In February 2015, Milla was offered the opportunity to work for the National Water Company of El Salvador as an Environmental Technician responsible for supervising environmental impact studies and environmental diagnostics for potable water treatment plants. Five years later, Milla moved to the Dominican Republic to work as the Director of the Postgraduate School at the Cibao Catholic University (UCATECI), but returned to El Salvador in October 2021 by the request of the Minister of Agriculture to serve as General Director of the National School of Agriculture (ENA).

At NPUST, Milla studied in multiple fields of professional learning, including Agribusiness Management, Agricultural Waste Management, and Environmental Engineering. When she returned to El Salvador, she made major contributions both to industry and society by applying what she had learned to her various positions of employment and introducing different aspects of Taiwan’s research to her country. After accumulating job experience, Milla began investing herself in educational activities, and served as a pioneer in the cultivation of professional talent in her field. In this way, the techniques and knowledge she had acquired have been impacting many—and she has brought much pride to her alma mater, NPUST.

In order to recognize the outstanding performances of foreigners who have studied in Taiwan, and inspire foreign students to aim high, the Ministry of Education has been holding the Distinguished Taiwan Alumni Awards biennially since 2018. Upon receiving recommendation, between five and 10 foreign alumni who have made outstanding contributions in academics, business, politics, humanities, communication or other professional fields at home or abroad are selected. NPUST was previously honored to see Asterio Appi, a native of Nauru and alumnus of the Department of Tropical Agriculture and International Cooperation, win the award in its first offering in 2018. And now, Milla has once again put the spotlight back on National Pingtung University of Science and Technology through her accomplishments. In the future, NPUST aims to continue to uphold its heavy responsibility as an institution of education and will continue to focus on cultivating sustainable talent for the world.

In order to unite members of the college and promote cultural exchanges among students from all over the world, the International College has been holding the “International Student Painting Competition” since 2018. The unifying feature of the created works, regardless of the theme, is that participating students have all been required to use watercolor, oil paint, crayons, pastels, pencils, multi-media collages and other tools or methods to produce works of art that represent the beauty and unique cultural characteristics of different countries.

Dozens of outstanding works from the past five years have been assembled by the college. And in addition to displaying them on the walls for people to view, in order to expand their reach, the winning works have also been made into postcards and promotional paper bags which are used during recruitment activities or given as gifts during international exchanges. The aim is to help students become familiar with and appreciate foreign cultures while also enhancing more people’s impression of the NPUST International College, at home and abroad—and ultimately, attracting more recruits to the university.

繼四月的第一場會議後，綠色大學特別規劃了兩場以「Sustainable University Effort during Covid-19 Pandemic」為主題的線上研討會，，邀請各校分享在疫情危機中，教育現場所面臨的經驗與困難。109年5月9日上線的webinar series 1，因應這波疫情對全球糧食供應的衝擊，以「COVID19危機中的永續大學與糧食永續性」為主題，約有共100名全球綠大會員校代表參加，其中有八校受邀就本次主題進行10分鐘簡報。本校由國際事務處副國際長簡赫琳老師與新南向組長張珮君老師共同出席，並由簡副國際長報告本校在這次疫情中的防疫措施與食物政策。副國際長除了介紹學校實施的防疫措施，也特別提到畜牧系的牧場、農園生產系販售的蔬菜以及餐旅系的麵包坊，不僅是本校的一大亮點，也能部分供應本校教職員及學生，在疫情期間降低外出購買的風險。本次簡副國際長的簡報「From Crisis to Opportunity：Linking the Need for Local Food Sufficiency with University Social Responsibility to Build a Resilient Society」也會以小論文的形式，收錄於綠色大學即將在八月出版的刊物中。

延續上一場會議的討論，第二場的綠色大學webinar series 2緊接著在109年6月9日開始，主題為「Teaching, Learning and Working in Sustainable University during COVID19 Pandemic」，並請到來自印尼、土耳其、匈牙利、厄瓜多、智利、拉脫維亞、沙烏地阿拉伯、墨西哥與丹麥的會員代表發表簡報。本次會議由國際事務處簡赫琳副國際長代表參加，共有近百位會員校共同參與，討論十分熱烈。各校代表們皆提到，因為疫情關係，多數學校已停止上班上課，故在如何實施遠距教學時兼顧授課品質與避免學生在線上測驗時作弊成為一大挑戰。