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.

NPUST’s president, Chin-Lung Chang, said in his speech at the opening ceremony: “I hope that through this experience camp, our young friends from Malaysia can feel the enthusiasm and professionalism of educators at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, and I hope that everyone will be able to develop a clearer understanding of the direction they would like to take in the future”. President Chin-Lung Chang emphasized that NPUST attaches great importance to the professional development and cultivation of young international talent.

The subject matter of the experience camp was rich and diverse with many exciting activities planned out, including a “DNA Magic Board Game” by the Department of Biotechnology, “Healthy Fermented Food Production” by the Department of Tropical Agriculture and International Cooperation, “Biological Print Making” and “Clownfish Breeding” by the Department of Aquaculture, “Seed Painting and Soil Plant Environmental Art” by the Department of Plant Industry and much, much more.  

At the completion ceremony and exhibition on June 7, students worked in groups to present their completed works and the short videos they made during the camp. Together they demonstrated their creativity and teamwork through entertaining presentations that brought much laughter and applause to the scene. One student from Kuala Lumpur shared, saying “this was the first time I have been away from Malaysia for so long, and it is also my first time to step into a university in Taiwan. Through the courses over the past few days, I have developed a strong interest in environmental sustainability, and I hope to have the opportunity to study at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology in the future”. The students in the experience camp were very grateful to the Office of International Affairs for organizing such an interesting and meaningful event, and they were also happy to also have the opportunity to meet students from different states in Malaysia and become friends.

The event promoted cultural understanding and exchange between Taiwan and Malaysia, and also created a pathway for Malaysian students to explore Taiwan’s higher education. The Office of International Affairs stated that it will continue to deepen cooperation with schools in Malaysia, expand diverse channels for international admissions, and invite more outstanding students from overseas to experience the academic charm of NPUST.

Vice-Dean Ya Ling Wu explained that “recently, major traffic accidents have occurred on and off campus. So, please stay alert at all times, keep your speed down, and ensure your own personal safety when riding motorcycles”. Wu also thanked Chief Yi-Lung Kuo of the Neipu Branch of the County Police Department, Pingtung County Police Department Foreign Affairs Section Chief Wu-Hsuan Lo and his staff, and the Maternal and Child Health Section and the Traffic Section of the Neipu Police Branch for visiting the school and assisting with the promotional activities.

Division Chief Kuo pointed out to the students that the among the top ten accident-prone intersections, four are located along Shoubi Road and one is on Keda Road (two main roads connecting the campus to the outside world). He called on everyone to pay attention to driving safety, to not drive without a license, and to slow down—as speed is a major factor in accidents.

The traffic safety and anti-fraud presentation for overseas students was proved by Officer Chia-Yun Chen from the Foreign Affairs Division of the Pingtung County Police Department. She reminded the students to protect their personal belongings at all times—such as laptops, wallets, passports, motorcycles— to prevent them from falling into the hands of thieves.

The Stalking and Harassment Prevention Act was also an important item of attention. Officer Chen explained the definition of stalking and harassment to the students, covering the eight behavioral patterns of stalking and harassment. She also explained the procedures used by the police to handle cases, including penalties and court-issued protection orders.

Regarding traffic safety regulations, it was explained to the overseas students that they can exchange their international driver’s licenses for a driver’s license valid for up to one year, but after that, they will need to pass an exam to obtain a local driver’s license—and they shouldn’t drive without a license. For light electric scooters, licenses are not required, but riders still need to wear a helmet and obey traffic regulations.

The officer also warned the international students about fraud, explaining that if they are to encounter any suspicious business activities while working, they should report it to the school security or police. They should also never pay money in exchange for a job opportunity, or give their passport or residence permit to their employer for safekeeping. The students were also warned to never trust high-return investments or singe-page website ads, and they should be aware of and on guard against telephone scams.

At the end of the safety seminar, the police officers held a quiz with prizes, asking questions like whether a driver’s license is required for light electric motorcycles, what the anti-fraud hotline is, what should you do if you lose your wallet, and where the nearest police station is. The activity offered good insight for students new to Taiwan—and thanks to the clear explanations provided by the officers, they will be better equipped to face certain legal issues that they could potentially encounter during their time here.

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.

NPUST Chief Secretary Fang-Ming Lin said that the “‘Generational Integration—Youth and Seniors Learn Together’ activity is not only an opportunity to promote learning, but also an important platform to shorten the distance between generations. This event allowed the elderly to feel the youthful vitality and sincere care of the college students, and also allowed the students to learn valuable wisdom and life experiences from the elderly, thus achieving a deep connection between the university campus and the community.

The morning session began with a class on “Hong Kong-style Fried Chicken Preparation” instructed by Professor Fu-Yuan Cheng from the Department of Animal Science. The class taught the participants how to choose healthy meat and prepare meat products. This was followed by a class on “Edamame Dim Sum Preparation” organized by Assistant Prof. Hung-Ju Tsai and Erin Shih of the Department of Hotel and Restaurant Management. Here, with the help of university students, the seniors learned how to use edamame (a local ingredient in Pingtung), to make nutritious and delicious edamame Dorayaki and edamame crepe roll cake, while also gaining a deeper understanding of the importance of a healthy diet. In addition to helping the elderly improve their life skills, the classes allowed students to experience firsthand the wisdom and rich life experiences of the elderly, and promote cross-generational understanding and communication. After the morning classes, the seniors went to the school’s Second Student Restaurant to participate in a “Nutrition Education” class taught by a nutritionist from the Pingtung County Health Bureau where they learned how to combine the six major types of food to maintain a balanced diet. Afterwards, the participants enjoyed a “Youth and Seniors Meal” together, bringing the day’s “Food Health” session to a close with laughter and friendly interaction.

A number of lectures, paper presentations, and AI creative competitions were scheduled throughout the day, with the four keynote lectures including: “AI Sustainable City”, “AI and Gender Equality”, “Generating Music with Suno AI”, and “Generative AI and Literature”. The seminar saw enthusiastic participation with 196 submissions coming in from the university group and 33 submissions from the high school group, making for 229 contributions in total. After evaluation, 10 works from each group were selected for exhibition and on-site voting.

Commenting on the trends in AI and education, Vice President for Academic Affairs Shui-jen Chen said, “if general education wants to keep pace with the times, it must actively embrace AI technology and creatively work to incorporate generative tools in the humanities so that the next generation of students will not only be able to use technology, but also be able to think deeply about its meaning and impact.” Chairman Zuway-R Hong of the Taiwan Congress on College General Education also pointed out that “improving workplace competitiveness for college students is an important aim and undertaking for university teachers—so we must seize the opportunities of this new AI era”. For visitors to the NPUST campus, Director Tin-Yu Wu of the Department of Information Management was also invited to introduce the AI-enabled Smart Computing Classroom which was newly established on campus to help NPUST apply AI to its “Intelligence Agriculture” (IA) development goal.

The seminar focused on the cross-domain integration of general education in the AI ​​era. Through the four main sessions participants deeply explored the applications and challenges of AI technology when it comes to sustainable development, arts and cultural creation, general education, and cultural classics. Topics covered AI-led sustainable urban transformation, gender equality and legal observation, the use of AI-generated music in teaching, and the ways in which AI can assist with the innovative interpretation of classical literature, making it clear that AI is not only a tool for technological innovation, but also an important opportunity to stimulate reflection in education and the humanities. Through the quality lectures, the participants were able to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between technology and human values, and the diversified development paths that are unfolding for general education in the future. This seminar also demonstrated the forward-looking vision and practical capabilities of NPUST when it comes to the integration of AI and the humanities, and it was an opportunity to promote cross-domain dialogue and set an innovative example for the development of higher education in southern Taiwan.

President Chin-Lung Chang said that helping students smoothly transition from the campus to the workplace has always been a matter of great concern for the university. A total of 195 well-known companies were invited to participate in this year’s job fair with the aim of creating a rich employment matching platform. At the fair, there were also as many as 140 companies providing job opportunities for overseas students, making it clear that companies recognize the school’s ability to cultivate international talent and manifest the strengths of diversity and inclusion.

The event adopted a dual-track recruitment mechanism, with on-site interviews and an online resume submission platform to allow students who were unable to attend in person to access the job resources. A brand new “Career Navigation Zone” also provided bilingual career consulting services to local and international students so that they could communicate directly with companies and get informed on industry trends and workplace needs.

195 Companies and 5000 Vacancies

The recruitment expo was held under the banner of “NPUST Smart Manufacturing Leaps Forward in the Year of the Snake” and it brought together 195 well-known companies and business entities such as Delta Electronics, ASE, Yageo, Super Qin Enterprise, Uni-President Superior Commissary Corp., CP Group, Dachan Group, Fu Tsu Construction, Te Chang Construction, TCI Group, Medigen, Center Ventures, Wow Prime, Ambassador Hotel, KYMCO, YAMAHA, NCSIST and many more. Job opportunities were offered in a variety of fields, including smart agriculture, technology manufacturing, construction and engineering, food retail, medical biotechnology, and hospitality services, to name a few. With nearly 5,000 job vacancies on the table, it made for the largest and most resourceful employment matching platform in Pingtung to date. Oscillating Saw Blade

Job-hunting Activities Prepare Students in Advance

Since March, NPUST has been holding a series of job-hunting activities in anticipation of the graduation season. These activities included career lectures, resume workshops, job briefings, manufacturer briefings, corporate visits, labor rights lectures, career consulting services, and more. The goal is to help students to grasp the latest workplace trends and corporate needs, further enhance their job-hunting skills and workplace competitiveness, and help them fully prepare to enter the workplace. On top of this, the university is also providing exclusive career counseling services for its international students, including bilingual career consultation, resume ‘health checks’, labor law lectures and local cultural experience workshops to help them align with Taiwanese workplace expectations.

Professor Wen-Ling Shih said, “this University Social Responsibility project focuses on the Makatao people in Pingtung, and is actually more concerned with issues related to the recognition of Pingpu ethnic groups, so it is necessary to get an understanding of a diversity of ethnic cultures. The Tracing the Pingpu course brings teachers and students on visits to the National Museum of Taiwan History, the National Museum of Prehistory in Tainan, and also to the Tribe of Liuzhong Creek in Baihe District. This time, we also joined hands with the elders of Laopi Village to go to the Siaolin Tribe in Kaohsiung to participate in an event with them. This is to gradually build an understanding of the knowledge systems of aboriginal culture and extend the resilience of education”.

Chia-Chun Ku, instructor of the Chinese Food Culture course, said: “we are very fortunate to be able to participate in the 11th Taivoan Cultural Song and Dance Festival as part of the Tracing the Pingpu practical curriculum. The annual ‘Forbidden Way’ ceremony needs to place focus on farming to reflect the connection between climate and ethnic culture. The Siaolin Tribe has experienced typhoons and migrations, and through the theater performances of the Daman Dance Troupe and the villagers, the tribe’s people are working together to fight and regain the light. This year’s theme is ‘Embracing the Land’, which connotes the idea of returning to the roots. Participants can immerse themselves in the guided tours, markets, theaters and rituals. It is a very rich cultural festival”.

“Participation” and “observation” are important aspects of cultural research, and are the basis of the Tracing the Pingpu project. The teachers, students and community partners who led the courses walked together with the Siaolin Tribe, exploring cross-ethnic dialogues, rituals, creative works and industries. In this way they could get an understanding of the way in which the Siaolin Tribe rethought their existence and way of life after relocation. These things resonate quite heavily with the “Project for Shaping Cultural Resilience and Constructing Sustainable Economics within the Makatao Tribe’s Healthy Agricultural Industry”. The observations allowed team members and community partners to access different fields of learning, and they look forward to inspiring unique activities and performances for cultural transmission in the future so that Makatao culture can also return to the stage.

The Pakistan and Indonesian student unions warmly invited all Muslim students and their families to attend the Iftar gathering, so that they could embrace the blessings of Ramadan and share the joy of the holy month together. According to the National Religious Information Network, Eid al-Fitr is scheduled for the 1st day of the 10th month on the Islamic calendar. The festival is a time for Muslims to celebrate the end of Ramadan, which falls on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. One of the two most important annual holidays in Islam is the month of Ramadan. During this month, which is a month of fasting, Muslims can normally only eat after dusk and before sunrise, but must stop eating from sunrise to sunset each day. When the month is over, the Eid al-Fitr celebration follows.

During the activities, which were carefully planned out by the Pakistani and Indonesian student unions, the participants prayed piously on mats to celebrate the beginning the festival, and they enjoyed a delicious feast full of hometown flavors together with their schoolmates and family—making for a time full of blessings and joy. At NPUST, the Office of International Affairs shows great consideration for both the studies and lives of its foreign students, and hopes by organizing various cultural activities and festivals, the students can feel the warmth of home while studying in Taiwan, and NPUST’s local students can also get acquainted with the diverse cultures the school’s foreign students.

NPUST currently has 48 students from Caribbean countries enrolled in studies at the school, including 6 from Saint Vincent. While on campus, Ambassador Bowman had a brief meeting with university president Chin-Lung Chang before the lecture. The president expressed his deep gratitude to the ambassador for taking the time to come to the south of Taiwan to provide a lecture at NPUST. The ambassador praised the high-quality education afforded by National Pingtung University of Science and Technology and said that the first student from Saint Vincent to study at NPUST intends to continue at the university in pursuit of a doctorate degree.

Ambassador Bowman believes that in the current educational context, “gender equality” cannot fully meet the needs of women and men. She believes that quality education in “Goal 4” of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aims at “ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all” is closest to her ideals. Bowman argued that the current social environment has not yet achieved expected goals, and that gender “equity” should be emphasized more than gender “equality” in modern education. The students who participated in the lecture agreed that “gender equity” is more substantial than “gender equality”. The NPUST Office of International Affairs organized the gender quality education lecture to inspire positive thinking among teachers and students with respect to the practice of gender equality issues.