Taipei, Oct. 5 (CNA) A Tang Prize Foundation executive is attending the 12th annual meeting of the Science and Technology in Society (STS) Forum at the invitation of its founder, the Taiwan-based foundation said Monday.
Chang Herng-yuh (張恒裕), director of the foundation's Planning and Development Department, said before leaving Taipei for the meeting in Kyoto, Japan that sustainable development is one of the four prizes awarded biennially by his foundation to encourage outstanding research in the field.
The environment and energy is one of the issues being addressed at the Kyoto meeting.
The forum, which runs from Sunday through Tuesday, is focusing on the "lights and shadows of science and technology" because rapid technological progress is like a sharp knife that cuts both ways and people need to be reminded of the challenges posed by technology, he said.
Topics being discussed by forum participants, including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, include balancing economic development and global warming, battling infectious diseases and the benefits and ethical challenges of cloning technology.
The Tang Prize Foundation is a member of the STS Forum, which was founded by Koji Omi, a former minister of finance and minister of science policy of Japan.
(By S.C. Chang)
