News

NTNU’s Visit to Australia: Cultivating Academic Exchange, Benchmarking, and Alumni Relations

With the goal of strengthening and advancing academic cooperation and exchange with institutions of higher learning in Australia as well as learning more about administrative benchmarking already underway in the management and planning of university campuses, President Cheng-Chi Wu of National Taiwan Normal University led a seven-member delegation to visit Queensland, Australia on April 3-9, 2023. The delegation included Vice President for International Affairs Yi-De Liu, Vice President for General Affairs Horng-Sheng Mii, University Head Librarian Shyue-Cherng Liaw, College of Liberal Arts Dean Chiou-Lan Chern, Graduate Institute of Translation and Interpretation Director Daniel Hu, and Graduate Institute of Taiwan History Professor Su-Bing Chang. In a span of seven days, they visited the University of Queensland (UQ) and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane as well as Griffith University in the Gold Coast.

Visiting Delegation Led by Kyushu University President Strengthens Strategic Partnership with NTNU

As pandemic restrictions ease, in-person international academic exchanges may resume as before. On 30 March, a delegation from Kyushu University led by President Tatsuro Ishibashi came to National Taiwan Normal University and met with NTNU President Cheng-Chih Wu as well as other faculty members. The two parties held discussions on further academic cooperation and student exchange. Moreover, the guests were able to attend an important music performance and tour five campus landmarks, all the while sharing ideas during the entire experience.

International Cultural Festival Sets Sail for Diverse Cultures

After being postponed by the pandemic for two years, the three universities of the NTU System, National Taiwan Normal University, National Taiwan University, and National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, recommenced the jointly-organized International Cultural Festival on 28 March 2023. The two-day event comprised of up to booths showcasing up to 14 different cultures, including those of Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Macau, etc. The booths not only sold dishes from distinctive cuisines but also artisan crafts; several of them displayed traditional clothes and cultural elements and offered hands-on activities for participants to explore individual cultures.

An Accomplice to Alzheimer's Disease: Protein TDP-43

Of all patients with dementia across the globe, approximately 60-70% are confirmed cases of Alzheimer’s disease, the vast majority of which are seniors over the age of 65. New studies have suggested that around 30-57% of Alzheimer's patients were found to have abnormal levels of protein TDP-43 inclusions, which presents faster disease progression and greater brain atrophy. To this day, treatments for Alzheimer’s disease continue to be limited. Therefore, in order to develop better treatment strategies and gain a further understanding of the disease, the importance of TDP-43 must not be overlooked.

Helping Taiwanese Children Cultivate Strong Emotional Skills

Emotional intelligence forms the foundation for a happy life, and is an important aspect of lifelong education. The preschool years are a particularly crucial period for the development of a child’s emotional abilities, and as research has consistently shown, family environment has a strong influence on their cultivation. How can parents and caregivers ensure that their homes are conducive to nurturing emotional development? Below, members of the “Kids in Taiwan: National Longitudinal Study of Child Development and Care” research team, led by Professor Chien-ju Chang of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at National Taiwan Normal University, will share some insights on the development process of preschool children’s emotional abilities, as well as some of the key factors involved in cultivating emotional intelligence. The researchers encourage parents to pay attention to their children’s social-emotional skills, and urge relevant government departments to cooperate to prioritize parenting education.