LOSING EDGE: The falling number of students who are pursuing doctoral degrees is an alarming issue, because it affects the nation’s competitiveness, one winner said
Taipei Times
Date: Oct 30, 2019
By: Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporter
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday awarded the Presidential Science Prize to three
From left, Academia Sinica members Lee Yuan-pern, Chen Yuan-tsong and Wei Fu-chan attend a ceremony to receive their Presidential Science Prizes at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: Chien Hui-ju, Taipei Times
One of the winners, Lee Yuan-pern (李遠鵬), is renowned for his research using free radical spectroscopy, a tool for studying the effect of global warming and air pollution, said Academia Sinica President James Liao (廖俊智), chairman of the prize’s steering committee.
The falling number of students pursuing doctoral degrees should be regarded as a serious social problem, as a shortage of researchers would affect the nation’s global competitiveness, Lee said.
The government should encourage young people to be involved in basic science research and urge academics to work together on advanced research projects, instead of working alone, he said.
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