President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of May 23 with Dr. Martin Chalfie, the winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, extended a warm welcome to Dr. Chalfie on his visit to Taiwan.
The president remarked that Dr. Chalfie has made outstanding contributions in the field of biological sciences. He is renowned throughout the world and has won a host of prizes besides the Nobel in recognition of his accomplishments, the president said. President Ma noted that Dr. Chalfie is a fellow alumnus of Harvard University who minored in law there and is also an enthusiastic swimmer. The president said that these points in common make him feel all the closer to Dr. Chalfie.
President Ma stated that Dr. Chalfie is most well-known for his contributions in the discovery of the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP), for which he was awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize along with ethnic Chinese scientist Roger Tsien (錢永健) and Japanese chemist Osamu Shimomura. The president said GFP serves as a marker for gene expression that enables scientists to monitor and observe the course of change in specific cells. This was an enormous contribution to the field of biological sciences, and also ushered in revolutionary changes, he said.
President Ma furthermore said that this technology has broad applications in the fields of physiology and medicine, and has played a crucial role in the development of cancer medicine and regenerative medicine by strengthening the ability to observe and identify cellular changes. This work has also aided in the development of microscopy and has quite a broad spectrum of applications, he said.
The president explained to Dr. Chalfie that Taiwan has limited natural resources and therefore its world-class competitiveness is derived from its human resources, which is why the government places such emphasis on education. President Ma remarked that over the past several years, a number of global competitiveness reports have scored Taiwan quite highly for its competitiveness, which signifies that Taiwan's efforts in the areas of basic science, research and development, and higher education are paying off.
Noting that Dr. Chalfie was scheduled to speak at the Academia Sinica, National Ilan University, and National Dong Hwa University, the president encouraged him to exchange opinions on a wide range of topics with students and teachers here in order to spark research and learning, while also enhancing interaction between the two sides.
Dr. Chalfie was accompanied to the Presidential Office in the afternoon by Academia Sinica Vice President Dr. Chien-Jen Chen (陳建仁) to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting were National Security Council Advisor Chung Chien (鍾堅), Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Simon Shen-Yeaw Ko (柯森耀), and National Ilan University President Dr. Han-Chieh Chao (趙涵捷).