To inspire children to explore technology, the National Science and Technology Council launched the Popular Science Train project in 2016. The annual event invites students to travel legs of a train journey around Taiwan, picking up and dropping off riders at railway stations where they participate in scientific activities.
PST has since expanded to branch railways reaching into the country’s remote areas to enhance access for rural students, with central Taiwan’s Jiji line included in 2020 and the north’s Neiwan line last year.
A musical about Indian food delivery providers’ use of mathematics to improve services is staged during the 2022 Taiwan Science Festival. (Courtesy of National Taiwan Science Education Center)
“Remote places tend to lack resources, but I’ve seen children perform well in science once they’re given the opportunity,” said Tai Ming-fong, director of National Tsing Hua University’s Interdisciplinary Science Education Center, which helps implement the PST project. Over 1,300 students from 70 schools in such areas rode the train last year.
The Ministry of Education does its part by organizing the annual Taiwan Science Festival since 2020. Central to the initiative are five large-scale national museums, which hold diverse activities ranging from exhibitions and lectures to games and performances to encourage people to develop an interest in science.
An additional 20 facilities designated by the government over the past three years as popular science education bases participate in TSF. These entities, such as Taiwan Space Agency in Hsinchu City, educate the public about the scientific concepts that underpin our everyday lives.
Tai Ming-fong (right), director of National Tsing Hua University’s Interdisciplinary Science Education Center, engages students in a scientific activity at the school in northern Taiwan. (Courtesy of ISEC)
Meanwhile, local governments are staging their own science festivals. Last year ISEC helped Hsinchu and Miaoli County governments plan their respective events and invited entities invested in spreading scientific knowledge to join.
“These science festivals are great platforms for institutions to connect with the public and show what they offer,” Tai said, adding that the event was a first for Miaoli.
Nearly every city and county around the country now has a locally staged science festival. “Popular science education is certainly attracting more attention than ever before in Taiwan,” said Tai. “It’s crucial to sharpen Taiwan’s competitive edge and play an active role in the global campaign for a better tomorrow.” (E) (By Oscar Chung)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw
The science festival staged in Miaoli last year is a first for the northern county. (Courtesy of ISEC)
(This article is adapted from “Popular Science” in the January/February 2023 issue of Taiwan Review. The Taiwan Review archives dating to 1951 are available online.)