The day’s experiences were kicked off by Professor Po-Lun Hou from the Department of Wood Science and Design with a unique ceramic print making activity, during which the youngsters kneaded, pinched and shaped clay in an amazing burst of concentration. After this, teacher Chia-Chun Ku from the Research Center put on a “Rice Party”, showing the young students how to knead glutinous rice balls, wrap fillings, and press them into molds to make traditional Hakka red tortoise cake. After the fragrant cakes came out of the steamer, Associate Professor Hsiu-Tsu Chen from the Department of Fashion Design and Management used a creative “Clay Photo Frame Decoration” activity to unleash the children’s imagination and creativity. The finale was organized by teachers from the Department of Biotechnology, who brought two fascinating scientific experiences that explored the mysteries of life by looking at “Cell Division” and “Genetically Modified Frogs”.

In addition to the experience activities put on by the teachers, NPUST alumnus company Benison and Co., Ltd., the Department of Aquaculture, and the Department of Plant Industry arranged a “Rice, Fish & Vegetables Let You Fall in Love with Food” activity to help children understand healthy eating, the sources of food, and the hard work that takes place behind every bite of food we take.   After the activities came to an end, the children’s reluctance to leave was a clear reflection of the work and care that NPUST puts into its USR programs. These programs, which have also been received with enthusiasm by alumni entrepreneurs, are a product of the energy that the university is investing in the future of children and its desire to irrigate the roots of culture and the nourish the buds of education in the hearts of the young.

In his opening speech, President Chin-Lung Chang said “since its founding in 1924, NPUST has played a key role in Taiwan’s economic development and agricultural modernization process. Presently, the university has integrated the principles of sustainable development and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into its education, research, school governance and community services. Our school’s seven colleges place special emphasis on interdisciplinary teaching and research in order to address multi-faceted issues such as agricultural production, environmental ecology, elderly welfare and social responsibility. The school will continue to serve in the capacity of a local think tank to make substantial contributions to community revitalization.” The conference attracted many domestic and foreign heavyweight guests, including Professor Chin-Lung Chang, President of NPUST; Gene Lay, founder and CEO of BioLegend; and Professor Riri Fitri Sari, Chairman of the World GreenMetric University Rankings.

In order to help set the context, four representatives of the UNTA Alliance (UNTA), including Dr. Nguyen Thi Giang, were asked to share their views on the challenges and opportunities of sustainable development, and discuss new thought on related issues with experts and scholars from different fields. For the afternoon panel discussions, Distinguished Professor and Chief Program Director of the Ministry of Education University Social Responsibility Promotion Center, Yuhlong Oliver Su, served as the host for talks on the theme of “Promoting Change through USR: Public Advocacy, Innovation, and Welfare”. Guests included Vice President Noel Brown of the Caribbean Maritime University; Associate Professor Boontida Uapipatanakul of Rajamangala University of Technology in Thailand; Chairman Mei-ling Chen of the Taiwan Regional Revitalization Foundation; Lifetime Distinguished Professor Hsu-Yang Kung of the NPUST Center of Interdisciplinary Feature Development; and Dean Yi-Lun Tsai of the NPUST Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

In the “Achieving a Sustainable Future: Innovative Application of Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture” venue, Distinguished Professor Joe-Air Jiang of the National Taiwan University Department of Biomechatronics Engineering served as the host. Guests included Professor Yusuf Hendrawan from the University of Brawijaya, Indonesia; Director Yen-Wei Chu of the NCHU Graduate Institute of Genomics and Bioinformatics; Vice Dean Deng-Neng Chen of the NPUST College of Management; and Director Wen Tzong Lee of the NPUST Department of Biology. With discussions covering such diverse topics as sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, climate action, biodiversity conservation, circular economies and social innovation, the conference provided a valuable platform to share related knowledge through poster and paper presentations.

The University Network for Tropical Agriculture (UNTA) was established by NPUST in 2012, and with Tarlac Agricultural University receiving approval for membership this year, the network currently includes 29 universities from 14 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. This year, 26 representatives including principals, vice principals and professors from 14 member schools in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Taiwan participated in the gathering.