The National Science and Technology Council July 11 unveiled the individual who will fly the flag for Taiwan at the global Falling Walls Lab finale set for November in Berlin.
Chen Yi-zih, a graduate student in data science at National Taiwan University’s College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, will pitch her research on antibiotic resistance to vie for the prestigious Science Breakthrough of the Year award as well as participate in the Falling Walls Science Summit taking place Nov. 7-9 in the German capital.
According to the NSTC, the local competition was jointly organized with the Taiwan offices of Potsdam-headquartered Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom and Bonn-based German Academic Exchange Service.
During the award ceremony, Huang Yu-chen, deputy director-general of the NSTC’s Department of International Cooperation and Science Education, said Taiwan and Germany have long enjoyed close cooperation in academic research and talent exchanges.
Currently 10 Taiwanese graduate students are in Germany for a three-month stay, while seven German students will come to Taiwan later this month under the Taiwan-Germany Summer Institute Program, she added, calling on more local students to take part in similar initiatives.
In response, Céline Nauer from the FNF said the foundation believes education is the cornerstone of a democratic society. The FNF is pleased to co-host the event with the NSTC to promote more bilateral academic exchanges and cultural cooperation while helping more young people from Taiwan showcase their ingenuity on the global stage.
Echoing the two’s remarks, Julian Goldmann from the German Institute Taipei said innovative solutions from brilliant young minds are necessary to address social challenges amid multiple global crises and political uncertainties. Falling Walls Lab is a great platform for identifying promising individuals from around the world and spotlighting their ideas, he added. (SFC-E)
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