Tang Prize Newsletter

An annual gathering of biology's best and brightest from all over the world, Experimental Biology (EB) attracts over 14,000 experts and scientists to meet and discuss the latest research, trends, and products in the diverse field of biology. This year, on April 5, inaugural Tang Prize laureate in Biopharmaceutical Science, Dr. Tasuku Honjo will deliver a special Tang Prize Lecture at EB, entitled "Cancer Immunotherapy by PD-1 Antibody," to a crowd of scientists interested in the new and burgeoning field of cancer immunotherapy.

Honjo discovered the inhibitory molecule PD-1 in 1992 and subsequently showed how suppressing it could activate T cells and lead to increased immune response. The blocker which derived from Honjo's work is now used by doctors to fight cancers ranging from melanoma to ovarian. In his upcoming talk, Honjo will discuss the history and the current situation with PD-1 treatment.

Lecture Title: Cancer Immunotherapy by PD-1 Antibody
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Tasuku Honjo, 2014 Tang Prize Laureate
Hosted by Dr. Shu Chien, founding Director of the Whitaker Institute of Biomedical Engineering at UCSD
Time: Tuesday, April 5, 2016, 3:00-5:00 PM.
Place: Room 33ABC, San Diego Convention Center EB

Read more at Tang Prize at EB 2016>>

The Tang Prize awards outstanding accomplishments in the sciences and humanities. To communicate the significance of their momentous work, the Tang Prize has invited designers from all over the world to design the Tang Prize award objects, including the medal and diploma.

Lin Cheung, one of the finalists of the Tang Prize Medal Design Competition in 2014, was invited to design the Tang Prize diploma for 2016. Cheung graduated from the Royal College of Art, London in 1997 with an MA in Goldsmithing, Silversmithing, Metalwork and Jewelry. Her works have been shown at exhibitions across the globe, garnering praise and awards for their unique presentation. Her skill in metalwork may be seen in such projects as the 2012 London Paralympic Games; she also won honors from Beyond 2012 of the UK Design Association in 2013.

Cheung will discuss the elements of the new diploma design at the unveiling on May 24 in Taipei. Attendance is by pre-registration only. Please follow us on Facebook to get the latest updates on the event.

Time: May 24, 2016 at 2:30 PM
Venue: TDC Creative Theatre, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Taipei
Speaker: Lin Cheung

Related: Lin Cheung: design submission for the Tang Prize medal competition>>

One of many initiatives set off by the “Godmother of Sustainable Development,” the eponymous Gro Brundtland Week of Women in Sustainable Development was begun by Dr. Brundtland to foster young talented women working in the fields of sustainability and health. The event, executed by National Cheng Kung University, brings five young female scientists to Taiwan for a week of dialogue and exchange.

Women doctorate scientists under the age of 40 from developing countries (or Taiwan) and engaged in the fields of public health or sustainable development are eligible for the award. Five qualified scientists are chosen each year. The event will be run yearly from 2016-2018 and is hoped that it can encourage more attention for women in academia and the real world of development and sustainability.

Read more about the Gro Brundtland Week of Women in Sustainable Development>>

Gro Brundtland Week of Women in Sustainable Development recently wrapped up its first year in Taipei on February 26 at the Tang Prize Foundation offices. This year a total of five young women scientists were invited to attend: Bushra Khalid (Pakistan), Towfida Siddiqua (Bangladesh), Mst Marzina Begum (Bangladesh), Erlyn Rachell Macarayan (Philippines), and Chen Chia-shin (Taiwan).

Over a total of six days, five women scientists from developing countries attended a series of forums which spanned the length of Taiwan; on their journey they found inspiration and collaborations for their future research. “It was like a brainstorming session for me,” said Khalid, adding that the week brought new ideas and novel ways of communicating those ideas. Marzina pointed out that barriers still exist for women looking to do scientific research, especially women in developing countries. Seeing a huge potential for change, she added that Gro Brundtland Week is an “open window” for sharing the knowledge that can help women and the environment. And from beginning to end, the scientists concern centered on the influence of sustainability on women—as Macarayan stressed in the final overview of their presentation, “Climate change affects everyone, but not equally.”

Read more about Gro Week closing ceremony>>

The 2014 Tang Prize Award Ceremony banner was recognized by the German iF award in 2015 for design excellence. Designed by the Taiwanese company Proad Identity, the scroll uses conceptual elements to represent the four fields and is brought together with an Eastern aesthetic at its core. 

Now, as the Tang Prize enters its second year,  a new set of visual motifs for the Tang Prize are fresh out of the design studio. Green airy landscapes, a sea of blue molecules, aged scrolls of Chinese calligraphy, and the law writ in stone—all four prize categories are combined in the new icon.

Keep your eyes on the Tang Prize for 2016—"Worldwide Tang Prize"

In 2014, ten designers from Japan, Germany, Australia, England, Italy, the Netherlands, and Hong Kong were invited to submit their concepts for the Tang Prize medal, which would be bestowed to each laureate for their outstanding achievement; and fifteen diploma designers from Taiwan were invited to submit their ideas for the diploma. Their efforts were captured in the book Chasing the Pearl, a presentation of the depths and heights of the art of design. Recently Chasing the Pearl was itself a winner in design when it was recognized with the 2015 Golden Pin Design Award for Visual Design Communication.

‘Chasing the Pearl’ takes its inspiration from Naoto Fukasawa’s design for the Tang Prize medal. His design was a departure from traditional medals, since its form is an open helix rather than a closed circle or coin. The medal radiates a sense of movement as it extends upwards and down, while evoking images of a dragon twisting and turning in flight. In the Chinese tradition, the theme of a dragon chasing after a pearl is an analogy for the endless pursuit of wisdom. Fukasawa’s design captures that very idea—life, bursting with energy and burning with curiosity, pursues knowledge through the infinite frontier of the knowable; altogether, it wonderfully encapsulates the spirit of the Tang Prize and pays tribute to the esteemed laureates.

Read more about Chasing the Pearl: Good Design Comes Full Circle: Tang Prize Design Book Wins Design Award >

2016 Tang Prize recipients will be unveiled in June over four days of announcements. Be sure to mark your schedule and keep your eyes on the Tang Prize for 2016!

Tang Prize Announcements
6/18 The prize in Sustainable Development 
6/19 The prize in Biopharmaceutical Science
6/20 The prize in Sinology
6/21 The prize in Rule of Law

Tang Prize Week
9/22 Reception (at the National Palace Museum)
9/24 Lecture Series (Howard Civil Service International House)
9/25 Award Ceremony (Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall) & Banquet (Grand Hotel)
9/26 Concert (National Concert Hall)
9/26-28 Masters’ Forums (TBA)
9/2-11/6 Glory of the Tang Prize Exhibition
(Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei; National Science and Technology Museum in Kaohsiung)
9/22-12/22 A Special Exhibit of Select Artefacts
(National Palace Museum)

See the full schedule at 2016 Tang Prize Schedule>>

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