President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of July 12 with the delegation of ROC students that participated in this year's Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in the United States. The president praised the outstanding performance by the students and also expressed his appreciation to their advisors for the work they are doing in cultivating a new generation of talent.
In remarks to the gathering, the president stated that a total of 12 students from the ROC this year submitted nine projects at the ISEF, which is often referred to as the Olympiad for science. Over 1,500 students from throughout the world submitted 1,300 projects at the event. Projects from Taiwan won four Grand Awards and four Special Awards, meaning that 44% of Taiwan's projects won prizes at the event, which was far greater than the average 25%, the president noted.
The president stated that besides the recognition of excellence, the most important significance of winning awards is to help create a direction for students to take in the future. The president remarked that the students taking part in this year's ISEF received considerable assistance from the Intel Corporation, the K. T. Li Foundation for the Development of Science and Technology, and the GFC Foundation. This demonstrates the importance that the industrial sector places on science education and the cultivation of talent, he said.
President Ma mentioned that the outstanding performance of the award winners shows that young scholars continue to be engaged in scientific research. The president added that he is particularly pleased to see a large number of female students taking part. The National Taiwan Science Education Center has specially compiled a retrospective of Taiwan's participation in international science fairs over the past 10 years, the president said, noting that the Chinese version of the book is expected to be published in September. The book will provide a detailed log of the participation of ROC teams in international science fairs over the past decade, as well as the stellar performances of these delegations.
The president remarked that New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman previously wrote that while Taiwan has only 23 million people, it has amassed an enviable amount of foreign exchange reserves. Taiwan has used its wisdom in handling cross-strait relations, Friedman wrote, adding that while other places drill for oil, Taiwan mines its brain power. President Ma stated that Taiwan is short on natural resources but long on natural disasters. The ROC, however, possesses abundant human resources, and education is our greatest asset. He encouraged everyone to continue to work hard and constantly endeavor to do better in an effort to make a contribution to the nation and scientific development for mankind.
The group of students was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Deputy Education Minister Chen I-hsing (陳益興) to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was Deputy Secretary-General to the President Liu Bao-guey (劉寶貴).