The “2024 National Junior College and High School Youth Science Debate Competition” will be held today and tomorrow (6/1-6/2) at National Pingtung University Minsheng Campus, with more than 135 participants from 15 schools and 24 teams. 41 teachers from more than 20 high schools and colleges and universities were invited to be judges. This is the first year that the Physics Debate has been turned into a Science Debate in the hope of attracting more young students to engage in science research.

     At the opening ceremony, the school's president, Mr. Y.S. Chen, warmly welcomed the participation of teachers and students from various schools and emphasized the importance of scientific debates. He said, “Everything happens in Pingtung, means to NPTU”. NPTU, which has been the main organizer of the event in the past, should also give its full support to this event. During the ceremony, Mr. Stan Shih, Chairman of the StanShih Foundation, and Mr. Zhong-Wei Hu, President of the Air Force Academy, were invited to give speeches to witness the intense collision of scientific wisdom and wonderful exchanges.

    In his speech, Mr. Shih said that “Technology Island” and “Global Citizenship” will be the focus of Taiwan in the future. The “Technology Island” represents the direction of Taiwan's future value creation, while the “Global Citizenship” emphasizes that Taiwan's values will be contributed to the global community, so that countries and industries around the world will accept and benefit from the technology provided by Taiwan. Mr. Shih pointed out that this is an important strategy for Taiwan's future development, and hoped that the Debate would inspire more young people's passion and dedication to science and technology, and further promote Taiwan as a global leader in science and technology innovation.

    In addition, Mr. Shih reviewed the concepts of “Si-nnovation Island” and “Oriental Si-vilization” proposed in 2016. He emphasized that human civilization is the root of technological development, and that Taiwan already possesses the world's most advanced silicon-based technology and manufacturing processes, which will be combined with innovative applications in the future. Mr. Shih humorously pointed out that Silicon Valley is no longer “silicon” but still the world's leading innovator, and that he expects Taiwan to take over this area by deepening the application of science, which is not only limited to sciences, but also encompasses the humanities, social sciences, and the arts and culture. In particular, he emphasized that the integration of Culture, Art, and Technology (CAT) will help Taiwan shine on the global stage and make the “Taiwan Cat” famous all over the world.

    Prof. Wei-Ching Hung of the Department of Physics of the Military Academy thanked Pingtung University for lending the excellent venue, the teachers and students of the Air Force Academy for their strong support, and the judges for their participation. He hoped that cadets could communicate with their counterparts from other schools to create a different life in the cadet school and set a new milestone. He hoped that the students would grow together by guiding their opponents in the debate competition with a gentlemanly demeanor.

    It is expected that during the competition, we will witness a clash of wits and ideas, the participants will bring us countless inspirations and thoughts through their excellent eloquence, rich knowledge and quick thinking. Regardless of the results of the competition, every participant is a winner because they have demonstrated their passion and spirit of exploration in the field of science by challenging themselves. We hope that the participants will continue to maintain this passion to pursue knowledge, and innovate bravely in their future studies and lives.