News

SHIU PEI-DER AND CHUANG YUN-HUI AWARDED A SCHOLARSHIP OF ACADEMIA SINICA

The scholarship awards for outstanding master theses provided by the Asia Pacific Research Foundation of Academic Sinica were announced yesterday. Shiu Pei-der and Chuang Yun-hui from the Graduate School of Southeast Asian Studies of TKU have been awarded the scholarship after submitting their respective proposals for a master thesis. The foundation has awarded 10 graduate students from various universities and colleges this year. Shiu Pei-der won with first class honors; his research interest focuses on Muslim group identity in Indonesia. Chuang Yun-hui, on the other hand, won the fifth place with her research topic, which investigates the migration of village women to big cities in Thailand and their eventual participation in the labor force. Shiu 's award contains NT$120,000 to subsidize his field work and research. The amount awarded to the other students varies from 20,000 to 100,000 NT dollars subject to the topics and contents of their research proposals.

TKU SCOUTS STAND GUARD ON NATIONAL DAY CEREMONY, THE SAME FOR TWENTY YEARS

The TKU Scouts Group is going to dispatch more than twenty scouts as representatives to serve in this year's Double Tenth National Day celebration. This voluntary service has embodied their dedication to the spirit of “perseverance” over the past twenty years.

NARROW ALLEYS PACKED WITH PEOPLE AND MOTORBIKES: TAMSUI FIRE DEPT. BLACKLISTS SHUI-YUAN STREET

A recent investigation of fire safety in the community around Tamsui Campus has highlighted some disturbing signs. The investigation conducted by the fire department of Tamsui, Taipei County indicates that Section 2 of Shui-yuan Street is considered a hindrance to the fire rescue service, should a fire breakout in that area. The Construction Section of Tamsui Township is making an effort to paint red lines as part of their measures to prevent the illegal parking of motorbikes in that area. Illegally parked motorbikes in narrow roads and alleys are believed to be the cause of the tragic fire in Luchou a month ago.

RETURNED EXCAHNGE STUDENTS SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES AT THE PRESENTATION ORGANIZED BY OFFICE OF IE&IE

The Office of International Exchanges and International Education (IE&IE) held two presentations last week explaining the nuts and bolts of studying abroad. Both of these occasions attracted more than 200 students. The Vice President for Academic Affairs, Feng Chao-kang, one of the speakers, encouraged the participants to “take the challenge” rather than missing the opportunity because of fear of the unknown. The organizer also arranged students who had just returned from their overseas exchange programs to share their experiences with the participants.

DEPT. OF CHEMISTRY TO INVITE TWO PROFESSORS FROM ABROAD FOR AN ACADEMIC EXCHANGE

The Department of Chemistry has kicked off their series of keynote speeches with guest speakers, Professor Yoshinori Askawa, the Dean of Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokushima Bunri University, Japan; and Professor Dr. Konig from the Institut fur Organische Chemie, Universitat Hamburg, Germany. They are here for a week of exchange programs to hold several lectures.

ALL LECTURES IN ENGLISH AT THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE DEPARTMENT: TOUGH BUT WORTH IT

One may feel a brief moment of disbelief when walking into the classes of freshman Class C of the International Trade Department. Chinese is hardly heard nor uttered. You've heard it right--all lectures, name-calls, Q's and A's are in English. All students sit there in class with their pocket translators, remaining silent, concentrating on their teacher's lecture for fear of missing any explanations given in English.

53 COUPLES TO KISS FOR 53 SECONDS TO CELEBRATE THE 53rd TKU ANNIVERSARY

The 53rd Anniversary of TKU will be held on November 8 later this year. Apart from the usual programs of an opening ceremony and track and field events, there will be some additional special events such as “Egg-roll Festival—a series of egg-roll painting activities”, “Anniversary Tea Party and Photography Show”, and finally a “Carrie Chang Fine Art Exhibition”. Such a combination of active and passionate activities, with vibrancy and sensuality is designed to inject some new energy to this year's anniversary celebration.

MOEA AFFIRMS TKU'S CHAMPION INCUBATOR CENTER:

The Agency of Small and Medium Business Administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) dispatched a committee to visit Tamkang's Champion Incubator Center, which is dedicated to the management and establishment of mid- to small-sized enterprises last Monday, September 29. One committee member Fang Wen-chang expresses the committee's approval of TKU's support to the Center. He remarks that it is particularly encouraging to realize that the Center has demonstrated a deep understanding of their clients by their ability to provide tailor-made problem solving and trouble-shooting to them in various business circumstances. However, he hopes that the enterprises the Center has assisted will provide some monetary rewards to the teaching staff at the Center as a gesture of incentive for further research.

MOE TO INSPECT LANYANG CAMPUS:

On October 7 officials from the Higher Education Department of the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Environmental Protection Agency, Ckiaosi and the Ilan County Government will inspect the ground, Lot 280-5, which has been planned for Tamkang's Lanyang Campus. TKU President Chang Horng-Jinh will personally lead the inspection. A purchase contract of the lot is to be signed at the end of the inspection.

NATIONAL SCIENCE COUNCIL AWARDS 237 RESEARCH PROPOSALS SUBMITTED BY TAMKANG UNIVERSITY

The staff at Tamkang University submitted 427 research proposals to the 2003 National Science Council Research Projects, and 237 out of the total were already approved, which makes Tamkang's acceptance rate 55.5%, earning NT$1,490,000 grant. Both application and approval rates were high amongst the proposals submitted by the College of Sciences, College of Engineering and College of Education; all the proposals submitted by the College of Technology were approved.