Previously, the 2018 Glory of the Tang Prize Exhibition held at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall attracted tens of thousands of visitors to participate in the activities and shared their experience on Facebook. From November 2, the exhibit has moved to the National Science and Technology Museum (NSTM) in Kaohsiung, and will last for 87 days until January 2019. It is a wonderful opportunity for people in southern Taiwan to learn about the stories of the 2018 Tang Prize laureates and their great achievements. The exhibit also provides precious footages of their visit in Taiwan.
Dr. Jenn-Chuan Chern, CEO of the Tang Prize Foundation, stated that this was the third time the Foundation worked with the NSTM. The exhibit conveyed the urgent message spread by 2018 Tang Prize laureates Dr. James E. Hansen and Prof. Veerabhadran Ramanathan that the world must take immediate action to address climate change. After Typhoon Morakot struck Taiwan in August 2009, the NSTM has redefined itself as a museum aimed to educate the public about disaster control and prevention. He said the Foundation hoped that through working with the NSTM, the exhibit would encourage more teachers and parents to discuss environmental issues with their students and children.
Director-General of the NSTM, Dr. Chen Shiunn-Shyang noted that the museum used technology to help the public better understand the four categories of the Tang Prize through educational activities that were full of fun. He mentioned that at the exhibit, the B1 Hall featured the topic on climate change, while the 6F Hall reminded people of the devastation Typhoon Morakot brought to Taiwan and the importance to respond to climate change. The 4F Hall helped people explore ways to improve health. In remarks, Dr. Chen expressed appreciation to the Tang Prize’s selection committee for its vision by awarding the 2014 Tang Prize in Biopharmaceutical Science to Dr. James P. Allison and Dr. Tasuku Honjo, who later won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2018.
On October 8, 2018, the world received an alarming message from a report released by the UN-run IPCC—we must make unprecedented changes to halt global warming. At the exhibit, an Eco Station with a house was set up to allow visitors to compare the energy use of two types of windows—regular windows and smart windows. A game offered visitors the opportunity to edit the gene that expressed the taste of bitterness in bitter gourds. Another game helped visitors learn about the importance Confucianism attached to music and harmony with ancient Chinese percussions that use the pentatonic scale, gong (宮), shāng (商), jué (角), zhǐ (徵), and yǔ (羽), corresponding to C, D, E, G, A in the west. With regard to the rule of law, a story about two animals’ quarrels would give you some food for thought: How do we promote the practice in the rule of law on campus? The story encouraged the public to see things from different perspectives without prejudice and get a better understanding about the principles of fairness and justice.
Through footages and pictures, visitors can further understand the wisdom and knowledge of the 2018 Tang Prize laureates, and the great contributions they made to the world. For instance, Dr. Hansen and Prof. Ramanathan are widely-recognized for their research on climate change and relentless efforts to address this issue, therefore prompting the UN to make critical decisions to tackle global warming. Laureates in Biopharmaceutical Science, Dr. Tony Hunter, Dr. Brian Druker, and Dr. John Mendelsohn have significantly enhanced cancer patients’ survival rates and their quality of life. A leading scholar of Tang dynasty (618-907) poetry, Dr. Stephen Owen translated the complete works of Du Fu and unearthed new facets of Chinese literary history. Prof. Yoshinobu Shiba innovatively combined the distinctive fortes of Chinese, Japanese, and Western social sciences to conduct research on regional and economic history of the Song dynasty (960-1127). A laureate of Tang Prize’s Rule of Law, Dr. Joseph Raz dissected complex and abstract legal concepts into clear and applicable methodologies, which helped further the dialogue about law and its role in society.
In addition to the interactive games, the exhibit also showcased items donated by the Tang Prize laureates that signified their life and work. These included a harmonica gifted by Dr. James P. Allison (laureate of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine), and a number of complimentary copies of books authored by Prof. Tasuku Honjo (co-winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine).
Starting from November 3, the documentaries of 2018 Tang Prize laureates will be broadcast on Tang Prize’s official website, CTi, and CTV channels in Taiwan, Asia, the US, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. We warmly welcome you to visit the exhibit and get ready to be inspired by the Tang Prize laureates and their work.
-----------Information about the Exhibit--------------
Venue: 4F Central Aisle, National Science & Technology Museum, Kaohsiung
Date: Nov. 2, 2018-Jan. 27, 2019.
To view the documentaries of the 2018 Tang Prize laureates on Youtube, please visit:
https://www.youtube.com/user/theTangPrize
To learn more about the telecasting information, please visit:
http://www.tang-prize.org/en/domestic_detail.php?cat=44&id=1018
