http://www.studyintaiwan.org// http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news112.html Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 +0800 the new drug...could dramatically improve the treatment of osteoporosis...

Taipei, May 15 (CNA) National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) has signed a deal to provide technology related to a potential new osteoporosis drug to pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk A/S for a payment of US$13.3 million if the project is successfully completed.

The amount was the highest ever for the transfer of technology developed by a Taiwanese academic institution, the university said.

The signing ceremony, held in Taipei, was attended by Education Minister Chiang Wei-ning, NCKU President Hwung Hwung-hweng, the head of the research team, professor Chang Ming-shi, and representatives from the Danish company.

Novo Nordisk said the new drug is now entering the latter part of phase two clinical trials, and phase three trials, involving more widespread testing on humans, will begin in two or three years.

"If all goes well, chances are good that it will hit the market in five or six years at the earliest," a company representative said.

The university said the new drug, if passes clinical trials, could dramatically improve the treatment of osteoporosis and reduce side effects.

The new drug is based on the research team's discovery last year that a protein secreted by the immune system, called interleukin-20 (IL-20), can trigger osteoporosis if it overproduced.

The team found that IL-20 stimulated the formation of bone cells called "osteoclasts," which promote a decrease in bone mass.

In tests on mice showing symptoms of osteoporosis, the team found that giving the mice IL-20 antibodies protected the animals from osteoporosis and increased their bone density.

The study was the first time a link between IL-20 and osteoporosis had been explored, and it drew a lot of attention in academia and the biotechnology industry when it was published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine last September.

Should the drug prove effective, it would have a lucrative market. An estimated US$8 billion per year is spent on medication to treat osteoporosis around the world, and the amount is expected to rise to US$8.8 billion by 2015.

Education Minister Chiang hailed the technology transfer, noting that it is rare for Taiwan to develop new drugs and saying it represented a major stride forward for research programs at Taiwan's major universities.

(By Hsu Chi-wei and Lilian Wu)

http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aALL&ID=201205150029]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news111.html Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 +0800 it is more important to offer a superior working environment

Taipei, May 9 (CNA) The vice president of Taiwan's Academia Sinica told a legislative committee Wednesday that he was once tempted to leave the country for a lucrative post at a Hong Kong university, but decided in the end to stay in Taiwan.

Asked about this lucrative offer at the Education and Culture Committee, Wang Fan-sen, a renowned history researcher, said that after much thought, he declined the offer of NT$800,000 (US$272,604) per month to serve as the university's vice president because he felt it was more significant to remain in Taiwan to pursue his studies.

But Wang also said that "although patriotism and love for this land are important, salary is also very important," adding that the offer was far more than his salary at the time of more than NT$100,000 a month as director of the Institute of History and Philology.

At the committee meeting, legislators drew attention to a "declaration on talent recruitment" made by Academia Sinica President Chi-Huei Wong and key figures in the academic, business and media sectors last August that called on the government and society to pay greater attention to the imbalance between supply and demand for talented professionals.

Wong warned in the declaration that if Taiwan fails to address the crisis, the island can expect to lose its competitive edge in the coming years.

The academic added that since the Legislature passed the Fundamental Science and Technology Act, there is a bigger flexibility for retaining talents.

However, he also said that it is not uncommon for talents to come and go in the world, so as long as Taiwan can attract talented people to work in Taiwan, then "we don't have to worry about the short-term brain drain phenomenon."

A handsome salary is one way to attract talents, he said, but "it is more important to offer a superior working environment."

As long as Taiwan has "this kind of superior working environment, it won't have to worry about not attracting talents," he said.

(By Lin Szu -yu and Lilian Wu)

http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aALL&ID=201205090042]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news110.html Mon, 07 May 2012 00:00:00 +0800 Spring semester 2013 International Student Admissions

The application period of  Spring semester 2013  is from July 20 to October 20,2012  and you will be enrolled in February  2013  if accepted.

For the further information, you could check our websites as below.
International Student Admissions Website: http://admissions.oia.ncku.edu.tw/
Current/opening programs: http://admissions.oia.ncku.edu.tw/college/open.programs
Application procedure: http://admissions.oia.ncku.edu.tw/doc/view/sn/10
Scholarship/Assistant information: http://admissions.oia.ncku.edu.tw/doc/view/sn/8
Chinese Language Center for only learning Mandarin courses: http://kclc.ncku.edu.tw/
(Our University provides free Chinese Language for international students 3 hours a week.)]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news109.html Mon, 07 May 2012 00:00:00 +0800 his research has opened the way for the development of new vaccines and medications

Tokyo, May 4 (CNA) Chi-Huey Wong, president of Taiwan's Academia Sinica, has been named one of the three winners of the Nikkei Asia Prize for his research on glycochemistry, Nihon Keizai Shimbun announced Friday.

Wong, 63, won in the science, technology and innovation category,the newspaper said, noting that his research has opened the way for the development of new vaccines and medications.

The prize, established by Nihon Keizai Shimbun in 1996, is bestowed to non-Japanese Asians who have contributed to enhancing the welfare of the people in the region.

Jury head Shoichiro Toyoda lauded Wong as the world's leading expert in glycochemistry and said his research has been widely used to help treat cancer and infectious and immunological diseases.

He also noted that Wong worked at Riken, a major natural science research institute in Japan, between 1991 and 1999, and helped the institute after his return to Taiwan.

"Wong has contributed a great deal to the promotion of Taiwan-Japan exchanges," he said.

Wong was Taiwan's sixth recipient of the prize.

Previous Taiwanese winners include Wu Maw-kuen, then directorof the Institute of Physics of Academia Sinica, Taiwan's leading research institution, and Chen Ding-shinn, National Taiwan University professor and a leading researcher on hepatitis.

Chang Chun-yen, professor emeritus of National Chiao Tung University; Hsu Wen-lung, founder of Chi Mei Corp.; and Taiwan Manufacturing Semiconductor Co. Chairman Morris Chang, also won the award.

This year's two other winners were Chinese environmentalist Yang Yong and Sybil Wettasinghe, a Sri Lankan writer and illustrator.

Yang took the award in the regional growth category. He has studied ecosystems and water quality along China's Yangtze River for more than 20 years, working to strengthen environmental conservation in the country.

Wettasinghe, a Sri Lankan writer and illustrator of children's books, won in the culture category. Her works, which draw on Sri Lanka's cultural diversity and natural beauty, have been translated overseas and are enjoyed by children around the world.

(By Yang Ming-chu and Lilian Wu)

http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aALL&ID=201205040032]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news108.html Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0800 http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news106.html Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0800 ...a conference will be held later this year to search for the best strategies

Taipei, April 23 (CNA) Taiwan will spare no efforts in the next few years to promote a scientific and technological upgrade of the country, and a conference will be held later this year to search for the best strategies to achieve the goal, Science Minister Cyrus Chu said Monday.

"The next two years will be the turning point for Taiwan's science and technology development, and it is the only window of opportunity left for such development," Chu said in a speech at Academia Sinica, Taiwan's top academic research institution.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Chairman Morris Chang and Acer founder Stan Shih both feel the same way, he said.

Chu, who heads the National Science Council, said he will make good use of a planned national science and technology conference in December to study how to bring about such an upgrade.

The agenda will cover how to maintain Taiwan's position in academic research on the international stage, how to ensure that Taiwan's information technology sector keeps making progress, and how to integrate Taiwan's academic research sector with the business sector, Chu said.

The planned national conference, which is held every four years to outline science and technology development projects for the country, will also touch on issues concerning Taiwan's intellectual property right protection, sustainable development and the science and technology brain drain, he said.

(By Lin Meng-ju and Elizabeth Hsu)]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news105.html Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0800
For more information, please visit our website.
http://c015.wtuc.edu.tw/ezcatfiles/c015/img/img/1401/2012chinesesummercampprogramdetails.pdf]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news103.html Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0800 詳情請見 http://c015.wtuc.edu.tw/front/bin/ptdetail.phtml?Part=12040001&Rcg=6]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news102.html Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0800 Application Information Brochure for International Students

2012年外國學生招生簡章

詳情請見  http://asp2003.fy.edu.tw/cite/ShowAnc/AncShow.asp?anc_id=IA00000499]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news101.html Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0800 Young talent, moreover, could be drawn to such an environment

Taipei, April 17 (CNA) The benefits of liberalizing Taiwan's economy are many, including the prevention of political anxiety and the country's brain drain, a U.S. specialist in international studies said Tuesday.

The liberalization process would relax Taiwan's sovereignty tensions resulting from its frequent exchanges with China and attract more talent to the island, said John Hamre, president and CEO of the Washington-headquartered Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Taiwan is on a trajectory of grafting its economy onto China, which is making people nervous about national sovereignty, he said in an interview with CNA.

In 2010, Taiwan and China signed the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, a bilateral preferential trade agreement. There have since been worries that Taiwan will become over-reliant on China economically.

President Ma Ying-jeou has nevertheless said on several occasions that the agreement is a purely economic pact that does not involve sovereignty issues.

Hamre, however, said he believes that the closer the economic integration is with China, the more the question looms of Taiwan losing its sovereignty.

"I think the only way out of that is for Taiwan to liberalize its economy and embrace a globally competitive environment," he added.

Young talent, moreover, could be drawn to such an environment, he added.

"I don't think in that environment you'll see a brain drain ... If the exciting opportunities are here, young people will stay," he said.

Days earlier, a Singaporean politician described Taiwan as facing a brain drain due to its failure to keep domestic talent and attract foreigners.

Taiwan will become less globally competitive if it does not keep up with other Asian countries, Hamre said.

"It is certainly lagging behind ... Obviously, Korea and Singapore are much more advanced in liberalizing their economies," he said.

Taiwan's first step toward economic liberalization would be to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership, he said.

Last year, Ma vowed to steer Taiwan toward joining that trade bloc within the next decade, promising to work on liberalizing the country's economy to create the conditions necessary to join the partnership.

(By Nancy Liu)]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news100.html Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0800 promote personnel exchanges and launch joint research projects on topics of mutual interest

Taipei, April 13 (CNA) Academia Sinica, Taiwan's highest academic research institute, will forge cooperative relations with the University of Malaya to promote personnel exchanges and launch joint research projects on topics of mutual interest, the institute said Friday in a statement.

Academia Sinica President Chi-Huey Wong will sign a memorandum of understanding with the university during an April 16-17 visit to the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, according to the statement.

The statement said that Wong, who will be accompanied by several other Academia Sinica scholars, will deliver a lecture titled: "From Discovery Research to Translational Innovation" at the university, the largest and oldest in Malaysia, and will also visit faculties, laboratories and research centers there.

He will also discuss opportunities for future cooperation in microbial diversity and applications in biotechnology, bio-informatics and bio-markers, infectious diseases, and climate change, the statement said.

In the future, the cooperation will expand to the fields of humanities, maths, physical sciences and other life science areas, the institute said.

(By Lin Szu-yu and Elizabeth Hsu)]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news99.html Tue, 10 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0800 HEALTHY BODY, HEALTHY MIND

By Hu Ching-hui, Meng Ching-tzu and Su Meng-chuan  /  Staff Reporters, Taipei Times

Courses taught at universities across the country that offer real life knowledge are gaining in popularity with college students.

Among them a course introduced by Chen Iou-zen (陳右人), a professor in National Taiwan University’s (NTU) department of horticulture and landscape architecture, not only provides lessons on the art of tea and physical health, it also includes a weekly tea--tasting at which students can try four types of tea from around the world. The course has proved a big hit with students.

Chen, who is also known as “Doctor of Teas,” initially offered a course titled “Tea and the Tea Industry” available exclusively to students from the College of Agriculture and College of Life Science, with an upper limit of 15 students.

The course later sparked a frenzy among NTU students, when it became a frequent subject of online discussions on the university Bulletin Board Systems (BBS). As a result, there was a surge in the number of students wanting to attend the class.

Chen decided to make the course available to all NTU students four years ago, and more than 300 students have enrolled for the class every semester since.

“The course syllabus contains an introduction to the origins of tea trees and tea leaves, tea in China and around the world, the 10 most famous teas of Taiwan, the cultivation of tea trees and tea production, the relationship between tea and health, and the art of tea,” Chen said, adding that he does not conduct roll call in the class and students are not required to have a basic understanding of tea.

In addition to familiarizing students with the global tea industry, Chen said that he pays for the weekly tea--tasting out of his own pocket.

“In the course of a semester, students could try between 60 and 70 types of tea from Taiwan, China, Indonesia, India, Myanmar, Malawi, Kenya and South Africa,” Chen said.
He first organized the weekly tea-tasting event so that his students could observe up close the color, aroma and taste of different types of tea.

During each weekly session, Chen places different tea leaves, together with large barrels containing an infusion of each type of tea, in the four corners of the school auditorium, a venue used because of the large number of students enrolled in the class.

Waiting in line, students first place the tea leaves on a plate to observe their surface texture, fill a bowl with tea to examine its color, place infused tea leaves in a teacup and shake them to savor the aroma.

In order to ensure each student tastes all four teas on offer, Chen asks about seven postgraduate students to help out at each event.

They help him prepare the tea, arrange tea sets and engage students in conversation asking them their impressions of the different teas.

Noting the generosity of Chen, one student wrote online: “I am afraid professor Chen will bankrupt himself if he continues to treat so many students to such an array of different teas.”

Chen said that his main goal is to promote the tea industry.

An NTU department of finance student surnamed Hsiang (項), who is a former student of Chen, said the class taught her how to make a good pot of green tea, a passion of hers.
“I used to brew my tea with boiling water in a bid to speed up the brewing process. After taking the class, I realized that the process required the water to be at a lower temperature, about 60oC to 80oC, to make the pot of green tea less bitter,” Hsiang said.

Undergraduate academic affairs director Hung Tai-hsiung (洪泰雄) said the school was delighted to see students learning more about life and willing to take some of the more varied courses offered by the university.

Meanwhile, National Cheng Kung University recently announced the school’s 10 favorite courses during the second semester. Six of the spots were taken by courses on healthcare and medical treatment — including occupational therapy and healthy living (1st), first aid in an emergency (3rd), exercise and health (5th), animal parasitology and life (8th), emotions and stress management (9th), and structure and functions of the human body (10th).

Huang Ya-shu (黃雅淑), an -occupational therapy and health instructor, said the real world aspects of her course were probably the main reason for its popularity.

“The course discusses profound theories in plain language, with introductions to relevant types of diseases and health knowledge. If we talk about geriatric diseases then students are better able to relate textbook content to the physical condition of their elderly relatives. If we discuss the -discomfort caused by sports injuries or inappropriate body posture, they learn about the importance of warming up before exercise and proper body posture,” Huang said.

Health-related courses are also popular with students at National Chung Hsing University, with classes on “health and life,” designed by Health Center director Chang Shu-liang (張淑良), accounting for the universities top three most popular courses.

Of the 1,745 students who initially took the course, only 355 were allowed to officially enroll following the school’s standard procedure of drawing lots.

The three most popular courses at National Sun Yet-sen University were also health-related, suggesting that courses on health and medical treatment are well-liked by students because they offer practical knowledge that can be applied to everyday life.

Translated by Stacy Hsu, Staff Writer Taipei Times

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/04/10/2003529983/1]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news98.html Mon, 02 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0800
The number of Taiwanese with a college, university or other type of higher education degree has increased every year to 39 percent of the population in 2009, statistics released by the Ministry of the Interior showed on Saturday.

Compared with other countries, Taiwan’s higher-education population is higher than the average of 30 percent of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member states.

It ties with South Korea’s 39 percent, but is lower than Japan’s 44 percent, the findings show.
Taiwan’s higher-education population also is lower than Canada’s 49 percent, the US’ 41 percent and New Zealand’s 40 percent.
However, it is higher than Germany’s 26 percent of the population, Britain’s 37 percent, France’s 30 percent, Switzerland’s 35 percent, Norway’s 37 percent and Sweden’s 33 percent.

The statistics on the education level of people over 15 years of age show that by the end of last year, 38.2 percent of such Taiwanese were holders of degrees from colleges or universities, while 32.3 percent were high school or vocational high-school graduates.

About 7.53 million Taiwanese had completed their higher education as of Dec. 31 last year, Ministry officials said.

The percentage of people in Taiwan who have obtained a higher education degree has increased by 15.2 percentage points over the past 10 years amid a drop in the illiterate population, which fell to 1.8 percent at the end of last year, officials said.

In terms of demographics, 28.7 percent of Taiwanese men aged above 40 completed higher education, while 20 percent of Taiwanese women older than 40 completed higher education.

However, the percentage of women younger than 40 years old and with a degree reached 57.2 percent, higher than the 53.3 percent of men in the same age group holding a degree, government statistics show.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/04/02/2003529321]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news97.html Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0800
NTU moved up two brackets from 81-90 to 61-70 and was the only university in Taiwan to make it into the top 100 in the Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings released a day earlier.

Thanks to a five-year, NT$50 billion (US$1.69 billion) government subsidy program, NTU has been moving up in other world rankings, including the U.K.'s QS World University Rankings and the Academic Ranking of World Universities conducted by Shanghai's Jiao Tong University, said an NTU official.

Given that only 0.5 percent of all universities in the world made it into the top 100, the ascendance of NTU into the top 100 is expected to boost Taiwan's efforts to recruit overseas students, especially from Southeast Asia, Chern Ji-wang, NTU's dean of research and development, was quoted by local media as saying.

The progress in the Times Higher Education rankings met the school's expectations, but NTU has set its sights on getting into the top 50, Chern added.

NTU is widely recognized for its research capacity, with its academic papers showing up in prestigious publications and being cited by academics the world over, said Phil Baty, an editor of the survey.

Harvard University tops the chart, while the United States as a whole boasts seven universities in the top 10 and 44 in total rankings -- the most by country among the countries surveyed.

Placed second was Massachusetts Institute of Technology, followed by University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, Stanford University and University of California at Berkeley.

The top 50 universities are each assigned a ranking and a numerical score for reputation in this year's survey, while those outwith the top 50 are given a group ranking from 51-60, 61-70, 71-80, 81-90, and 91-100, without being assigned a specific score.

The relative rankings among individual universities did not change much from last year, but colleges in East Asia have shown steady upward progress, including schools in Taiwan and China, Baty said.

Compared with schools in some Western countries, which have been trimming educational spending because of economic uncertainty, Asian governments are boosting their best universities with special funding, he noted.

The top-performer in Asia this year was Japan's University of Tokyo at 8th, followed by National University of Singapore, which moved from 34th to 23rd this year.

Next in line were China's Tsinghua University, which advanced from 35th last year to 30th, and the University of Hong Kong, which edged up from 42nd to 39th, while South Korea's Seoul National University leaped from 109th to the 51-60 bracket this year.

The survey shows that Asian universities are gaining more clout but it will take time for them to surpass their counterparts in the West, Baty said.

The survey was conducted between 2011-2012, in which 17,500 academics from 137 countries were asked to give their views on the universities' performances in terms of teaching and research.

(By Hsu Chih-wei, Jennifer Huang and Scully Hsiao)

http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aALL&ID=201203150027]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news96.html Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0800
In addition to traditionally popular business majors, Chinese language and culture and visual communication design have squeezed into the 10 most popular majors chosen by foreign students in Taiwan over the past three years, according to MOE figures.

Another rising star is finance, which was the top major of choice among foreign students in 2010 and 2011, the MOE said.

Other more traditional favorites that continue to prove popular are business administration, management, science and engineering.

The MOE attributed the rising popularity of finance as a major to Taiwan's increasing recruitment of students from Southeast Asian countries, with the region's booming financial sector boosting demand for those majors.

Max K.W. Liu, dean of the International College at Ming Chuan University, said the choice of major for foreign students is often related to market demand in their home countries.

Countries in Asia have a high frequency of contacts with the Chinese market, leading to an increase in demand for Mandarin speaking talent, Liu said.

Also, the increasing popularity of visual design could be traced to rising demand in cultural and creative industries and also growing recognition of Taiwan's soft power in the international community, Liu said.

Tai Wan-chin, vice president for International Affairs at Tamkang University, said as a Chinese language and culture major tailored to international students is less demanding than the traditional Chinese language and literature major, the former is more popular among foreign students.

(By Hsu Chi-wei and Ann Chen)
Enditem/ls

http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=Eng_InterComm&ID=201202280001]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news95.html Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0800
London, Feb. 14 (CNA) Taipei is the 34th-best city to study in the world, according to a ranking released by the United Kingdom-based QS education network Tuesday.

The Best Student Cities ranking is topped by Paris, followed by London, Boston, Melbourne, Vienna, Sydney, Zurich, Berlin, Dublin and Montreal, in that order.

Rounding out the top 20 are Barcelona, Singapore, Munich, Lyon, Chicago, Madrid, San Francisco, New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

The two Chinese cities that make the top 50 are Beijing and Shanghai, at 28th and 39th, respectively.

The cities were measured using 12 indicators that take into account the quality and number of internationally ranked universities as well as factors such as quality of living, affordability, and the popularity of various universities among employers.

Danny Bryne, a senior editor at QS, told CNA that the existence of many excellently rated universities in Taipei contributed greatly to the city's good performance in the ranking.

Other favorable factors were the city's affordable cost of living and tuition, Bryne said.

He explained that Paris was rated the world's best city for students mainly because it is home to a large number of prestigious universities when its cost of living and tuition are relatively lower.

On average, international students in Paris spend US$1,000 per year less on tuition than those in London and Boston, he said.

(By Jennifer Huang and Y.F. Low)

http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aALL&ID=201202150013]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news94.html Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0800
The group of foreign students from Germany, the United States, Vietnam, and the Philippines competed against senior citizens in a tangyuan making competition held by Kaohsiung City government.

A student from the Philippines said he was thrilled to make tangyuan for the first time, while a German student said he really enjoyed having the chance to learn more about traditional Chinese New Year customs.

In Chinese culture, it is believed that eating tangyuan brings blessings for the following year.

During the Lantern Festival, which falls on Feb. 6 this year, Taiwanese people often enjoy lantern displays and in some cases send lanterns into the sky to officially conclude the Lunar New Year holiday.

(By Chen Ja-fo and Hanna Liu) ENDITEM/npw
http://focustaiwan.tw/SearchNews/hyDetailws.aspx?qid=201202020033&q=international+students]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news92.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0800
The number of foreign students pursuing formal academic degrees in Taiwan has increased significantly in the past four years, with the number of foreign undergraduates almost doubling, according to new statistics released by the Ministry of Education.

For foreign students, the most popular disciplines are banking and finance, business administration, information technology, science and engineering, the statistics show.
Bureau of International Cultural and Educational Relations director Lin Wen-tong (林文通) said students from India are the most noteworthy, as 90 percent of them were pursuing doctorates in chemistry or chemical engineering.

In the last academic year, more than 550 of the 1,497 foreign nationals pursuing doctorates in Taiwan were Indian and an overwhelming majority of them were chemistry or chemical engineering majors, Lin said.

“The trend could be attributed to a long-term talent shortage in those two sectors in India,” he added.

According to the ministry's statistics, the number of foreign undergraduate students increased to 4,847 in the last academic year, from 2,454 in 2007, when figures for foreign students were last published.

The number of foreign students pursuing master's degrees also rose from 2,033 to 3,603 in the same period, while the number of doctoral degree candidates more than doubled to 1,497, from 743.

One of the government's major educational policies has been to try to attract more foreign students, Lin said, adding that the ministry looks forward to seeing the number of students who come from abroad to pursue academic degrees or conduct short-term study programs increase to 130,000 by 2020, from 48,000 in the last academic year.

At present, Southeast Asian nations are the top source of expatriate students pursuing formal academic degrees, while those from China form the bulk of exchange students in short-term study programs.

Lin said students from different countries tend to have different favorite academic disciplines. For instance, students from Southeast Asian nations mostly study banking, finance and business administration.

“Local universities or colleges' MBA and banking/financing departments have been the top choice for Southeast Asian students,” Lin said. “Perhaps, it's because their countries were once hard hit by the global financial tsunami and an MBA degree could make it easier for them to find jobs in their home countries after they graduate.”

A breakdown by nationality showed that students from Vietnam tend to study international trade and Thais focus on -pursuing MBAs. Students from Indonesia and Malaysia are mostly ethnic Chinese who opt for the humanities, social sciences, journalism or mass communication.

In contrast, students from the US are mostly interested in studying Chinese language and culture. Japanese students also like to study the humanities and social sciences.

Because Taiwan plays an important role in the global information technology industry, Lin said, an increasing number of young students from eastern European countries such as Romania, Hungary and the Czech Republic have traveled to Taiwan to pursue academic degrees.

Local tertiary education institutions recruited 200 students from Russia after they took part in an education fair in Moscow last year, Lin said.

“We are considering organizing a delegation of local universities to hold education fairs in major eastern European countries to attract more of their young people to study in Taiwan, as part of efforts to expand our education market,” he added.]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news91.html Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0800 http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news93.html Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0800
Since the government launched a host family program two years ago, it has trained and certified 1,162 host families, which have accommodated 327 international students during their stays in Taiwan, Wu said at a press conference to announce the achievements of the program.

"The program aims to help international students feel more at home in Taiwan," said the minister, adding that it has helped around 80 local schools provide host family services.

Maria Neuhuass, who came to Taiwan to learn Chinese, said her host family has taken her to many places, including the filming location of the Taiwanese film "Seediq Bale." This has helped her learn more about local culture, she said.

"But what I enjoyed the most was having meals with the family, chatting and telling jokes to make each other laugh," said the 23-year-old German, who arrived in Taiwan in September.

Sun Yu-chien, one of the hosts, said her family enrolled in the program because she wanted to make international students feel at home in Taiwan, as her own daughters have been treated warmly by host families when they were abroad.

"I have learned a lot from these young people, and have come to see them as my own children," said Sun, whose family has hosted students from Thailand, the United States, Japan and Vietnam.

The Friendly Taiwan-Host Family Plan for International Students Program is part of the Taiwanese government's efforts to promote Taiwanese culture and language and boost its international image.

The number of international and exchange students in Taiwan reached 33,948 in 2010. (By Christie Chen) ENDITEM/npw

http://focustaiwan.tw/SearchNews/hyDetailws.aspx?qid=201112220037&q=international+students]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news90.html Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0800 學士班：機械工程系、機械工程系汽車組、電子工程系、光電工程系、電機工程系、環境工程系、材料工程系、資訊工程系、資訊管理系、資訊傳播系、電腦與通訊系、企業管理系、國際貿易系、財務金融系、會計資訊系、不動產經營系、幼兒保育系、應用英語系、空間設計系、公共關係暨廣告系、視訊傳播系、視覺傳達設計系、運動健康與休閒學位學程。
●報名方式：
一、網路報名：請先行至本校網路報名系統，進行報名登錄，再行郵寄報名資料(無法以此方式者，可直接填寫招生簡章附表申請表)。
 (一)報名網址：請至本校網站（http://www.ksu.edu.tw）首頁，點選右上角「101學年度單獨招收僑生入學」圖示，即可進入系統登錄個人資料。
 (二)網路報名日期：2012年01月20日中午12時至02月20日下午5時止。
二、通訊報名：申請人請先行完成網路報名後，再於規定期限內郵寄報名應繳資料，若逾申請期限，概不予受理。
 (一)收件期限：2012年01月20日至02月20日止，請以航空掛號郵件方式寄送，以郵戳為憑。
 (二)收件地址：台灣台南市永康區大灣路949號。
　　　　　　　　No.949, Dawan Rd., Yongkang Dist., Tainan City 710, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
 (三)收 件 人：崑山科技大學單獨招收僑生招生委員會。
●公告放榜日期：2012年03月09日pm2:00
●招生簡章：請點選本校首頁右側「101學年度單獨招收僑生入學」圖示，即日起免費下載電子招生簡章。
●相關招生規定悉依招生簡章為準。


WEBSITE：www.ksu.edu.tw
TEL：+886(6)272-7175 ext 221
E-MAIL：general@mail.ksu.edu.tw
ADDRESS：71003台灣台南市永康區大灣路949號
No.949, Dawan Rd., Yongkang Dist., Tainan City 710, Taiwan (R.O.C.)]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news89.html Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0800
Taipei, Nov. 21 (CNA) Taiwan opened a series of higher education fairs in Vietnam Monday, hoping to encourage students to pursue a university education on the island.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) said a delegation led by Minister Wu Ching-ji presented higher education opportunities in Taiwan at a fair in Ho Chi Minh City on Monday and will hold similar events in Danang on Thursday and Hanoi on Friday.

Taking part in the three fairs will be 130 representatives -- including 18 school presidents, seven vice presidents and 17 heads of international affairs offices -- from 41 public and private schools.

The representatives will provide visitors with the latest information on their schools, on Taiwan's education system and on scholarship opportunities, the MOE said.

According to ministry statistics, 3,469 Vietnamese students studied in Taiwan in 2010, the most from any single country enrolled in Taiwan's higher education institutions, and the number is expected to grow further.

The delegation is also scheduled to attend the 2011 Taiwan-Vietnam Education Forum in Danang on Wednesday. School superintendents from both countries are expected to discuss bilateral cooperation and education exchanges. (By Lin Szu-yu and Nell Shen) enditem/ls

http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aALL&ID=201111210020]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news88.html Sun, 30 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0800
The Taiwanese delegation, comprised of students, research institutes, private firms and inventors, won 26 gold, 45 silver and 11 bronze medals and an honorary prize.

The inventions by the Taiwanese contestants included innovative, environmentally friendly and energy-saving ideas, said Kao Fa-yu, founder and former president of the Taiwan Prominent Inventors Association.

Chemical engineering inventions and home electronic appliances designed by Taiwanese entrants also won awards for their innovation and feasibility, Kao said.

Taiwan's youngest award winners were seventh grader Kao Hsuan-chieh and eighth grader Chen Chih-ren from Keelung's Erh Shing Private High School.

They invented a glass for visually-impaired people that automatically measures a liquid's level to prevent overflow. When the liquid in the glass reaches a default level, the glass beeps to warn the user.

Chen said the invention was inspired by concerns that his uncle, who is visually-impaired, could burn himself when trying to fill a glass with hot water, the United Evening News reported.

The honorary prize went to a device that can detect short circuits in an electrical circuit designed by the Instrument Technology Research Center of the National Applied Research Laboratories. (By Lillian Lin and Kendra Lin) enditem/ls]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news33.html Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0800
Prospective international students for entering Master & PhD programs are welcome to apply for admission to Asia University. The deadline for application submission is November 30, 2011. Please visit our web page at http://ciae.asia.edu.tw/appapp/index4.php to check a list of requirement documents. Should you have further questions regarding application or study, please contact Jennifer Huang at ciae@asia.edu.tw]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news87.html Sun, 16 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0800
First lady Chow Mei-ching and Emile Sheng, minister of the Council for Cultural Affairs, attended the opening ceremony of the Taiwan Academy at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York. Also present were more than 200 guests, including John Liu, comptroller of New York; Asia Society President Vishakha Desai and the United Nations ambassadors of the Republic of China's allies. President Ma addressed the opening ceremony through a video. "Chinese culture, after an evolution of over 5,000 years, has been fully preserved and developed in Taiwan," Ma said. "It is hoped that the Taiwan Academy will become a platform of cultural exchanges so that all friends who love Chinese culture can share its long-standing and rich culture with Taiwanese characteristics." Sheng said the Taiwanese Academy will focus on promoting understanding of Taiwan, as well as Sinology research, Taiwan's multicultural experience, and Mandarin teaching services.

On the first day of the opening of the Taiwan Academy, folk singers from the Taiwu Elementary School from Pingtung and the puppet theater I Wan Jan performed. A calligraphy show by artist Tung Yang-tsu and a Taiwan high-tech artistic show were also featured. Sheng noted that to promote cultural diplomacy, his council will add eight cultural centers around the world in addition to the present ones in New York, Paris and Tokyo. "When you open up the map, you will be able to see them everywhere," Sheng promised, although he couldn't disclose the locations yet. He said that the Taiwan Academy will also be a major task of the council, noting that in the future, the academy will work with local think tanks, overseas Chinese schools and colleges and universities to promote "digital Taiwan Academy" through the Internet, so that "we get the maximum results out of minimum resources."

In addition, Taiwan has signed letters of intent with 88 educational organizations in 30 countries to help promote Taiwan Academy-related information, Sheng said. Analysts have said Taiwan's efforts are partly in response to the hundreds of Confucius Institutes China has opened in many countries around the world in recent years. The institutes collaborate with overseas universities and schools to teach simplified Chinese, not the traditional characters used in Taiwan. They also promote mainland Chinese culture and understanding. (By Leaf Chiang and Lilian Wu)

http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1736073]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news85.html Sun, 02 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0800
Taipei, Oct. 2 (CNA) Mongolians have been showing an increasing interest in coming to Taiwan to pursue advanced studies, attracted by the island's diverse cultures, high-tech maturity and relatively cheap costs.

Mongolia first sent 24 students to Taiwan in 2000 for higher education and by 2010, the number had increased nearly 20 times to 438, according to Deputy Education Minister Lin Tsung-ming.

Mongolian students currently make up the 11th-largest group of foreign students seeking higher education in Taiwan, Lin said.

He added that from 2012, Taiwan will increase the number of scholarships granted to Mongolian students from 14 to 20.

Lin led a Taiwanese delegation to Mongolia in September to take part in a Taiwan Education Fair and to unveil a Taiwan-Mongolia Science Education Center located in Ulan Bator, the nation's capital.

The fair attracted over 800 visitors and more than 300 expressed interest in going to Taiwan to attend undergraduate or postgraduate studies, as well as to learn mandarin Chinese, according to Lin.

The Taiwan-Mongolia Science Education Center was established mainly to promote Taiwan-Mongolia cooperation in nano-technology development, train science teachers, teach mandarin Chinese and provide information about colleges and research institutes in Taiwan, Lin said. (By Hsu Chih-wei and Deborah Kuo) ENDITEM/J

http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aEDU&ID=201110020013]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news80.html Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0800
The education minister contended that Taiwan's universities were competitive academically and the country is among the top four in the world, along with Australia, Germany and Japan, in technical and vocational education. Also, 10 Taiwanese universities were included in a list of world's top 500 universities for 2011 published by the United Kingdom-based QS education network, with National Taiwan University (NTU) the top-ranked Taiwanese school at 87th. "We hope that in the second five-year, NT$50 billion program for selected universities, NTU will be able to break into the top 50," Wu said.

Based on the contribution of foreign students to educational sectors in other countries, Wu felt there was plenty of room for growth in Taiwan's higher education sector. Taiwan currently has 44,000 foreign students who generate NT$17 billion in revenue, far behind the NT$600 billion earned by the United States, the NT$500 billion earned by Britain, and the NT$300 billion earned by Australia from foreign students, he said. Wu acknowledged, however, that there remained obstacles deterring foreign students to study in Taiwan, especially restrictions on internships and working after students complete their studies.

One of the best opportunities for Taiwan, Wu said, was strong demand for Chinese language (Mandarin) education around the world. But that opportunity is being threatened by the continued expansion of China's Confucius Institute and its Chinese proficiency test in Southeast Asian countries, which have limited the impact of Taiwan's promotion of teaching Chinese and its own language proficiency test, Wu said. (By Lee Shu-hua and Lilian Wu) Enditem/ls

http://focustaiwan.tw/SearchNews/doDetail.aspx?id=201109280028&q=Education]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news78.html Thu, 08 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0800
NCKU is now Taiwan's number two higher education institution in terms of the number of research papers published, standing at the top one percent in ESI social science rankings of the number of citations in 2011.

According to the ESI results, NCKU has a world ranking of 361 for the number of publications and 537 for that of citations.

"The College of Social Sciences at NCKU is a relatively young college founded 14 years ago with about 30 faculty members, increasing to 62 only recently. Of the total, 90% hold doctoral degrees," said Chih-Chin Ho, vice president of NCKU.

Since 2009, more than 50 papers of the faculty members have been cited over 200 times, an indication of the papers' excellent quality and quantity, Ho added.

The number of citations is an important indicator that NCKU not only excels in engineering and science and technology but also performs well in social sciences, said Huang Mu-Hsuan of National Taiwan University (NTU), an expert on university rankings.

The number of citations is an important indicator for a research paper's influence worldwide. Therefore, the ESI uses it as an important assessment threshold, and it takes a long time to accumulate enough experience to enter world rankings, Huang explained.

ESI is a research evaluation tool developed by Thomson Reuters that presents science performance statistics and data trends based on the number of journal publications and citations in the company's scientific database. It is frequently used in assessing academic performance of research institutes and universities.

Contact Information: Crystal Chen, News Center. National Cheng Kung University. Tel: +886-6-275-7575 Ext. 50042.

Fax: +886-6-238-9919.
E-Mail: crystal@mail.ncku.edu.tw

http://focustaiwan.tw/SearchNews/doDetail.aspx?id=201109080004&q=rank]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news79.html Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0800 Taipei, Sept. 7 (CNA) Taiwan received its best score in five years in the Global Competitivess Report 2010-2011 released by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF) Wednesday, although its ranking of 13th place remained unchanged from last year.

Taiwan got a score of 5.26 points in the WEF's latest competitivess report, which evaluates the competitive edges of 142 economies around the world. The score was 0.05 points up from the year-! earlier level and also the highest score since 2007, the Cabinet-level Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) said in a statement.

The number of countries evaluated in this year's study was three more than last year, yet Taiwan managed to remain within the world's top 10 percent, indicating that the country's competitiveness remains solid amid signs of a slowdown in the global economic recovery, the CEPD statement said.

Among Asia-Pacific economies, Taiwan ranked fourth, same as last year and only lagging behind Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong, the CEPD noted.

The WEF ranking was based on publicly available data and a survey of 14,000 business leaders in 142 countries. The countries were rated in terms of three categories of indexes -- basic requirements, efficiency enhancers and innovation/sophistication factors.

The three indexes consist of 12 pillars -- institutions, infrastructure, macroeconomic environment, health and primary education, higher education and training, goods market efficiency, labor market efficiency, financial market development, technological readiness,&! nbsp;market size, business sophistication and innovation -- as well as 110 more detailed indicators.

Taiwan received the most recognition of its capacity to innovate, ranking at ninth among the 142 countries or economies studied. The WEF report said Taiwan possesses "undeniable" innovation ability and that the country has fully developed into an innovation-driven economy.

According to the report, Taiwan boasts the world's highest utility patents granted/per million people and ranks 10th in the high education and training&n! bsp;index. Taiwan also gets good ratings in company spending on R&D, government procurement of advanced technology products, university-industry collaboration in R&D, and availability of scientists and engineers.

Meanwhile, the CEPD statement said Taiwan has continued to outperformed South Korea, one of Taiwan's major trade competitors, for three consecutive years in the annual WEF competitiveness report, with the leading margin widening annually.

In 2008, South Korea ranked at 13th place, outshining Taiwan's 17th place, but Taiwan beat South Korea in 2009 by seven notches, ranking 12th place, compared with Korea's 19th place. The margin widened to nine places in 2010, (13th place compared with Korea's 22nd place, and further enlarged to 11 notches this year (13th place compared with Korea's 24th place.) (By Tsao Yu-fan and Sofia Wu) enditem/cs

http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aECO&ID=201109070049]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news77.html Mon, 05 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0800
It is the best performance ever achieved by NTU -- the only institute from Taiwan to get into the top 100 in the QS World University Rankings.

"A ranking gain of seven places may not seem like much on the overall map, but in the top 100, it's a significant step forward," Ben Sowter, head of the QS Intelligence Unit, told CNA.

NTU's ranking was pushed up mainly by the high prestige it enjoys at the international level, Sowter said, pointing out that the university has been placed 38th in terms of is academic reputation this year and within the top 100 in terms of its reputation among employers.

The other nine Taiwanese universities on the list are National Tsing Hua University (213th), National Cheng Kung University (285th), National Yang Ming University (302nd), National Chiao Tung University (306th), and Taipei Medical University (373rd).

National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, National Central University, and National Sun Yat-sen University were ranked somewhere between 401st and 450th.

The top 400 schools were ranked individually in the survey but the next 100 were bunched together and not given specific rankings.

The QS rankings are based on four key pillars: research, teaching, employability and internationalization. Six indicators are used for measurement -- academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty to student ratio, citation per faculty, proportion of international students, and proportion of international faculty.

According to Sowter, a total of 712 universities worldwide were evaluated this year, which is the highest number since the rankings were launched in 2004.

Taking the top two spots are University of Cambridge and Harvard University, followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University and University of Oxford.

Rounding out the top 10 are Imperial College London, University College London, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University.

Among universities from Asia, University of Hong Kong performed the best in 22nd, with University of Tokyo at 25th and National University of Singapore at 28th.

Three Chinese universities are in the top 100: Peking University (46th), Tsinghua University (47th), and Fudan University (91st).

(By Jennifer Huang and Y.F. Low) ENDITEM/J

http://focustaiwan.tw/SearchNews/doDetail.aspx?id=201109050006&q=NTU]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news76.html Fri, 26 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0800 •Source： Taiwan Today
•By  Grace Kuo

A two-week homestay program allowing more than 200 youths from around the world to experience Taiwan’s vibrant culture firsthand culminated Aug. 24 with cultural performances and local delicacies at the Grand Hotel, according to the Council for Cultural Affairs.

“The program was the first among all activities celebrating the ROC centenary to be approved by the Cabinet,” ROC Premier Wu Den-yih said. “Nearly 250 families were goodwill ambassadors, showing young people from around the world the down-to-earth side of Taiwan and letting them experience the country’s friendship.

“These youths not only had a great time in Taiwan, but more importantly, they have become Taiwan’s most sincere friends,” Wu stressed.

Danelle Deolin Coetzee, a 27-year-old South African, said on her blog that during her stay in Taiwan, she visited Shifen in New Taipei City, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei 101, the Postal Museum, Zhinan Temple and night markets.

She said making and launching a sky lantern at Shifen really touched her. “No matter your religion, if you believe your prayers are going to God, and that lantern goes up, it gives you the most fulfilling feeling ever.”

According to Coetzee, Taiwan is “so rich in culture, laden in tradition and abundant in history. It is a tourist destination at first, a people magnet in the end.”

Kristin Schoenfelder, a 40-year-old German journalist, said she had never thought of Taiwan as a tourist attraction before her trip, but now she realizes that Taiwan is a diverse place where one can hike, cycle and swim. She will write about her cultural experiences here after returning to Germany, she said.

Liliya Sabirova, a 22-year-old from Kazakhstan, said, “I am amazed by great hospitality of people in Taiwan—in every corner people trying to give you food, drinks, presents and their smiles; not everybody speaks English but you can see how hard sometimes people are trying to speak with you.”

According to the CCA, 238 youths from 115 countries participated in the program, with some experiencing how to sell bubble milk tea or how to make steamed dumplings. Vice Premier Sean Chen was among the host families, the CCA added.

Please visit the program’s official website at http://taiwanroc100.tw/100homestay_en/Blog_Vote.aspx?n=249 to read participants’ blogs. (THN)

Write to Grace Kuo at morningk@mail.gio.gov.tw

http://www.taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=174645&ctNode=445]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news75.html Tue, 16 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0800 August 2, 2011

AsianScientist (Aug. 2, 2011) – The July 2011 results of the Webometrics Web Ranking of World Universities were released last week on July 29, 2011, published by the Cybermetrics Lab, a research group of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) located in Madrid.

Founded in 2004, it is updated every January and July and provides Web indicators for more than 20,000 universities worldwide.

The ranking places the world’s universities based on a composite indicator that takes into account both the volume of the Web contents (number of web pages and files), web visibility, and web impact according to the number of external inbound links received on publications.

The central hypothesis of this approach is that a university’s web presence is a reliable indicator of its performance and prestige, and as such, an indirect way to measure the university’s missions: i.e. teaching, research, and transfer.

National Taiwan University topped all universities in Asia, with a world rank of 24. In second place was the University of Tokyo, with a world rank of 34; and in third place was Kyoto University, with a world rank of 56.

The National University of Singapore came in at first place on the Southeast Asian table, followed by Kasetsart University and Chulalongkorn University, both in Thailand, at second and third place.

Top three in South Asia were three Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT): IIT Bombay, IIT Bangalore, followed by IIT Kanpur.

The Ranking hopes to improve the presence of academic and research institutions on the Web and promote open access publication of scientific results.

The full listing be found at: http://www.webometrics.info/index.html]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news74.html Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0800 Taipei, Aug. 15 (CNA) National Taiwan University (NTU) ranks among the top 150 universities in the world, according to the Academic Ranking of World University (ARWU) released by Shanghai Jiao Tong University Sunday.

NTU surpassed the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Beijing-based Tsinghua University. Taiwan's flagship university was placed in the 102-150 range.

Other universities in Taiwan that made it onto the ARWU list include National Cheng Kung University at the 201-300 range. National Tsing Hua University and National Chiao Tung University made it into the 301-400 range.

Seventeen U.S. universities took the top 20 positions, with Harvard University remaining number one for the ninth consecutive year.

In Asia, the top two universities are University of Tokyo and Kyoto University -- both in Japan -- ranked the 21st and the 27th in the world respectively.

The annual list compiled by ARWU first appeared in 2003. It ranks the 500 best schools in the world based on the number of Nobel laureates, Fields medalists, Highly Cited Researchers, papers indexed by Science Citation Index Expanded and Social Science Index, and papers published in Nature and Science.

However, the ranking has drawn criticism for its heavy emphasis on natural sciences over social sciences and humanities, especially from Europe. Officials there claim the rankings are biased against European universities.

After Harvard, the other top 10 universities are Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California at Berkeley, University of Cambridge, California Institute of Technology, Princeton University, Columbia University, University of Chicago and University of Oxford.

The first 100 universities are listed, while the rest of the top 500 are presented only with their range of placement on ARWU's official website. (By Sunny Chen and Carol Hsieh)]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news73.html Sat, 13 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0800
Taipei, Aug. 13 (CNA) A contingent of 250 youths from around the world arrived in Taiwan Friday to participate in a two-week homestay program that is part of Taiwan's centennial celebrations.

The young people were greeted on arrival by a group of dancers depicting the deity Santaizi, who is worshipped in Taiwan as a protector of youth.

The Republic of China International Youth Week Centennial Homestay, from Aug. 12-25, was organized by the ROC Centenary Foundation.

More than 1,600 youths between the ages of 18 and 40 from over 120 countries applied for the homestay program, but only 250 were selected.

The foundation said most of the youths selected were athletes, musicians, gifted students, and beauty pageant winners, from different countries.

Chika Chukwumerije, a Nigerian taekwondo athlete who won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, is among the visitors.

Many of the youths said they were looking forward to sampling Taiwan cuisine and visiting scenic areas.

One young man from Central America, who said he had never seen the ocean before, was placed with a family in the outlying island of Matsu so he could be close to the sea.

Taiwanese families were enthusiastic about the program, with over 1,000 applying to host the visitors and introduce them to Taiwan culture, but only 250 households were selected.

The host families live in areas such as Taipei, Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Kaohsiung, and the offshore islands, including Matsu.

Some of the hosts said they had already prepared an itinerary to show the visitors around the island.

One of the hosts, independent film maker Akira Chen, said with obvious excitement that he planned to introduce the international youth to life in the indigenous communities and help them gain a deeper understanding of tribal culture.

Chen has been involved in the production of TV dramas, films and documentaries. One of his films, "Once Upon a Time" about the life of the Atayal tribe, was shown at the opening of the IV Moscow international festival of visual anthropology in 2009.

Another host, Chou Peng, said he planned to introduce Hakka culture to the international guests through a series of activities. Chou is the winner of a presidential international volunteer award.

Chang Han-teng, a baker in Taipei's Shilin district, said he wanted to teach his homestay visitors how to make traditional Taiwanese cakes and deserts, and planned to take them to Shilin Night market on a food-tasting spree.

In one of the more unusual visitor-host matches, a Japanese musician residing in Taiwan was at the airport to pick up an Irish musician.

The Japanese man said he hoped to help build a bridge of friendship between people of different countries, through musical exchanges. (By Chiu Chun-chin and C.J. Lin)]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news72.html Tue, 09 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0800 •Source： Taiwan Today
•By  June Tsai

The first branches of Taiwan Academy will open in the U.S. cities of Houston, Los Angeles and New York in October, Council for Cultural Affairs Minister Emile Chih-jen Sheng said Aug. 4.

The academy’s worldwide mission is to promote Taiwanese culture and study, the learning of Mandarin Chinese with traditional characters, and cross-cultural exchange, Sheng said.

It will be well placed for this task given Taiwan’s leading role among the world’s Chinese-speaking areas in Sinology, traditional culture and arts, and the preservation and development of the standard forms of Chinese characters, Sheng added.

“Taiwan Academy will work with local Mandarin-teaching institutions by providing assistance in curriculum design or commissioning courses,” Sheng noted.

An important part of Taiwan Academy, however, is online, the minister said. An e-learning portal for Chinese learning will be launched, providing numerous learning tools and abundant content for learners ranging from those with zero knowledge of Mandarin to language teachers.

Taiwan Academy will also make use of the country’s strength in technology to create a digital platform incorporating a research database on Taiwan studies and Sinology created over the past years by local institutions such as Academia Sinica and National Taiwan University.

According to the ministry, the sharing of knowledge through the digital platform will distinguish Taiwan Academy from mainland China’s Confucius Academy.

The ministry added that more branches will be opened in Asia and Europe as contact points for exporting Taiwanese culture. (THN)

http://www.taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=173528&ctNode=445]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news71.html Tue, 02 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0800
At present, Malaysia only recognizes Taiwanese degrees earned in the fields of medicine, dentistry, pharmacology and engineering, which Wu said was because of internal issues, without elaborating.

Ho Jow-fei, head of the Ministry of Education's Department of Higher Education, recently visited Malaysia to further the talks, Wu said.

Taiwan is stepping up education ties with Malaysia as part of its push to promote the higher education sector, which has become one of the country's top 10 service sectors, the minister said.

Getting Malaysia to recognize all diplomas issued in Taiwan would pave the way for more Malaysian students to study in the country, but other efforts are also being made to recruit students.

In July, Wu led more than 200 professors from 70 Taiwanese universities to a Taiwan higher education fair in Malaysia. He said the two-day fair attracted over 10,000 visitors, some of whom traveled for seven hours just to attend it.

The Ministry of Education has also targeted other Asian countries as potential sources of students.

Vietnam will send 500 elite students to Taiwan for graduate studies over the next 10 years, and Thailand will send 600 students on scholarships over the next five years.

India and Indonesia will also send 2,000 students and 1,000 college professors, respectively, to Taiwan for further studies in the coming five years, Wu said. (By Lin Szu-yu and Carol Hsieh) Enditem/ls

http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aALL&ID=201108020029]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news70.html Tue, 02 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0800
The new facility was the eighth Taiwan Education Center to be established worldwide in a program being sponsored by the Ministry of Education and run by National Tsing Hua University (NTHU).

Located in Sonipat, Haryana Province, just north of New Delhi, the new center is a cooperative venture between NTHU and O.P. Jindal Global University of India (JGBS).

On Monday, a ceremony was held to inaugurate the new center, which is expected to open two Chinese language classes of 20 students each by the end of the year.

Wang Wei-chung, the dean of NTHU's Office of International Affairs (OIA), told CNA that the center has employed a certificated teacher and a local assistant so far and will use teaching materials provided by NTHU that all use traditional Chinese characters.

As an extension of the program, NTHU plans to invite students of JGBS and other Indian universities to Taiwan to learn more about teaching Chinese, Wang said.

Aside from language training, Wang believed the Taiwan Education Center would also play a critical role in promoting Taiwanese culture and educational cooperation between the two countries.

Raghar Ranganathan, a freshman at JGBS, said learning Chinese was now indispensable because interactions between Taiwan and India had grown much closer.

He believed that during the two-year courses he would have opportunities to attend seminars in Taiwan or China and felt that learning the language would be an asset to his future career.

Wang and NTHU OIA Vice Dean Hu Yu-chen, the head of JGBS C. Raj Kuma, representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) in New Delhi Ong Wen-chyi, and other TECC officials attended the center's dedication ceremony. (By Ho Horn-ru and Nell Shen) enditem/ls

http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aALL&ID=201108020014]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news67.html Sun, 17 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0800
The performance was also Taiwan's best since first entering the competition in 1994.

Hsu Tzu-min, a student at Ching Cheng High School, had the best individual showing of any participant in the competition by winning the Best Experiment Award and Best Theory Award, the ministry said.

A total of 393 students from 84 countries around the world took part in this year's event, which was held in Thailand.

(By Lin Szu-yu and Ann Chen) enditem/ls

http://focustaiwan.tw/SearchNews/doDetail.aspx?id=201107150009&q=education]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news68.html Thu, 14 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0800
A team from Taiwan's National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) won the embedded technology development competition, for a project titled "Right! This Way," which computes a building's safest fire escape routes, detected by a wireless sensor network in real time.

The team took home US$25,000 in prize money.

Team member Chen Shuo-hung said the fire escape system analyzes the environs of a fire scene and computes the safest escape routes.

This is the second year in a row that Taiwanese students have won first place in the embedded development category, following a National Chiao Tung University team that won the competition in 2010 with an energy-saving electric meter.

Meanwhile, a team from Taiwan's National Taipei University of Technology won third place in the digital media category by creating a digital belt that allows a pregnant woman to make contact with her doctor via the belt, which also allows the doctor to remotely monitor the fetus.

The team won US$3,000 with a video created in 30 hours that shows how the belt, dubbed the Baby Guardian, works.

Team member Chang Hsiu-ju said the team went to New York's Central Park to scout for pregnant women to act in the video as human guinea pigs for the belt.

This year, more than 350,000 students from over 70 countries entered the Microsoft-sponsored competition, challenging students to use technology to solve hunger, poverty, lack of education, disease control, healthcare, the environment and other crucial problems facing the planet.

A total of 424 students participated in the final round of the event in 11 categores.

(By Leaf Chiang, Wu Chia-ying and Deborah Kuo) ENDITEM/J

http://focustaiwan.tw/SearchNews/doDetail.aspx?id=201107150009&q=education]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news69.html Wed, 22 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0800
More than 50 participants from countries like the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Taiwan made the final competition and the top 3 winners received prizes of US$500, US$300 and US$200, respectively, and award plaques. The winners were invited to ACM's annual award banquet on June 4 in San Jose, California, along with their advising professors.

"I am grateful that my advising professor has brought me into the research field of biochips and helped me compete with students from different countries on an international stage," said Tsung-Wei Huang.

According to Tsung-Yi Ho, the advising professor, it is the first time that Taiwan's students were on the short list of ACM Student Research Competition and then won an award.

"This definitely gets NCKU aligned with Cambridge University, the 1st place winner, on the world map," he said.

President Hwung-Hweng Hwung pleasantly expressed that it is an honor that the research quality of NCKU students is recognized by the world's largest education and scientific computing society.

President Hwung urged the student to continue with his research and apply for the international patent for practical use in the future.

Tsung-Wei Huang recently obtained his master degree in computer science and information engineering after studying only one year in the program because of the quality of his outstanding research and papers which is equivalent to that of any doctoral student in a renowned university.

He plans to pursue a doctoral degree after he completes the required military service. Universities such as Duke University, University of California, L.A. and University of Texas at Austin have already offered him admission.

Contact Information: Crystal Chen, News Center, National Cheng Kung University.

Tel: +886-6-275-7575 Ext. 50042.
Fax: +886-6-238-9919.
E-Mail:crystal@mail.ncku.edu.tw

http://focustaiwan.tw/SearchNews/doDetail.aspx?id=201106220018&q=education]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news66.html Mon, 09 May 2011 00:00:00 +0800
India has recently decided to allow its high schools to offer classes in second languages, including Chinese, and has expressed the hope that Taiwan could help it find teachers of the language.

Wu said the Ministry of Education has established an ad hoc group to study the issue and work on plans to recruit and train Mandarin teachers and compile teaching materials.

At the same time, India will send 2,000 teachers to Taiwan over the next five years to study for master's or Ph.D. degrees.

Wu, who visited India with 13 presidents and vice presidents of Taiwanese universities from April 28 to May 4, said a delegation from India's Ministry of Human Resource Development will visit Taiwan, probably in October, to further education links between the two countries.

On their recent trip to India, representatives of the Taiwanese universities pledged to offer Indian students US$1.5 million in scholarships to study at their schools in Taiwan, according to the Education Ministry.

Of these universities, National Tsing Hua University in Hsinchu City already offered scholarships worth NT$28 million (US$970,000) to Indian students to study in Taiwan in 2010.

Huang Wen-shu, president of National Dong Hwa University in Hualien County, interviewed Indian students during an international education exhibition that opened in the Indian capital of New Delhi on April 30 and offered admissions to 20 Indian students on the spot.

(By Sandy Lin and Deborah Kuo) enditem/ls

http://focustaiwan.tw/SearchNews/doDetail.aspx?id=201105090028&q=education]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news65.html Tue, 03 May 2011 00:00:00 +0800
The schools on the Taiwan side are National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) , National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) and Feng-Chia University (FCU).

The signing of the agreement was led by Education Minister Wu Ching-ji, who served as the leader of a delegation consisting of personnel of 13 higher education institutes in Taiwan.

NTHU has 81 Indian students and 27 post-doctoral research fellows studying and doing research, one of the highest Indian student populations in Taiwan, said the school's president Chen Li-chun at the signing ceremony.

He also said NTHU has been assigned by the Ministry of Education to set up a Taiwan Education Center in India to promote Mandarin learning. In addition, his school will serve as the intermediary body for collaborations between Indian and Taiwanese universities.

Amity University is one of the most well-known private universities in India, with a total of 19 domestic campuses and five campuses abroad. It has close cooperation with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Cambridge University in the U.K. The university is set to open its sixth campus abroad in Dubai.

National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) President Shaw Jei-fu also signed an exchange agreement with the Indian Agricultural Universities Association (IAUA) May 1.

(By Ho Horn-ru and Ann Chen) enditem/ly]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news64.html Fri, 29 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0800
Wu is currently leading a 62-member delegation in India, and arrived in New Delhi Thursday.

Wu referenced similar agreements Taiwan has with other countries as a model. For instance, Taiwan offers a chance for university teachers from Vietnam and Thailand who do not hold a master or doctoral degree to gain one. For these students, Taiwan offers financial aid.

He noted that Vietnam has agreed to send 500 teachers in 10 years, while Thailand will send 600 teachers in five years, to study in Taiwan.

He said Indonesia and Taiwan also have plans to cooperate. Wu is scheduled to visit Indonesia May 21 to sign pacts for sending 1,000 Indonesian teachers to Taiwan over five years to study for advanced degrees.

"Taiwan has a substantial edge in the areas of information engineering, nanoscience and technology, material engineering, tropical medicine, tropical agriculture, environmental science, physics, chemistry, earth science, and optoelectronics," he said.

He said he wants to make Taiwan the education powerhouse of Southeast Asia during his term as education minister.

With the birthrate declining in Taiwan, he hopes to solicit more overseas Taiwanese, foreign and mainland Chinese students to study in Taiwan and fill university seats that will otherwise go empty.

He said only 15 percent of India's senior high school students go on to attend university. With India's rapid economic growth, he is confident that more Indian students will be able to afford to study abroad.

Wu visited Amity University and University of Delhi Friday. He will attend an international education exhibition that begins on April 30. (By Ho Horn-ru and Lilian Wu) enditem/ly]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news63.html Mon, 18 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0800
Taipei, April 18 (CNA) Taiwan's top planning agency approved a plan Monday designed to double the number of foreign students studying in Taiwan from the current 45,000 to 88,000 in four years.

The Council for Economic Planning and Development approved the plan proposed by the Ministry of Education, under which the government will invest NT$5.68 billion (US$195.86 million) over the next four years to make it easier for students from other countries to study in Taiwan.

If the target of attracting 88,000 foreign students is met, they will inject NT$23.4 billion into the economy in tuition, fees and living expenses in 2014, compared with NT$17.2 billion at present.

In 2010, Taiwan drew 45,000 students from abroad, with one-third of them in Taiwan to learn Mandarin, but ministry officials said the country still had plenty of room for improvement.

Taiwan lags far behind the United States, Great Britain, France, Australia and even many of its Asian neighbors in foreign student enrollment, according to the education ministry.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Wu Ching-ji said at the Legislative Yuan Monday that Vietnam and Thailand have recently sent 500 and 600 students, respectively, to Taiwan to pursue doctoral degrees.

Wu said he is scheduled to lead a Ministry of Education mission to India later this month to promote Taiwan's higher education and studying environment.

(By Lin Hui-chun, Sandy Lin and Deborah Kuo)


http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aALL&ID=201104180032]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news62.html Tue, 05 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0800
The No. 1 university in Taiwan also falls in the 101 to 150 range in the report's Computer Science & Information Systems category, according to the report released by the London-based Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).

National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) also did well in the QS ranking, falling in the 101 to 150 range in the ranking's Engineering — Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing and Engineering —Chemical and Computer Science & Information Systems categories.

NTHU was in the 151 to 200 range ranking's Engineering — Electrical & Electronic category as well.

Two other local universities that were mentioned in the Top 200 list include National Cheng Kung University and National Chiao Tung University.

Both were ranked in the 151 to 200 range in Engineering — Civil & Structural category.

China was the biggest winner in the QS World University Rankings on technical subjects.

A total of 11 Chinese universities were mentioned in the Top 200 list in the rankings' five categories, including five in Hong Kong.

The National University of Singapore also had an eye-catching performance in world rankings, claiming top spots in the ranking's five categories.

QS is a company known for producing the annual World University Rankings and Asian University Rankings.

QS launched the World University Rankings in 2004, in cooperation with the Times Higher Education Supplement.]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news61.html Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0800  
Taipei, March 7 (CNA) Taiwan ranked 37th in the 2011 global Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report released by the World Economic Forum on Monday, up six notches from 43rd spot in 2009.

While expressing pleasure at Taiwan's progress in the global ranking, the Tourism Bureau said Taiwan would have secured an even higher spot if the forum had based its biennial report on statistics recorded in 2010 instead of 2009.

"Our tourist arrivals numbered just over 4.3 million in 2009, but in 2010 the figure was 5.5 million, therefore, we think our ranking would have been even better if the latest figures had been included," said Wayne Liu, the bureau's deputy director-general.

In its 2011 tourism competitiveness report, the Swiss forum took into consideration tourism infrastructure and many other major indicators, including environmental sustainability, policy rules and regulations, safety and security, as well as human, natural and cultural resources, to determine the rankings of 139 countries and areas around the world.

Taiwan scored well in certain categories of the 2011 global competitiveness report, ranking first, for example, in terms of prevalence of telephone lines, one of the indicators in the area of ICT (information and communication technology) infrastructure.

In the category of policy rules and regulations, Taiwan ranked seventh in terms of transparency of government policymaking, and 19th in terms of property rights.

Under the heading of ground transport infrastructure, Taiwan ranked eighth in the category of railroad infrastructure quality, ninth in ground transport network quality, and 16th in road quality.

Liu attributed Taiwan's high rankings in ground transport infrastructure to a combination of factors, including the country's high-speed railway which offers fast transport services along western Taiwan. In addition, there are clean and efficient mass rapid transit services in Taipei and Kaohsiung and on the Taiwan Railway Administration's round-the-island railroad routes, he added.

However, Taiwan fared poorly in the category of environmental sustainability, ranking 120th in carbon dioxide emissions control and 114th in conservation of threatened species. Other weak areas included the presence of major car rental companies (133rd) and ease of hiring foreign labor (125th).

Taiwan's exclusion from the United Nations also affected its global tourism competitiveness, Liu said.

Taiwan ranked 75th in terms of the number of U.N.-sanctioned World Heritage natural sites.

"As Taiwan is not a U.N. member, it cannot participate in major world tourism organizations and stands little chance of having its tourist spots rated as World Heritage sites," Liu said.

As a matter of fact, he said, some of Taiwan's ecological protection areas, such as those on the outlying island of Penghu and in Yehliu Geological Park in the north, have good potential to become World Heritage sites.

Switzerland maintained its top spot in the World Economic Forum's 2011 travel and tourism competitiveness ranking, followed by Germany, France, Sweden and the United States.

Singapore, in 10th place, was the only Asian country on the top-10 list. Hong Kong ranked 11th.

The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. (By Wang Shu-fen and Sofia Wu) enditem /pc  

http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aLIV&ID=201103070011]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news59.html Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0800
Taipei, March 7 (CNA) Academics, university leaders, and policy makers from the Asia-Pacific region will gather at a major education conference in Taipei starting on Wednesday that will give Taiwan the chance to forge deeper ties with institutions in nearby countries.

The Asia-Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE) will hold its annual meeting in Taipei from March 9-12 and focus on the theme "Asia-Pacific Education: Impacting the World, " the organizers said Monday at a press conference.

Founded in 2004 by Doo-Hee Lee, vice president and professor at Korea University, the APAIE is globally recognized as one of the three most influential associations in the world, said Lee Si-chen, president of National Taiwan University (NTU), which is hosting this year's event.

Previous conferences have been organized by Korea University, National University of Singapore, Waseda University of Japan and Renmin University in Beijing.

Lee said Monday that more than 600 people working at institutions of higher education in 40 countries will participate in the conference, which he said would provide a good opportunity for local universities to forge ties with neighbors in the Asia-Pacific region.

The four-day event will be packed with speeches, seminars, and essay presentations, and the biggest international education fair ever will be held at NTU on March 12, with more than 100 exhibitors from around the world taking part, Lee said.

Participants will be also able to visit 14 universities in northern, central and southern Taiwan, he added.

Minister without Portfolio Ovid Tzeng, who attended the press conference, said the occasion will showcase Taiwan's soft power to the world, as Taiwan is now a trusted partner in cultural and high-tech circles on the international stage.

"The world is slowly taking notice of the values and cultures of the East, " he said. "Harvard University, the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge are talking about the rise of Asian universities. Taiwan will certainly be part of the talk," he added. (By Hermia Lin) ENDITEM/ls  

http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aEDU&ID=201103070027]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news60.html Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0800
Taipei, March 1 (CNA) Taiwan's National Central University (NCU) has begun a green campus program that will not only add more trees to its hillside campus, but will turn it into an environmentally friendly organization from inside out, NCU Vice President Joseph S. Lee said Tuesday.

NCU, located in the northern Taiwan county of Taoyuan, wants to become a "real green university, " Lee said. To realize this ambition, he added, the school will "change its way of thinking and its living environment."

He explained that the program will be carried out in "lectures, research, (campus) life and services."

The school will open "green EMBA and MBA" courses to spread concepts of environmental sustainability to industry. It will also make all its facilities more environmentally friendly, including cafeterias and offices, by serving locally-grown foods, introducing vegetarian cuisine and promoting a paperless e-office policy, Lee said.

Finally, NCU will forge ties with the Chinese University of Hong Kong and China's Nanjing University in April to form a "green university league" to spread the idea of protecting the environment for future generations. (By Hsu Chih-wei and Elizabeth Hsu) enditem/ly  

http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aEDU&ID=201103010039]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news58.html Wed, 16 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0800
National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST) was behind 14 of the winning designs -- the most winning designs of any school in the world. The school also garnered a total of 380 points, pushing it to the top of the iF university rankings.  

NTUST President Dr. Shi-Shuenn Chen said that his university will continue to work to make a name for itself on the international stage, strengthen practical design expertise, encourage local Taiwanese design characteristics, collaborate with industry, and create an international design center that can cultivate local design talents.

The spokesperson of iF Design, Anna Reissert, said that more than 8,000 works from 52 countries participated in the competition this year.

Reissert said that all the participating works will be exhibited at the International Forum Design exhibit of the CeBIT computer expo in Hannover, Germany from March 1 to 5. The awards ceremony will be held at the International Young Designers' Exhibition (YODEX) which will take place from May 20 to 23 in Taipei.

http://english.rti.org.tw/Content/GetSingleNews.aspx?ContentID=119672&BlockID=31]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news57.html Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0800 Source： Taiwan Today
By  Meg Chang

Taiwan remains the world’s fourth best place to invest, trailing only Singapore, Switzerland and Norway in the latest Profit Opportunity Recommendation report released by U.S.-based Business Environment Risk Intelligence S.A.

In the December 2010 POR report, Taiwan received a combined score of 71 points and a second best investment rating of 1B; only Singapore, Switzerland and the Netherlands chalked up the highest 1A rating.

In terms of the three factors considered by BERI in assigning the total score, Taiwan ranked 11th among the 50 economies surveyed in political risk. “No major risk to political stability exists in 2011-2012,” the report said, predicting that “relations with China and Washington D.C. are cordial during the coming two years.”

BERI also saw Taiwan’s operating conditions recovering, putting the country third on the global front and behind only Singapore in Asia. This strong showing is attributed to improvement in a number of key indicators, including gross domestic product, industrial production, unemployment rate and budget deficit as a percentage of GDP.

“The country’s remittance and repatriation factor ratings are stable at high levels,” ranking third on the global front while trailing only Japan in Asia. BERI also expects to see the New Taiwan dollar continue to gain value against the greenback in 2011.

Taiwan is set to deliver similar performances in the indexes of political risk, operating conditions, and remittance and repatriation in the next five years, BERI predicted. (THN)

Write to Meg Chang at meg.chang@mail.gio.gov.tw

http://www.taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=146634&ctNode=445]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news56.html Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0800
Taipei, Jan. 24 (CNA) Taiwan ranked 12th in a newly released world globalization index compiled by U.S.-based Ernst & Young, a financial planning and accounting advisory service company.

Taiwan was ahead of the world's two largest economies on the Ernst & Young's 2010 Globalization Index, which ranked the United States at 28th and China at 39th.

The annual index measures and tracks the performance of the world's 60 largest economies according to 20 separate indicators that capture the key aspects of cross-border integration of business.

Ernst & Young has authored the annual Globalization Index report in cooperation with the Economist Intelligence Unit, which said that, after a brief pause in 2009 and a modest rebound in 2010, the world's 60 largest economies will continue to globalize steadily between now and 2014, driven by the continued global economic recovery, technological innovation and the rise of emerging markets.

Hong Kong remained the world's most globalized economy in 2010, followed by Ireland and Singapore.

Among other Asian economies, Malaysia ranked 27th, South Korea was at 33rd, Vietnam was at 34th and Japan was in 42nd position.

The indicators measured in the Erunst & Young Globalization Index fall into five broad categories: openness to trade; capital movement; labor movement; exchange of technology and ideas; and cultural integration.

Taiwan's 2010 average score rose from 4.9 points in 2009 to 5.15, but its ranking dropped one notch to 12th. (By Jiang Yuan-chen and Sofia Wu) ENDITEM/J

http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?ID=201101240009&Type=aECO]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news50.html Sat, 08 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0800
TAIPEI -- President Ma Ying-jeou said yesterday that the number of countries that have granted visa-waiver privileges to Taiwanese passport holders has increased to 97, indicating that the government's “flexible diplomacy” strategy has borne fruit.

“The Balkan country of Croatia began offering visa exemption to Taiwanese visitors at the beginning of this year, bringing the number of countries and territories granting such access to our people to 97,” Ma said at a function to celebrate the European Union's inclusion of Taiwan into its visa-waiver program.

The Croatian move came as a surprise, as the ceremony at the Taipei Guest House near the Presidential Office was originally arranged to mark the visa-free privileges extended by 96 countries and areas, Ma said.

He also hailed the EU's decision to have its visa exemption for Taiwan take effect Jan. 11 which he said was a memorable and meaningful day, because on that date in 1943, the Republic of China managed to abrogate all unequal treaties with foreign powers that had been in place for more than a century.

“This is truly a happy coincidence,” said Ma.

According to the EU decision, Taiwanese visitors will be able to enter 35 European countries visa free from Jan. 11 for stays of up to 90 days within a six-month period.

The waiver applies to the 25 Schengen Area countries, which comprise 22 EU member states and three non-EU states — Norway, Iceland and Switzerland — and three non-Schengen EU member states — Romania, Bulgaria and Cyprus.

It also includes seven smaller European countries and territories — the Vatican, Monaco, Andorra, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

Ma said he believes that these countries will benefit from the visa exemption for Taiwanese visitors because “Taiwanese citizens are not only good tourists but are also known for their ability to shop.”

For instance, he went on, since Britain became the first European country to grant visa-free privileges to Taiwanese in 2009, the number of Taiwanese tourists to that country has increased substantially and bilateral trade has also grown by between 20 percent and 30 percent.

Speaking on the same occasion, Guy Ledoux, head of the European Economic and Trade Office in Taipei, said Taiwan's booming economy and democratic system are the main factors contributing to its success in obtaining EU visa-free treatment.

With its advanced economic system, Taiwan has developed a reliable administrative system and is able to issue high-quality passports and effectively prevent passport tampering or forgery, Ledoux said.

As Taiwanese people are peaceful and affluent, and enjoy freedom of speech and civil rights, there are few incentives for Taiwanese citizens to seek to immigrate illegally to other countries, he pointed out.

According to official statistics, an average of only 45 Taiwanese passport holders per year were caught staying illegally in EU countries between 2006 and 2008, and only 38 Taiwanese people were denied entry during the period. Ledoux said the visa-waiver is expected to help enhance Taiwan's interest in investing and traveling in Europe, as well as increase incentives for Taiwanese and European cities to forge sisterhood ties.

Premier Wu Den-yih, Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng and Foreign Minister Timothy Yang, also attended the function.]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news51.html Sun, 12 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0800
TAIPEI -- Taiwan's delegation emerged as the top winner at the seventh International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO), capturing a total of four gold medals and two silver medals and the highest accumulated score, the Ministry of Education said in a statement yesterday.

Taiwan was given “the country winner” award for its outstanding performance at the Olympiad in Nigeria, beating out 34 other participating countries, the ministry said.

A total of 180 students aged 15 or younger took part in this year's competition.

Among the six Taiwanese participants, Huang Kai-chi, now in his first year at Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School, collected the most awards. He won a gold medal, “the best theory winner” award, and “the overall winner” award.

Although Huang did not begin to receive training in science until his second year in junior high school, he has shown perseverance in subjects that interest him, said delegation head Lo Pei-hua, an associate researcher in National Taiwan Normal University's Science Education Center.

The IJSO, which test young students in physics,biology, chemistry, and other disciplines, is an annual individual and team competition in natural sciences.

Its aim is to promote the pursuit of excellence in science and stimulate gifted students to develop their interests.

Taiwan has participated in the competition since 2004 and has so far collected a total of 35 golds, seven silvers, and a bronze in the laboratory skills category, six “best theory winner” awards, three “overall winner” awards, and three “country winner” awards.]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news48.html Wed, 27 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0800 BBC News, Taipei

Often mistaken for being under China's sovereignty and sometimes even for being Thailand, Taiwan is pushing hard to stake out a more distinct international image.

In the past year, even as relations with China have improved, Taiwan's government has been stepping up efforts to raise the island's profile.

It is part of a strategy promoted by President Ma Ying-jeou, who says Taipei must increase its so-called "soft power" if it is to stand on the international stage.

The strategy is wide-ranging. It includes developing globally famous brands, boosting Taiwan's presence not only in the high-tech sector but also in arts, food and fashion, and marketing great things about Taiwan.

As a result, the government has poured millions of dollars into supporting performance troupes, filmmakers and even pop singers.

Some of them have enjoyed regional or international acclaim, including a government-funded film that won an award at the Berlin International Film Festival this year. There are plans to spend $200m (£128m) to help the movie industry.

Money has also been allotted for promoting tourism, and not just to boost economic growth.

Previously content with being just a manufacturer of the world's high-tech products, Taiwan now wants to be a place where everybody wants to visit and get to know.

Taiwan Academies

Not promoting itself in the past partly explains why it only gets about four million visitors a year - much less than the smaller Singapore.


The president and his wife are spearheading efforts to raise Taiwan's profile So in the past year, Taipei has touted Taiwan's tourism wonders on advertisements on London buses, the BBC and CNN, and high-profile places such as New York's Time Square.

The government also promotes Taiwan abroad through cultural festivals and culinary events, including in Britain and Canada.

The state-funded wire service, the Central News Agency, meanwhile, has been revamped. It now offers its stories written in English about Taiwan on Google and - for the first time - English video news about the island.

At the same time, Taiwan's government continues to provide generous humanitarian assistance to countries struck by disasters.

It has also sent First Lady Chow Mei-ching on more official visits overseas than most Taiwanese first ladies go on - including to Germany, Italy and Haiti, where she promotes Taiwan's performance troupes, reads stories to children, and hugs disaster victims.

Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
People around the world would care if they know more about Taiwan and if they think Taiwan is different from China”
End Quote
Kou Chien-wen

National Chengchi University in Taipei
And later this year, Taiwan will open Taiwan Academies - similar to the British Council - to promote Taiwanese culture and the learning of Chinese language abroad. These schools will be opened partly in response to the hundreds of Confucius Institutes China established overseas in recent years.

"It's soft power. Taiwan no longer depends on diplomacy or the military to boost its power. We want to do more to contribute to the world. We'll use our resources to promote Taiwan," says former presidential office spokesman Wang Yu-chih.

'Different from China'

Analysts believe these efforts are partly aimed at distinguishing Taiwan from China and ensuring the world does not forget the democratic and self-ruled Taiwan's cause - to be recognised as a country and included in international decision-making bodies.

"Like European countries, which are not militarily strong, this sort of thing raises their image," says Kou Chien-wen, a political science professor specialising in Taiwan-China relations at National Chengchi University in Taipei.

"Take Norway for example, it has the Nobel peace prize; when we think of it, we think well of it. Finland has Nokia, which also helps that country's image."


High-profile figures like Yani Tseng have also helped raise Taiwan's profile It is feared that not having a noticeable presence in the international community could hurt the island of 23 million people if there is conflict with its giant neighbour China - which considers Taiwan part of its territory which should be eventually reunited.

"Taiwan will be considered politically unimportant, economically unimportant, and culturally unimportant. That's a crisis for Taiwan," says Mr Kou.

"A not so well-known country invaded by a bigger country... People around the world would care if they know more about Taiwan and if they think Taiwan is different from China."

Rightful status'

Besides the government, Taiwanese people also have a strong desire for Taiwan to be recognised.

Many are irked when people assume they are from China or when maps lump Taiwan as a part of China.

Taiwanese citizens who succeed on the international stage often take the chance to promote Taiwan.

Athletes, for instance, drape Taiwan's national flag over themselves in awards ceremonies, even though that flag is not used in the Olympics or other gatherings of nations, due to China's objections.

Government efforts aside, individual Taiwanese people have in some ways done more to gain fame for the island this year.

They include golfer Yani Tseng, who shot to fame after becoming the youngest player in LPGA history to win three major championships; Lin Yu-chun, an amateur singer who received millions of views on YouTube; and Chen Shu-chu, a vegetable seller named one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people for her philanthropy.

Mr Ma has seized the opportunity to praise them for boosting Taiwan's image.

Even when people who had left Taiwan years ago become famous - such as American fashion designer Jason Wu of Michelle Obama-inauguration dress fame - the president misses no opportunity to highlight their Taiwan connections.

He gave Mr Wu star treatment on his recent visit here, meeting him at the presidential office and lavishing praise on him.

The effects of Taiwan's efforts to boost its profile may be too early to tell.

For many Taiwanese people, success will depend on whether Taiwan is included in international organisations. Attempts to join them in the past had been blocked by China.

After Taiwan began improving ties with Beijing in 2008, it was allowed to participate in the World Health Assembly - the decision-making body of the World Health Organization, as an observer.

But it is still excluded from other international organisations, such as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) - which deals with flight safety - and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Ultimately, many Taiwanese people want Taiwan to be given what they see as its rightful status and long overdue inclusion in global affairs.

"We are a country; why can't we be recognised as such?" asked elementary school principal Chen Shu-chuan, reflecting the views of many Taiwanese people.]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news46.html Fri, 10 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0800 Page 1
2010-09-10 12:00 AM

Taiwan fell one spot to end at No.13 on the World Economic Forum list of most competitive nations, the organization announced yesterday.

At the publication of The Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2011 in Beijing, WEF chief economist Jennifer Blanke said the main reason for Taiwan's decline might have been the lack of efficiency in its labor market. In other fields, such as personnel resources, health care and higher education, the country did quite well, she said.

Taiwan boasted an efficient market and came in at No.7 for its ability to innovate, according to Blanke.

Nevertheless, Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong all ranked higher than Taiwan in the report. China moved up to 27 from 29, while Switzerland maintained its position as the world's most competitive economy. Great Britain was the country that pushed Taiwan down one place by moving up to 12 from 13, the report said. The WEF rated a total of 139 countries and territories for their performance in a variety of domains.

Taiwan achieved lower rankings for the maturity of its financial markets, coming in only at No.35, the effectiveness of its labor market, at No.34 in the world compared to No.24 the previous year, and its overall economic framework and environment at No.35, the WEF said.

If Taiwan succeeded in improving those three aspects of its economy, it could well see an advance in its ranking over the next few years, the WEF report said.

Cabinet member Christina Liu, chairwoman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development, said Taiwan's marks had increased to 5.21 compared to 5.20 the previous year, so in fact there had been an improvement. She also said that the country ended up nine places ahead of its main competitor, South Korea.

Entrepreneurs also received a chance in the report to pick negative aspects of their economy. In Taiwan, more than 20 percent of respondents complained about the instability of government policies, while the inefficiency of the government administration, taxes and currency policies also received high negative marks.

Reports said Taiwan did well on most of the 12 basic indices and 110 factors taken into consideration by the world body best known for its annual economic summits in the Swiss resort town of Davos.

Taiwan ranked No.16 for basic infrastructure and No.1 in the world for its fixed-phone network. The quality of the country's railroad infrastructure earned it the eighth position, reports said.

A No.7 position for inflation showed Taiwan had succeeded in stabilizing prices. The country also occupied high positions for the quality of its elementary education, at No.10, and for the transparency of government policies, jumping to No.7 from No.12 the previous year, reports said.]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news54.html Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0800
According to the survey the universities fromTaiwan that made the list were as follows: Taiwan National University 94th (upone position from last year), Tsinghua University  made the top 200 by climbing up from lastyear's 223rd position  up to 196th spot.National Cheng Kung University slid from last year's 281st position down tonumber 283 and Yang Ming University climbed up to 290th position over lastyears 306.

National Jiaotong University also made significantprogress this year by climbing up from last year's 389th spot all the way up to327 and National Central University made the top 400 for the first time bytaking the 370th position.

Sun Yat-sen University and Taiwan NormalUniversity both made the list for the first time ever, and although the QSIntelligence survey does not rank each university individually for those thatare in-between the 400-500 place range, according to the information that thereporter was able to obtain, Sun Yat-sen was ranked between 401-450 whileTaiwan Normal was between 451 and 500.

Sowter stated that this year the improvement inthe ranking of Taiwan universities was primarily a result of 3 driving forceswhich include academic prestige, the number of citations received by reportspublished by professors and the number of foreign professors. Also, Taiwanuniversities' stronger international journal publications,  increased international information sourcesand internationalization of faculty all helped to increase Taiwan's academicstanding.

Sowter who once personally examined Taiwan'shigher education pointed out that “rankings should not be the ultimate goal ofthe university, but should rather serve as a reference for the improvement ofeducation quality. Those universities that have already improved in theirstanding should just continue focusing on following their current direction andtrust that their mid-term ranking will break new records”.

With regards to the issue of students frommainland China studying in Taiwan, Sowter maintained a positive attitude. Hesaid it is good to allows for a lot of talent to partake in internationalexchange in this global village environment and from a macroscopic point ofview this is a positive thing.

He believes that in order to let the nextgeneration have a greater understanding of different cultures, Taiwanuniversities should not only accept students from mainland China, but theyshould also receive students from all over the world and take advantage ofexchanges to learn even more.

Resource:
http://iservice.libertytimes.com.tw/liveNews/news.php?no=406923&type=%E5%9C%8B%E9%9A%9B]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news52.html Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0800
Beginning in 2011, theIndonesian province will select 50 publicly sponsored students every year tostudy in Taiwan, Wu said after he made a fact-finding trip to Southeast Asiancountries in mid-July.

The Aceh Province governmentwill sign a memorandum of understanding with the Elite Study in Taiwan ProgramOffice to help ensure that the Aceh scholarships are delivered to the studentsin Taiwan, according to Wu.

Taiwan will do its best tohelp the students from the province and simplify application procedures forthem, Wu pledged.

In the future, Taiwan willsend two or three Mandarin teachers to Aceh province to help prepare thestudents who have been chosen to study in Taiwan. Taiwan will pay theirsalaries, while the province will provide accommodation for them, Wu said.

Of the 75 students to studyin Taiwan, 25 have already arrived in Taiwan and the other 50 have yet to bepicked by the province, he said.

Reference:  Taiwan News]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news42.html Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0800
Over 160 papers with authors from 15 different countries were submitted for presentation in          the symposium.  From among these, twelve papers were preselected as finalists to compete for the best paper award through oral presentation.  The papers were from Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan,           and the Philippines.  Other winners are from Institut Tecknologi Bandung, Indonesia (2nd place)           and Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan (3rd and 5th places).    

The CYCU delegation which joined the symposium was headed by Professor Meng-Hui Li                of the Thermodynamics Laboratory of the Chemical Engineering Department with Post-doctoral Research Associates from the Mapua Institute of Technology, Philippines Alvin Caparanga and Allan Soriano and PhD student Rhoda Leron (photos above). The researches were supported by the R&D Center for Membrane Technology and Department of Chemical Engineering and National Science Council R.O.C.]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news41.html Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0800
International  Evaluation and Acrreditation:
Conducted by IEET (Institute of Engineering Education in Taiwan)
- Result: Acrredited
- In 2007, IEET was accepted by Washington Accord (WA) as a signatory.
Others signatories in WA are U.S.A., Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand,  Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia.
Countries in Washington Accord are expected to treat one another substantially equivalent.


Chung Yuan Christian University
Bioenvironmental Engineering〔BS 2007〕
Bio-medical Engineering〔BS 2004, MS 2008〕
Chemical Engineering〔BS 2004, MS 2007〕
Civil Engineering〔BS 2004, MS 2007〕
Electrical Engineering〔BS 2004, MS 2007〕
Electronic Engineering〔BS 2004, MS 2007〕
Industrial and Systems Engineering〔BS 2004, MS 2007〕
Information and Computer Engineering〔BS 2004, MS 2008〕
Mechanical Engineering〔BS 2005, MS 2007〕]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news53.html Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0800
After the NanyangUniversity in Singapore was merged with the University of Singapore in the 80sto form the National University of Singapore (NUS), Taiwan became the mostviable option for Malaysian Chinese independent school students to furthertheir studies.

The period whenthere was many Malaysian Chinese independent school students studying in Taiwanwas the 80s to the early 90s.

Later, Singaporeuniversities opened their doors to Malaysian students who scored well in theUnified Examination Certificate (UEC). Universities in China also started toaccept Malaysian students.

Meanwhile, moreuniversities in Europe and the United States started to recognize the UEC, andthe local private colleges and universities have also begun to admit Chineseindependent school students with the UEC.

As a result, thenumber of students pursuing studies in Taiwan has decreased as the Chineseindependent school students are having more and more options.

Take the Foon YewHigh School in Johor Bahru for example. According to The 2006 Foon YewGraduation Magazine, as many as 200 of its students furthered their studiesin Taiwan each year during the 80s and 90s. But the number has graduallyreduced over the years, and in 2006, only 60 students pursued their studies inTaiwan. At the same time, 506 students were enrolled at the local privatecolleges, 155 students furthered their studies in Singapore, 13 students wentto China, and the remaining 41 students went to Europe countries, the UnitedStates, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

Today, many parentsleave the decision to their children to choose where to further their studieswhile financial considerations have become a secondary issue.

My eldest son isstudying at the National Taiwan University while the youngest son is studyingat the Nanjing University in China. When comparing the fees, I found that thecost of studying in China is more than double the cost of studying in Taiwan'snation universities. My friends were surprised when I told them this as theyalways thought that studying in China is less expensive.

As far as I know,the annual fee to study in the faculty of arts of a Taiwanese university isabout RM6,000 (S$2,564), with accommodation cost at between RM800 and RM900 ayear. However, the annual fee to study in the faculty of arts of a universityin Beijing requires at least RM17,000 and the accommodation cost is aboutRM9,000 year. Although the accommodation cost is lower outside Beijing, such asthat of Nanjing University where accommodation for a foreign student is aboutRM2,500, it is still much more expensive than in Taipei.

Overseascompatriots studying in Taiwan may also apply for student aid funds or seekpermission to work part time. Those with excellent performance can also applyfor scholarships. Taiwan Education Minister Wu Ching-chi has recently announcedthat starting from this year, all Malaysian Chinese independent school studentsstudying in Taiwan will be directly awarded a scholarship of about RM30,000 ayear if they score A1 in Chinese, English, Mathematics, Science and Chemistrypapers in the UEC.

My son is one ofthe beneficiaries of the overseas compatriot education policy of Taiwan, forwhich I am really grateful. I hope China would emulate Taiwan so that Chineseindependent school students from poor Malaysian families will also have achance to pursue their dreams of furthering their studies in China.

Resource:
http://news.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20100722-228336.html]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news38.html Wed, 19 May 2010 00:00:00 +0800
The Overseas Youth Vocational Training Program was established by OCAC in 1963. To date, 11,547 students from 37 countries, most notably Malaysia, have attended the Sessions. The Program aims to equip overseas compatriot youths with manufacturing techniques and practical knowledge for use in various walks of life, so that they will be able to contribute to the prosperity of their home country. The 29th Session is currently under way with Transworld Institute of Technology and other 16 colleges and universities participating.

Good things come in pairs! With the approval from the Ministry of Education, TIT started to offer the Spring Intake for international degree-seeking students from 2010. All of the 8 students are from Malaysia majoring in Styling and Cosmetology. On the other hand, 20 Mainland Chinese students attended TIT’s Short-term Exchange Program. This also marked the first time that we have 3 students from Fujian Province. These Chinese students will study at several departments for four months while visiting different places in Taiwan at leisure. All in all, these unprecedented achievements have helped TIT gain popularity in Malaysia and Mainland China!]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news36.html Wed, 19 May 2010 00:00:00 +0800
The 2010 Spring Education UK Exhibition, hosted by the British Council, will be held on 6th through 10th, March in Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung respectively. For further information, please contact to the Center of International Education and Exchange.]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news35.html Wed, 19 May 2010 00:00:00 +0800
Hello there,

Welcome to join our big Lunghwa family.
In order to assist you in every aspect of your life here,
we assigned you a Guidance Teacher,
who will be taking care of you as well as your Homeroom Teacher.
We’d like to invite you to lunch this Thursday
and meet with your passionate Guidance Teacher.

Date: Thursday, March 25th.
Time: 12:00~13:00
Venue: 9F, Fa-Min Building

We look forward to seeing you!

Yours,
Counseling and Guidance Center, Office of Student Affairs
(Please dial extension 3301/3351 for more information)]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news34.html Wed, 19 May 2010 00:00:00 +0800
In his meeting with Prime Minister of Burkina Faso yesterday, President Ma Ying-Jeou expressed hope that the "Lamp for Africa" project that Taiwan is promoting in Burkina Faso will benefit schoolchildren in the country. Mr. Pierre Ambega, official of the office of Prime Minister of Burkina Faso, and Mr. Isidore Bougouma, Senior Commissioner of the Cooperation Division of the Embassy of Burkina Faso, paid a visit to the Lantan Campus of NCYU on the morning of May 7, accompanied by Wang Yu-Shan, chief of the Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training, Council of Labor Affairs, Executive Yuan, and officials from the Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training of Central Taiwan including Deputy Director Fan Jia-Hui, Section Chief Dai Jia-Tan and Chief Commissioner Chen Zhi-Rong. The Burkina Faso officials exchanged views with animal science and food science scholars on such respects as husbandry and agricultural product processing facilities and technology, expressing their hopes that NCYU could provide foreign aid to the country in terms of husbandry and agricultural product processing facilities and technology and talent training.

The meeting in the morning was hosted by Chiou Yi-Yuan, Dean of the College of Life Sciences, attended by Lian Tu-Fa and Yang Zheng-Hu, chairman and professor respectively, of the Department of Animal Science, Luo Ji-Yo and Yang Huai-Wen, both assistant professors of the Department of Food Science, as well as Dong Wei, head of the Office of Research and Development

According to Fan Jia-Hui, Taiwan has been providing foreign aid for fifty years, and the Taiwan-Burkina Faso Vocational Cooperation Training Project is the largest-scale project of its kind in Taiwan and was highly valued by Ma.

According to the project, Dai Jia-Tan indicated, Taiwan will help the country establish two vocational training centers, four vocational schools, one university department and thirteen regional vocational centers. All the sub-projects are related to husbandry and agricultural projects processing technology and talent training, since Burkina Faso is dependent on agriculture. He hoped that the scholars of NCYU, which is known for its agricultural programs and rich experience in theoretical and practical training, could go to Burkina Faso and provide guidance and instructions in terms of establishing agriculture and husbandry departments in vocational schools and processing technology of agricultural products.

Chiou said he was invited to Burkina Faso in 2004. In his impression, it was a country productive of peanuts, dried fruits and nuts and gum acacia. He would go to Japan for a one-year research project in the upcoming August, and, if time permits, he would like to go to Burkina Faso to offer his assistance.

The two Burkina Faso officials visited the food processing facilities Department of Food Science last year, and were deeply impressed by the university's devotion to agricultural development. They requested the Vocational Center to arrange another visit to the university. Since this week is also the Animal Science Week, they could see how students carry out meat and dairy product processing operations at the Animal Experiment Farm and Promotion R&D Center for Animal Products. They also hoped NCYU or other universities could offer some guidance to their country.

Burkina Faso, located in the Sahara desert in northern Africa, is 30,000 km and thirty hour-flight from Taiwan. Burkina Faso has a territory eight times larger than Taiwan, but only half of Taiwan's population. Despite its rich mineral resources and rich agricultural produce, the country has only one normal university, one general university and a university of science and technology, without any school of husbandry and agriculture. It does not have professionals or technology to develop the husbandry and agriculture industry. The university expressed their willingness to offer professional and technological guidance to the countries with diplomatic ties with Taiwan]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news32.html Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0800
The Chinese exchange students appreciated the many rewarding experiences, in particular spiritual rewards, that they have gained while studying at TIT in Taiwan. Apart from studying hard and excelling in their coursework, they traveled throughout this beautiful island, aka Formosa, with their Taiwanese counterparts, teachers, and friends on weekends, making their stay in Taiwan a memorable one! Many of the students came to Taiwan with only a piece of baggage and one backpack, but had to pay overweight baggage fees when they left for China because they had bought too many local specialties/ souvenirs wherever they toured.

They also recalled their grateful feelings towards staff members of the Center for International Affairs (CIA), who had helped them apply for a valid visa and taken good care of them, from schoolwork to daily life trivialities. Some of them were too touched that they could barely hold back their tears! While waiting for check in and embarkation at the Airport, Chief Pengo of the International Student Affairs chatted with the students and found that many were thinking about staying on in Taiwan for advanced study, but had to take their unfinished degree into account, thus they were uncertain.

"All good things must come to an end." Photos taken in the Airport Customs depicting Chinese students hugging CIA staff members and being in tears will remind us of our friendship forever. We will be looking forward to greeting our Chinese friends again in the 2010 International Kite Festival held in Shandong and World Expo 2010 organized in Shanghai!]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news31.html Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0800
Before the signing ceremony commences, BGAT CEO Dr. Suwit Wichawut, Deputy Director Dr. Suyanee Vessabutr, Business Department Chairman Ms. Pattavee Sangchai, and negotiator Mr. Mano thamaraksa visited the Horticultural Technology Center and botanical garden of NCYU. They were deeply impressed with the university's comprehensive device and application of transgenic technology to orchids.

The signing ceremony was hosted by NCYU President Lee Ming-Jen. He mentioned that in his trip to the Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden belonging to BGAT, he was impressed with the diversity of flowers and plants grown in the garden, which provides valuable research resources for NCYU professors in the related fields. Furthermore, he proposed the idea that the new species of orchid cultivated at NCYU could be named after the name of the royal family of Thailand. BGAT said that they would put it into consideration.

QSBG, located in northern Thailand and covering an area of 1,000 acres, is one of the few botanical gardens in the world which features more than 10,000 flower and plant species. It is also known for its ex-situ conservation of orchids. In addition to its collection of its native orchids, the garden also carries out exchanges of species with the Royal Botanic Gardens in England, Copenhagen Botanical Garden in Denmark and Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden in China.

The Orchid Research Team of NCYU is renowned at home and abroad for its research work in conserving, gathering, renewing and cultivating endemic and superior species of butterfly orchid. The cooperation memorandum signed between NCYU and BGAT is expected to facilitate academic visits, exchanges of plant specimens, seedlings and publications, academic research cooperation, as well as teacher training in the related areas.]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news30.html Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0800
The opening ceremony in the morning was attended by County Commissioner Chang, Chiayi County Councilman Chen Yi-Yue, Zhan Ming-Xun and Yang Shiuan-Jie, head and counselor of the Division of Extracurricular Activity, Office of Student Affairs of NCYU, WVT faculty advisor Shiah Tsang-Chyi, and GES Headminister Hou Chong-Bo, among others. In her speech, Chang paid her thanks to the WVT team for their enthusiasm and benevolence of helping the children in remote rural places during winter vacation. She added that education makes a man in poverty rich, and about half of the budgets for Chiayi County, despite its relative lack in financial support, are spent on education on an annual basis.

Chang also quizzed the children on the meaning of "woodsman", which was met with answers like "people who chop wood". Shiah clarified that the team was named as such since all the members of WVT were majors of forest products science and furniture, and that the wood burns itself to illuminate the world. Chang repeated his explanation to the children and asked them what year they were going to celebrate, to which they answered directly: "New Year". She laughed and said the answers were absolutely cute, which the County Government staff should record in their blogs.

The three-day winter camp at GES features a wide spectrum of activities, ranging from dancing, music, fine arts, physical education, life education to cooking, enabling the children to learn in joy. Event organizer Zhuang Meng-Yu indicated that she hoped to help them develop a right philosophy of life through classes of life education, since the majority of the students of GES were new-inhabitants or came from one-parent or cross-generation families.

Pan Xiu-Qing, a fifth grader of GES, said, "I had great fun in last year's summer camp by these big brothers and sisters from NCYU, that's why I enrolled for this winter camp." Chen Zhen-Yu, a first grader, said she enrolled in the event since her sister, who once joined the camp, told her that big brothers and sisters from NCYU would hold a lot of activities here.

On the other hand, the Handicraft Club and Power Dance Club organized camps at Sin-Wun Elementary School, Budai Township, where they instructed the children to make creative artifacts such as mailboxes with delicate white beach sands, wool swellfish dolls and clay octopus. Liu Kai-Ting, a student of the Department of Applied Economics, said this was her first time joining a service camp and she had a lot of fun. She also added that the children loved street dance.

There are a total of twenty-one NCYU service teams who will offer service camps at elementary schools in educational priority or remote areas in Yunlin, Chiayi and Tainan Counties and Cities. Besides planning activities themselves, most of them have to carry cooking utensils and sleeping bags due to a lack of funds. They cook themselves and sleep in the sleeping bags at classrooms provided by the schools. Their enthusiasm and dauntless spirit of service merit our recognition.]]> http://www.studyintaiwan.org//en/news49.html Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0800
The two sides agreed to initiate strategies to achieve collaboration on research projects, exchanges of teachers and school administration personnel, cooperation in the field of technology, and mutual recognition of higher education academic degrees and certificates.

The agreement will also help Taiwanese universities recruit more top Indian students, MOE officials said.

The agreement was inked by Chang Chia-yi, chairman of the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan (FICHET), and Beena Shah, secretary general of the Delhi-based Association of Indian Universities (AIU), according to a press release by the Ministry of Education (MOE).

In light of the growing number of Indian students in Taiwan, 80 percent of whom are pursuing doctoral degrees, the AIU said, it attaches importance to the agreement which it regards as a big breakthrough in the efforts to step up higher education exchanges between Taiwan and India, according to the MOE.

It is the fifth agreement of its kind to be achieved by the FICHET. It has forged similar pacts with the Austrian Exchange Service, Japan's Consortium of Universities in Osaka, and the State University System of Florida and Texas State University System in the United States, the MOE said.

During their stay in Taiwan, AIU President M.D. Tiwari, Vice President P.T. Chande, Secretary General Beena Shah and senior advisor Y.P. Kumar, have visited the Hsinchu Science Park, the MOE and several universities.

They have also met with local scholars and Indian students studying in Taiwan, the MOE said.]]>